Category: Alternative Football

HOMEWOOD, Ala. – The last time a new league and new team took its maiden voyage in Birmingham, Luis Perez guided the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football to a 26-0 victory over the Memphis Express.

That was in 2019.

Three years and two upstart leagues later, Perez is back in the Magic City to lift the lid on the new United States Football League. Only this time, Birmingham fans might not be so glad to see him.

Perez hopes to lead the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions Saturday night at Protective Stadium and become the first winning quarterback in the history of this version of the USFL (although the Generals twelfth round draft pick, De’Andre Johnson, might have something to say about that). The game is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be simulcast by Fox, NBC and Peacock.

“I remember back in 2019 being drafted by Birmingham and thinking, ‘Man, I’ve never been to Birmingham … this should be fun,” said Perez, who was at Hero Doughnuts and Buns in Homewood this morning with teammate Darius Victor as part of the USFL’s “Thank You Birmingham” event. “And it was, being around all the guys who were excited to play, and then being able to beat Memphis in that first game here. That’s a great memory.”

He thinks the goodwill he generated during his first stint in Birmingham will carry over.

“Since I’ve been back, I’ve talked to some people who remember me with the Iron and were big fans of the Iron, and I’m hoping maybe I can convince them to cheer for the Generals, too,” Perez said. “But I’ve had a good time being back here, getting our offense organized and getting back on the field.”

Perez’s remarkable career began in 2014 at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, where he walked on to the football team despite having no high school experience. He later transferred to Division II Texas A&M-Commerce, and not only led the Lions to a national championship in 2017, but won the Harlon Hill Trophy – D2’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

Since then, Perez has become a staple of spring professional football after failing to make the regular season roster for the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.

Before the AAF folded after just eight weeks of its only season, Perez started seven of eight games for the Iron and helped them earn a berth in the playoffs which, of course, were never held. Later that summer, he was waived by both the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions, but found new life in the second iteration of the XFL in 2020.

Starting with the Los Angeles Wildcats and ending with the New York Guardians, he played a major role in New York’s two-game winning streak before the XFL was shuttered after five weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He most recently was part of The Spring League, a pay-to-play circuit founded by Brian Woods (who is now USFL President of Operations).

Although Perez went undrafted by the USFL, he was signed by the Generals after top pick Ben Holmes was released following a toe injury on April 1.

“So, I didn’t really know what I was going to do back when the USFL held its draft,” Perez recalls. “And then suddenly an injury happened and (New Jersey head coach Mike Riley) called me, and that was the opening for me. After I heard from him, I was ready to go and now we’re here today, so I’m very excited.”

Excited, but never nervous.

“Honestly, I’ve never had butterflies playing the game of football,” Perez said. “I feel so prepared going into every single game. I feel like there’s really no situation that I’m not prepared for. I’m more excited than anything else because I just like to get out there and perform and show what I can do.”

With both the AAF and XFL folding it would’ve been understandable if Perez was skeptical about joining another spring league. Instead, he’s sold on the concept.

“Obviously, who’s behind this league gives it a great chance,” Perez said. “Fox and all the people who helped organize it are first class. Brian Woods has been awesome, and everything has just been top of the line.

“You can kind of see where it’s going and see just where we’re at, and it’s a great setup. I can’t wait for Saturday.”

Birmingham Stallions coach Skip Holtz likes to say that “every player has a story,” and every story is different – sometimes with a few plot twists.

Take quarterback Alex McGough, for example. Ultimately, he wants his to be a story of success. Thing is, he doesn’t care if he’s the star or not.

“I’m a team-first guy – I’m gonna give everything I have on every play, no matter what the score is,” said McGough, who’ll lead the Stallions against the New Jersey Generals Saturday at 6:30 p.m. as the new United States Football League makes its debut at Protective Stadium. “I don’t care about stats … I want to win everything. I just want to make (the rest of the team) look good.

“And I’m never going to quit. I’ll give everything on every play. It’s something that’s been instilled in me.”

McGough had an outstanding career at Florida International University, making an impact for the Panthers right from the start when he threw for 117 yards and a touchdown in his college debut in 2014. By the time he was done, he had thrown for 9,091 yards and 65 touchdowns, completing 60.4 percent of his passes.

It was at FIU when McGough first encountered Holtz, who was head coach at Louisiana Tech.

“It’s interesting, because we used to always play him and knew we’d have to put up more than 50 points to win because they’d put up 50 points against us,” McGough said. “So, playing against him it was always pass first, you know, and try to get in the end zone as much as you can. Now I’m excited to play for him instead of against him. I can’t wait.”

Holtz made McGough his top QB pick in the USFL Draft. And while there were many factors involved in the decision, coaching against him was certainly one of them.

“I think he threw for about 430 yards against us that day that we played him at Ruston,” Holtz remembers. “We won, but it was a high-scoring event and I knew we’d need a bunch of points. I was just really impressed with his talents and skills and abilities.

“But being around him now, I’m even more impressed, just how he handles himself and the type of young man he is, and the way that he’s picked everything up. He’s been studying plays and using flashcards from the very beginning.”

McGough’s opportunities to shine on a big stage have been limited since he was a seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Although he signed with three different teams since then (Seattle twice), most of his time has been spent on taxi squads.

But the USFL has given him another chance to show what he can do. And while Saturday will mark his debut at Protective Stadium, he already knows how to win in Birmingham.

He guided FIU to a 34-20 victory over UAB at Legion Field in 2014. And three years later – when the team was temporarily relocated to Birmingham due to Hurricane Irma – he was behind center when the Panthers topped Alcorn State 17-10 at “The Old Gray Lady,” throwing for 328 yards and running for the go-ahead touchdown.

“I’m like a dog,” he said. “I’m just out there biting and fighting and clawing for everything I can get. That’s who I am … it’s my love of the game.”

And what will be the next plot twist in his story?

“Fans will have to come out and see for themselves,” McGough said. “It’ll be exciting. Yeah … just come out and watch.”

Give the new XFL credit: not only has it interrupted the United States Football League conversation, but managed to change the subject – at least temporarily.

This weekend marks the debut of a 2022 version of the USFL, and once the league opens on Saturday it’ll be the primary focus of spring/alternative football fans. But it’s smart for the XFL – expected to debut in February, 2023 – to make some noise, and it’s done that in a pretty big way.

It started on Monday when the XFL revealed it was entering into an exclusive partnership with the NFL Alumni Academy; continued Tuesday with news that Dean Blandino, who joined the XFL in 2019, was returning to the circuit as vice president of officiating and playing rules innovation; and today the eight coaches of the as yet unnamed teams were announced.

After the new logo was met with a collective “meh” a week ago, these news drops mean the third attempt to make the XFL a viable alternative football league is starting to take tangible steps forward.

The team-up with the NFL Alumni Academy made a big splash, giving the XFL a pool of players coming from the training program of football’s biggest league.

“This is a monumental partnership not only for the XFL, but for the entire football ecosystem,” Russ Brandon, XFL president, said. “The NFL Alumni Academy has found great success over the past two years training and mentoring up-and-coming players, many of whom have gone on to play in the NFL, and we are collaborating to create another avenue of opportunity for players to showcase their talent. We are completely aligned in our player-centric philosophy, and we’re eager to continue to explore the bounds of this partnership.”

Once a player has made it through the academy at the end of the NFL season, he’ll automatically receive an opt-in contract with the XFL.

According to its website, the academy “develops and trains the top available free-agent football players during the NFL season in preparation to sign an in-season contract with NFL teams looking to replace 500+ active roster players lost each season due to injury.”

This agreement doesn’t mean the XFL will serve as a minor league feeder system for the NFL, but it certainly opens the door for such a collaboration in the future.

The naming of the coaches today was also a positive development for the league. Not only is Bob Stoops, coach of the Dallas Renegades during the pandemic-doomed 2020 XFL season, back, but the league is adding Wade Phillips, Jim Haslett, Reggie Barlow, Anthony Becht, Terrell Buckley, Hines Ward and Rod Woodson.

Barlow’s and Buckley’s names were previously leaked, with Barlow linked with a possible team in San Antonio and Buckley reportedly headed to Orlando to coach an entry in that city.

“Our head coaches are a diverse group of leaders, champions and hall of famers with experience competing and coaching at the highest level in football,” Dany Garcia, co-owner and chairwoman of the XFL, said. “Not only will they be mentors to our players, but they are also ambassadors of the XFL as we work together to build tomorrow’s league. What is most exciting about our talented coaches is that they all share our vision for the XFL and are committed to advancing the game of football for players and making it into a must-watch program for fans.”

And while players and coaching hires matter most, what matters to a goob like me are rule innovations. And based on the release announcing Blandino’s return, I’m hopeful XFL 2023 will go big and bold.

“Dean has been the go-to name in professional and collegiate football officiating for over a decade,” Brandon said. “We have the rare opportunity to develop new, innovative rules for this league, and Dean’s unique perspective and expert experience are integral to achieving that before we hit the field in 2023.”

Not gonna lie … the phrase “new, innovative rules” gives me a tingle in my special regions. Even though the USFL stole some ideas from XFL 2.0, XFL 3.0 is free to steal them back, revive a few that weren’t taken, and come up with something we’ve yet to see.

As far as I’m concerned not only should they think outside the box, they should think outside the factory that made the box.

“Football is a dynamic and ever evolving sport with increasing global appeal,” said Blandino, who worked in the NFL officiating department for two decades. “From my time in the NFL through to the XFL, my focus has always been on bringing forward ideas and structure that can continue to support the game we love and allow it to grow into the future. Football is my passion and it’s an exciting time to be a part of the XFL as they build a dynamic game that will appeal to fans and players.”

There are still two days left until the USFL debuts, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the XFL has another announcement up its sleeve. But even if it doesn’t, it seems a lot more “real” than it did just a few days ago.