To say it’s been a trying couple of weeks for the Birmingham Stallions would be a bit of an understatement.
For openers, the 2024 Stallions won’t be joining the 1965 Charleston Rockets or the 1972 Miami Dolphins as professional football teams that went through an entire season with a perfect record.
Last Saturday’s 18-9 loss to the San Antonio Brahmas made sure of that, snapping a 15-game winning streak in the process.
“The San Antonio game was a tough loss,” Birmingham coach Skip Holtz said on Tuesday. “You know, any loss is tough, but especially your first one of the year. I’m just glad we got to wait until the ninth week. We had a good run going, and I think we’ve had some success along the way.”
For two games the team found itself short one coach, with defensive coordinator John Chavis sidelined by illness before the game against the Houston Roughnecks and now no longer with the club.
Corey Chamblin has taken over the DC role and Anthony Blevins has been added to the staff.
“Nobody wants to go through what we’re going through,” Holtz said. “Two weeks ago, when John was dealing with a medical issue and he missed the game, we tried to put band aids on it to get through. We were fortunate in the Houston game (a 35-28 victory on May 18) that we were able to score enough points to win. But you’re also coaching a coach down, and you only have three coaches on defense.
“And the role that Corey was playing when Coach Chavis was calling the defense was echoing the calls of the secondary, getting the personnel groups and getting your different packages in on defense. There was nobody there to take that role.”
Enter Blevins.
Last summer – before the USFL and XFL announced their merger – he was tapped as the new head coach of the XFL Vegas Vipers. But when the Vipers found themselves among seven other spring clubs that were not absorbed by the United Football League, Blevins was out of a job.
“Anthony has a Birmingham background, he has a spring league background, he’s got a huge pedigree in the NFL with special teams, defense and linebackers … he just fit the bill,” Holtz said.
Blevins was a member of Watson Brown’s first recruiting class at UAB in 1995, and had five tackles in a 29-0 loss to Auburn on August 31, 1996 – UAB’s first game as a member of the NCAA’s top division.
The Pleasant Grove product was part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program with the Chicago Bears (2008), Arizona Cardinals (2010) and Indianapolis Colts (2011).
And Blevins also managed to get a PhD in instructional systems and workforce development at Mississippi State in 2015, meaning the Stallions now have a doctor on their defensive staff.
Holtz admits his team’s psyche could use a bit of healing heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Michigan Panthers (7-2) at Protective Stadium.
“They’re disappointed, they’re upset and probably a little bit angry, which is all good because I feel like we got their attention and I’m looking forward to a great practice today and getting ready for a tight contested matchup this week,” Holtz said.
Despite the loss to the Brahmas and upheaval on the staff, Birmingham is hardly stuck on a gloom and doom loop.
Still on the table is a chance to join the 1929-31 and 1965-67 Green Bay Packers as pro football three-peaters.
The two-time defending United States Football League champions have the best record in the inaugural season of the UFL at 8-1. And no matter how Saturday’s game turns out, the Stallions and Panthers will square off again a week later at the same venue in the USFL Conference Championship Game.
“We play Michigan back-to-back, which is very unique,” Holtz said. “It’s something that I have not been involved with but something that we’re going through, and we’re putting two game plans together this week.
“We’ll learn some of the things they’re going to be doing to us that we’re going to have to make adjustments for in game two, but we need to come back we need to get back on a winning track.”