Eric Williams
NFL reporter
THE Birmingham Stallions I’m within the first place in week 2 and the chief of the coach Skip Holtz could have the chance to take away the dangerous style from the mouth after a rare disturbance of final week to open 2025 UFL season.
Alex McGaugh & Co. will attempt to bounce from a setback 18-11 to DC defenders In week 1 with one other street match, this in opposition to Michigan panther (1-0) Friday (20:00 et on Fox).
This week, Holtz stated Birmingham is specializing in enjoying a cleaner recreation. The stallions ended with 10 penalties accepted for 71 yard of their loss for the defenders. Last season Birmingham scored simply over six penalties on common.
“If we wish to win, we’ll clear them,” Holtz stated. “And if we don’t do it, we’ll proceed to be a strongly penalized staff and (to do) for ourselves attempt to discover a victory in a really aggressive league.”
(MOREOVER: What is the UFL? Everything to know in regards to the United Football League of 2025)
That competitors is adopted by the defenders (1-0) who host the Memphis Showboats (0-1) Saturday (20:00 et).
The weekend ends with the Houston Roughnecks (0-1) in entrance of the Arlington Renegades (1-0) on Sunday (Mezzogiorno et), adopted by St. Louis Battlehawks (1-0) assuming the San Antonio Brahmas (0-1) Later that night (18:30 et on FS1) in a revenge of the ultimate of the XFL convention final season.
Here is a extra cautious have a look at 5 issues to take a look at for week 2.
1. Birmingham is making ready for a quarterback change?
“I attempted to launch two quarterback final yr, and didn’t actually work with the personalities concerned, so I left with one,” Holtz stated after he was requested if he had considered making a change to QB with McGaugh who fought in his return to Spring Football. “I can’t enter every other collection that tries to vary the quarterback. Matt (Corral) could be very succesful.
“At one level I assumed at a sure level, however in actuality he had extra to do with the idea of luggage than to have the ability to see the sector or attempt to launch soccer.”
McGaugh has solely accomplished 43.5% of his passages for 89 yard in opening the stallions season. He was additionally fired eight instances. The Backup of Birmingham, Corral, began three video games final season and was introduced for an ineffective Adrian Martinez to set off the offense of the stallions in the course of the submit -Astation of 2024. The product Ole Miss ended with 614 Yard passing (together with the submit season), with 5 landing passages and three interceptions.
With only one handful of days to arrange for Friday’s match, Holtz stated he’s looking on the Quarterback scenario this week earlier than making a call whether or not to stick with McGaugh or begin the Corral in opposition to the Pantere.
2. Showboats Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt returns
The coach of the Memphis offensive line Jim Turner was the pinnacle of the provisional coach within the defeat of Week 1 of Michigan at residence final week after the coach head Ken Whisenhunt left a depart for private causes. The coach of TJ Vernieri receivers intervened to name the video games for the offense as a substitute of Whisenhunt.
The Showboats obtained excellent news this week, since Whisenhunt has returned to the apply area and will practice in opposition to the defenders this weekend. An offensive coordinator of the lengthy -standing NFL who was the pinnacle of the coach for Arizona Cardinals and the Tennessee Titans, Whisenhunt changed John Defilippo after Memphis went from him up to now out of season.
This week, Whisenhunt has the duty of managing a two -quarter system, with Troy Williams and EJ Perry each discovered within the recreation time in week 1. “When you’ve gotten two good quarterback, you must attempt to discover a approach to handle it, so it is what we’re doing,” he stated. “It is rarely simple, however we’re grateful to have two boys within the slut and EJ who can do it. Whether we go together with what we progress or not, I do not actually know.”
3. A grass rivalry between stallions and defenders?
Things turned just a little chippy after the victory of the defenders for the coaches of Shannon Harris and Holtz when the 2 tightened in midfield.
“You instructed me I used to be the goalkeeper on the headquarters,” Harris could be heard telling Holtz on television broadcast.
Holtz contested this assertion, pulling Harris’ shirt as he walked away. “Yes, you probably did it,” Harris added.
“I do not wish to go too far on this,” Harris stated to postgame journalists when he was requested in regards to the accident. “We are properly. I wish to be knowledgeable in any respect ranges. I spoke to a few of his coaches in his workers … to ensure we had been on the identical web page. We are good and we’ll depart him.”
Both groups are 1-1 of all time within the UFL, with Birmingham who obtained a victory for 20-18 in week 4 final season at residence.
“It’s an emotional recreation and was very troubled,” Holtz stated on the accident. “I respect it. I respect their staff. They have staff. They performed recreation. I congratulate them. They made the video games they wanted on the pitch. I assumed that they had recreation plan on offense and protection.
“I do not know, I would really like to have the ability to inform you extra about what it was, however I’ve to fret about a number of the issues that we should remedy proper now in our staff.”
Maybe the following assembly can be on this yr’s championship recreation?
4. “Knights of Columbo “leads the offense of St. Louis
Whenever an offense rushes for nearly 300 iarde, the offensive line has quite a bit to do with that manufacturing. Coach Anthony Becht believed that he would have improved the sport of the Five Five of St. Louis, and this was actually the case in his Blowout victory of Week 1 over Houston.
The former offensive watches of Dallas Cowboys, Marc Colombo, took management of the offensive line of the Battlehawks offensive, and to date the outcomes have been good. The Columbo group consists of the left gear Jaryd Jones-Smith, the left guard Steven Gonzales, the Mike Panasiusk middle, the fitting guard Abdul Beecham and the fitting gear Juwann Bushell-Beatty.
Nicknamed “Knights of Columbo”, that group reverse has helped St. Louis’s offense to gather 31 first down, collectively to determine staff information for the development websites (273) and Totali Iarde (460), in week 1.
“Clearly, he should get credit score for what he did to arrange these guys,” Becht stated on Columbo. “But I believe all our gamers have grown up and see a common image right here. It’s an ideal begin.”
5. Can the coach Curtis Johnson get Houston again on monitor?
After a disappointing 1-9 marketing campaign final yr, Johnson and Roughnecks didn’t begin this yr a lot better, to be dismantled 31-6 by the Battlehawks to open the season.
Johnson owns a document of 6-15 throughout his coach Houston mandate, shedding 10 factors per recreation on common. Johnson completed 5-5 in his first season by coaching the then gamblers, however he’s 2-13 in his final 15 video games. At some level, Johnson has to begin incomes some victories to assist flip the tide for the Roughnecks.
“It issues our staff,” Johnson stated. “I do not assume that is every other staff. The very first thing now we have to do is (not) to show the ball. We must personal the ball, and if because of this I’ve to change into simpler in assault, then it’s what now we have to do. But we can not merely flip it and count on one thing good to occur.”
Eric D. Williams He reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, masking the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Changers for Espn and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him to @eric_d_williams.
Do you need nice tales delivered on to your mailbox? Create or entry your Fox Sports account, observe championships, groups and gamers to obtain a customized publication each day!
United Football League
Birmingham Stallions
St. Louis Battlehawks
Get extra from the United Football League Follow your favorites to get data on video games, information and extra
