No Huddle Pt 2: UFL Opening Weekend, Coach Prime, & Transfer Portal
The UFL made its debut this past weekend. The new spring league that merged the XFL and the USFL had a stellar opening to a new venture that hopes to finally emerge as a spring staple and feeder league to the NFL. As a former spring leaguer myself, I can’t tell you how important these leagues are to the development of players who need repetitions but are on the bubble of making NFL rosters and would never get them otherwise. The ability to actually play the sport under a slew of former NFL and major college football coaches, while being on national television, is a tremendous opportunity for the players to showcase their talents.
One of the biggest takeaways from the weekend was the greatly improved the offensive line and quarterback play. In past years, it’s been such a glaring issue that it takes over games at times. Without sustainable blocking up front and a quarterback that can deliver the ball on time, it can be tough to watch the games. I truly believe that consolidating both leagues into one super-league was the best thing to happen to ensure a chance at sustainability. Pass protection was exponentially improved, and subsequently, we got to see what these quarterbacks are made of.
Birmingham Stallions TE Jace Sternberger (12) - Birmingham Stallions Communications
During a stretch of the inaugural game between the back to back USFL Champion Birmingham Stallions and the reigning XFL Champion Arlington Renegades, we got to see former third round pick and Ole Miss legend Matt Corral, Nebraska standout Adrian Martinez, and spring league legend Luis Perez play quarterback within the first half of the game. That type of name recognition, and most important quality, will go a long way into helping the league establish real legs.
There was a lot to take away from the opening weekend, but here’s what stood out to me most.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Pulling Guard to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.