The St. Louis Battlehawks are one of the most interesting teams in the UFL entering a critical Week 5 showdown against the undefeated Orlando Storm.
St. Louis enters the week with a 2-2 record and still very much in the thick of the playoff hunt, but the Battlehawks are coming off a tough 28-22 loss to the DC Defenders. If there is any team that needs a win more, it's the Battlehawks as they try to stay pace to be one of the four teams in the playoffs.
There is plenty of intrigue as the Battlehawks will face off against their former long time head coach Anthony Becht who is now running the Storm as their head coach. New Battlehawks head coach Ricky Proehl, who was on Becht's staff in 2023 in St. Louis, spoke to the media about the upcoming matchup among other topics.
Ricky Proehl talks showdown against Orlando Storm
There's no denying how good the Storm are as they are coming off a 16-0 shutout of the Birmingham Stallions, the first in UFL history. Proehl told UFL News Hub he knows how solid of a football team Orlando is.
"I think they've played smart football. The quarterback has played smart. They've, you know, they've got a plethora of good receivers that make plays when they need it. They move the chains. The quarterback has extended plays with his legs, but they've had They've got some good creative offensive plays."
"You know, Donnie is a good friend and he's a great defensive coordinator. And, you know, watching some of their defense, they mix it up. They do a variety of coverages. They bring pressure. They're a sound football team. And we definitely have our work cut out for us. And, but we're excited. We're excited to challenge."
If the playoffs were today, the Battlehawks would be sitting in the fourth spot at 2-2 as they are right on the edge of the playoff picture. Proehl knows how important a win would be for his team.
"I think it's real critical. I think we got to stay above .500. I think that's our focus. And this team, I tell you what, I couldn't be more proud of these guys. They understand the situation. I can get up there and talk to them and tell them what we need to do better and how we need to do it. We need to stay the course though, and I think they understand that this is a huge game."
Harrison Frost's shaky start vs. DC won't shake Ricky Proehl's confidence
Despite St. Louis having two massively long pass plays against the Defenders that both were thrown to star receiver Hakeem Butler, it was still not the best day at the office for Frost. In the start, Frost only completed six of 21 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown to one interception. Proehl acknowledged to UFL News Hub that the coaching staff has to do better by Frost, but also made it known that he still has confidence in the young quarterback.
"We got to help him out in keeping it simple early, giving him some completions, get him to get us running the football, and then just let him get into that rhythm. And he's shown against Birmingham what he's capable of. I think, you know, your first start, DC, I'm sure things were happening pretty fast for him. And that's where we've got to do a better job as coaches and just getting the ball out of his hand, getting in our playmakers, let them make plays."
"I believe he's going to grow and that's our job. That's what this league is all about. And that's why, again, why I took this job is I want to help these guys, man. I want to help them build that confidence to where they can let their athleticism take over. And Harrison's one of those guys that he's got a lot of talent and he's going to get better."
As Frost is learning how to be a consistent starting quarterback, it's the same for Proehl as he is four games into his head coaching career. Proehl told UFL News Hub that he is adjusting well to the job and seems to be in full control of the role.
"I'm learning on the job. I think I'm definitely feeling more comfortable. You know, it's like I said, I think, like Harrison, the game will slow down. The game has definitely slowed down. Certain situations, you start thinking about it. You know, three, couple minutes before it actually happens, you know, you start preparing yourself for those moments, whether it's timeouts, whether it's field goal, whether we're going to go for two points, three points, you know, right hash, left hash, different things like that. So yeah, listen, this game, I read the rule book. I think it was 146 pages. You know, I'm still learning."
"I definitely feel comfortable or more, you know, calm in certain situations and through fourquarters. But I'm sure something will come up. But for right now, I feel good about where we are and where I am as a head coach."
Ricky Proehl shared his thoughts on potential trades for Battlehawks
The UFL made headlines with two massive trades involving starting quarterbacks changing teams. Proehl was asked if the Battlehawks were approached by any team to make a trade for one of their quarterbacks, and while the head coach did say it happened, don't expect a trade by the team anytime soon.
"Yeah, we did. We had someone call us about Pratt. And yeah, I just wasn't interested. You know, I'm, you know, unless we have injuries, you know, I just, to me, it's like I said, it's about staying the course. We're a family here. We're close. This group, man, I love them. Love everyone in this room. When I get up and talk to these guys about, the trust and believing in the process. And so for me, I wouldn't think about trading anybody, any one of our guys, just because I feel that good about everybody here."
For the second straight week, the Battlehawks are on the road as they face the Storm in Week 5 action.