There is something about the Stallions that simply makes them special. Tasked with another championship game and a third different opponent, the Stallions started slow but finished strong shutting out the Wade Phillips-led San Antonio Brahmas in the biggest game of the year.
The Birmingham Stallions have now cemented their legacy atop the great teams to play in any NFL alternative football league. They stand among some of the greatest teams ever winning three championships in a row having lost just four total games in three seasons. There may have been other teams that completed three straight championships but most did not do it with the level of domination the Stallions have had.
Near Perfection
The Stallions now hold an 88.8% win percentage since the relaunch in 2022. This carries on a tradition of winning that began in 1983. The original Stallions team went 38-20 over the first three seasons. Their first season was the only season they finished .500 or worse when they finished 9-9.
In 1984 they set a franchise record for wins with a 14-4 record, their final season 1985 produced a 13-5 record. Impressive run considering the state of the league at that point and some of the players the teams had when there wasn’t a salary cap and teams were outbidding NFL teams for players like Steve Young, Herschel Walker, and more.
Pound the Rock
The Stallions not only won this game, they did so while passing for less than 100 yards as a team. Their run game however worked to perfection as they saw Ricky Person Jr fulfill his potential rushing 13 times for 102 yards or 7.84 yards per carry. Adrian Martinez added 11 carries for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns, Cj Marable had 10 carries for 45 yards, and Amari Rodgers contributed 11 yards on one carry. Combined the team rushed 35 times for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Their only turnover came on a fumble during a passing play after the receiver caught it and had run for a moment. While the Stallions came into this game amidst some controversy, they were able to impose their will on San Antonio in the exact way that some thought the Brahmas would do to them. Averaging 6 yards per carry on 35 rushing attempts, the Stallions abandoned any semblance of balance and were unapologetic about it.
Rushing 35 times to only 23 passing attempts. If it isn’t broken why fix it? Of the 22 total first downs the Stallions produced, 14 came via the run game with only 4 coming via the passing game, the remaining 4 coming thanks to penalties.
Brahmas Attempt to Barrage Birmingham with Passing Game
The Brahmas ran the ball just 16 times producing just 52 yards or 3.3 yards per carry. They threw the ball 35 times and ten of those attempts went to running back Anthony McFarland. He would catch six producing 38 yards. The Brahmas must have been concerned about the Stallion’s pass rush coming into this game and leaned heavily on the screen game to try and slow down this line.
Chase Garbers and Quinten Dormady lived and died by the short to intermediate passing routes averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt on the day with a total of 127 yards coming after the catch per the UFL website which amounted to 72.9% of their production on the day all of the production for Jontre Kirklin, and Anthony McFarland came after the catch.
This helped their quarterbacks look good in the completion rate category but it never amounted to any points as the Brahmas moved the ball between the 20s all day long but made it in the red zone just once and failed to score. They also struggled to convert third downs going 6 of 14 on the day. If there is anything that will sink a team faster than a lack of success in the red zone and on third down, I have yet to see it.
Corey Chamblin Should be the Defensive Coordinator in 2025
It was May 28th when we first heard John Chavis had stepped away from the team for the foreseeable future and learned Corey Chamblin would take over. We also were told Anthony Blevins was hired to assist with defensive backs and linebackers, essentially coming in to look over the two position groups focused on by Chamblin and Chavis. This allowed Chamblin to focus more on coordinating than coaching a single position as well.
Since then the Stallions have played three games; week 10, the USFL Conference game, and the championship game. His unit allowed 37 total points and the Panthers failed to top 20 points in either game, before a shutout against San Antonio. Their average points allowed went from 18.5 points per game under Chamblin to 13.3. They also seemed to get better by the week. First, it was 19 points, then 18, then finally a shutout. This was the first shutout of the season for the Stallions. It also meant the defense over 3 games Chamblin averaged 4.5 points per game less than what was allowed under Chavis previously. (Mostly due to a three-game stretch between week 5 and week 8 where they allowed 20 points or more in every game.
What’s interesting about avoiding this trend is they haven’t been as productive in the turnover or sack realm. On June 1st they produced just 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, and 4 pass breakups. On June 8th his unit produced 5 sacks, 7 tackles for a loss, 3 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble a performance that carried Birmingham to victory. In the championship game, Chamblin put on a show matching wits with Aj Smith for San Antonio.
A week after San Antonio scored 25 points against the Battlehawks they were held without a single point. In the Championship game, Chamblin’s unit was aggressive in their pursuit of the ball resulting in 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries, and 6 tackles for a loss on the day. Ike Brown has stepped up in a big way since Chamblin took over; 10 tackles 4 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. Kyahva Tezino is another player who has performed well over the last three games. Leading the team in tackles twice, and coming in second once, Tezino has collected 22 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 2 forced fumbles.
The Stallion’s offense during this same period scored
Could the Stallions Begin to Be Victims of Their Success?
Looking back at every dynasty ever built at some point their success catches up with them. Other teams begin to target their free agents, their coaches, and front-office executives. At what point does the NFL begin to recognize the success the Stallions have had and come calling for Zach Potter, or Skip Holtz? Holtz has now won three championships with three different starting quarterbacks. He could certainly make a case for an offensive coordinator position on an NFL team with a young quarterback.
Potter has consistently lured recent NFL Cast-Offs to the UFL and then watched as they elevated back to the NFL long-term. They have brought in players with unique backgrounds and turned them into NFL pro bowlers with Brandon Aubrey playing the first football of his career with the Stallions. Potter may not have attended Hogwarts but he is a wizard when it comes to assembling a roster. It’s only a matter of time before he is representing an NFL team.
Phillip Montgomery was brought in as Co-Offensive Coordinator after eight years of experience as a college head coach. At 52 years old he could receive offers to be a head coach shortly. Corey Chamblin took over as a defensive coordinator and pitched a shutout against one of the more innovative offensive coordinators in the UFL. He also has head coaching experience in the CFL and could always return if the right opportunity arose. Blevins is another coach who could draw head coaching considerations after initially being hired by the XFL to run the Vegas Vipers.
Dave DeGuglielmo, Anthony Blevins, Chris Boniol, and Bill Johnson, all have fairly recent ties to the NFL and could get a call to return at some point, while these men may love the satisfaction of developing players and helping them back to the NFL, no one can blame them if they decided to accept an NFL Coaching position.
After three straight championships, it would stand to reason that the clock is now ticking away the minutes until one of the members of this staff gets elevated. Heading into 2024 in just two seasons over 20 players were called up to the NFL from the Stallions. After this season we could see that number close in on 30.
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