I was away when this news broke two weeks ago so completely whiffed on it. The former Birmingham Iron running back stays in the game in a high school coaching role.
It is difficult to believe that it's already been five years, to the day, since this game took place.
Text by Evan Dudley for al.com, images lifted from the team's Instagram account and uncredited.
Quarterback Luis Perez came off the bench for injured starter Keith Price and threw three touchdowns, and he led a final drive that ended with Nick Novak’s 43-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to lift the Birmingham Iron (4-2) to a 32-29 victory over the San Diego Fleet at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego. The victory ends Birmingham’s two-game losing streak.Perez, who returned to his hometown of San Diego, finished 27-of-49 for 359 yards with touchdown passes of 13, 83 and 23 yards in the victory, while also throwing two interceptions that resulted in a missed field goal and a go-ahead touchdown for San Diego late in the third quarter.
Price (above) was cleared to return after his injury but Iron coach Tim Lewis made the call to stick with his opening-day starter, who led the Iron to a season-high 448 yards of offense. L’Damien Washington, who finished with four catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, was the leading receiver for Birmingham while Jamal Robinson, who made his debut with the Iron, brought down two passes for 78 yards.
Perez entered the game on Birmingham’s third possession – facing a 3rd-and-10 from the San Diego 45-yard line – and with his first snap threw a 19-yard strike to Quinton Patton for a first down into Fleet territory.
Four plays later, Perez gave the Iron its first lead of the day, 6-3, with his first passing touchdown of the season on a 13-yard dump off to Trent Richardson, who fought his way through a swarm of San Diego defenders for his first receiving score of the season.
Perez threw his second score of the game two drives later with an 83-yard pass to Washington to give the Iron a 12-3 lead midway through the second quarter. The Fleet answered with a three-play, 75-yard drive that was capped with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Mike Bercovici to tight end Ben Johnson.
Birmingham got a 23-yard field goal from Nick Novak with 17 seconds to go in the half to enter the break with a 15-9 lead.
Richardson, who finished with 46 rushing and 44 receiving yards, scored his league-leading ninth rushing touchdown on a 2-yard plunge to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive on Birmingham’s opening drive of the second half.
San Diego answered with back-to-back touchdowns on a 2-yard run and 12-yard catch from Terrell Watson to put the Fleet up 23-21 with 5:05 to go in the third quarter. After Perez’s second pick of the game, he rebounded with a 23-yard touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to Washington following a interception by Birmingham’s Bradley Sylve.
The Fleet tied the game at 29-all with 4:32 remaining on Bercovici’s third passing score of the day to Francis Owusu, but the ensuing 2-point conversion was unsuccessful.
Perez answered by leading the Iron on a 10-play, 50-yard drive. Perez was 3-of-3 for 25 yards and ran for 16 yards on two carries, setting up Birmingham at the down to the Fleet 25-yard line. Novak’s kick sealed the victory, as Birmingham used the the final 4:32 for its game-winning drive.
Game summary below by Evan Dudley for al.com, and photography by Vasha Hunt.
Offensive struggles finally caught up with Birmingham (3-1) in its 12-11 loss to the San Antonio Commanders today at Legion Field. The Iron gained 283 total yards but were just 3-of-10 on third-downs while committing two late turnovers.
(Running back Trent) Richardson entered the fourth week of the season with 145 rushing yards and a league-leading six rushing touchdowns, but finished with 52 total yards and one touchdown. His backmate, former Maryland Terrapin Brandon Ross, added 64 yards on nine carries but fumbled twice in the final quarter only for San Antonio to recover.
Birmingham Iron running back Brandon Ross (45) gets into open field during the first half of the San Antonio Commanders at Birmingham Iron AAF pro football game, Sunday, March 3, 2019, at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
Luis Perez looked more comfortable in the Iron’s victory over Atlanta last week but finished 19-of-39 for 202 yards and two interceptions. Perez did flash his potential on both scoring drives but was inconsistent and threw his second interception of the season midway through the third quarter and added his second of the game on an onside attempt – there are no onside kicks in the AAF – after the Iron pulled within a single point on a Trent Richardson 1-yard touchdown run and the Iron’s subsequent 2-point conversion that cut San Antonio’s lead to 12-11 late in the fourth quarter.
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The Iron started the game with two big passes from Perez to Richardson and L’Damien Washington, but the drive stalled, and punter Colton Schmidt pinned San Antonio at its 1-yard line. The Commanders drove 89 yards but a third-down sack by Beniquez Brown ended the threat and forced a 39-yard field goal from San Antonio’s Nick Rose.
Penalties and inconsistency plagued both teams on their next two drives until the Iron’s Nick Novak tied the game on a 33-yard field goal following a 12-play, 64-yard drive. Perez was 8-of-11 and completed his first four passes on the drive after starting the game 3-of-10 for 34 yards.
San Antonio opened the second half but were unable to move the ball while the Iron responded with their own failed drive. Schmidt pinned his fourth straight punt of the day inside the 10-yard line on the ensuing kick and Birmingham forced its first three-and-out of the day on the next possession.
Coming back out, Perez completed a 22-yard pass to Wes Saxton to midfield and an unnecessary roughness call one play later pushed the Iron to the San Antonio 35-yard line. Another defensive penalty moved Birmingham to the 24-yard line but Perez threw his second interception of the season on the next play.
The Commanders quickly moved down the field and took a 9-3 lead on a 12-yard rushing touchdown from Trey Williams. A 26-yard run by Kenneth Farrow on the first play of the drive and a defensive facemask penalty aided San Antonio on the drive.
Birmingham closed with a nine-play, 75-yard drive to cut the San Antonio lead to a single possession on the 1-yard score from Richardson. The Iron attempted the onside attempt but Perez was intercepted and the Commanders kneeled it three times to end the game.
A seven-year NFL veteran and former offensive lineman for the Blazers, Matt McCants was named UAB's Director of Character Development by Head Coach Trent Dilfer in December of 2022 and enters his third season on staff."As we help these young men chase their best, I feel that it is very important to have a model of that on our staff," Dilfer said. "Matt McCants fits that perfectly. He's a seven-year NFL veteran and has incredible credentials there, but more importantly he is an A+ human being. He is a coach that all the players on the team can look up to as someone they want to grow up to be like. We are excited that Matt McCants will be our Director of Character Development as well as use his football knowledge to better the staff."In his role, McCants will serve the student-athletes in all aspects of personal development and growth both as a football player and a person. From community service projects to mentorship programs and providing football insight from someone who played at UAB and at the highest level in the NFL, McCants will help grow the players both on and off the field.McCants was a two-time First Team All-Conference USA offensive lineman for the Blazers from 2007-11 and was selected in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. McCants also spent time in the Raiders, Bears and Browns organizations.In 2019, McCants was a member of the AAF's Birmingham Iron, and then was on the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020 before COVID-19 shut down the league.McCants spent the 2021 spring season at Fairfield High School and then joined the UAB staff in the summer of 2021 as a volunteer coach. Last season in 2022, he was a strength and conditioning coach who focused on the offensive line.With the help of McCants in 2022, UAB's offensive line set the school record for single season rushing yards (3,063), rushing yards per game (235.6) and tied the single season rushing touchdown record (32).McCants graduated from UAB in 2011 with a criminal justice degree and a minor in theatre. He and his wife Alowe have one son, Sam.
Matt McCants wasn’t supposed to play football.It now seems impossible, considering McCants started four seasons as UAB's left tackle, was selected by the New York Giants in the 2012 NFL draft, and played in 30 NFL games for the Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears.It's true, though. McCants didn't play football until his senior season at Williamson High in Mobile."My mom wouldn't let me play football," said the 6-foot-5, 310-pound McCants, a midseason addition to the Birmingham Iron (4-2), which plays at Memphis on Sunday night. "She was afraid I was going to get hurt."Instead, McCants played tuba in Williamson's show-stopping band during halftime at every football game during his freshman, sophomore and junior years of high school while everyone from counselors to classmates encouraged him to play football.Former Williamson coach Bobby Parrish remembers seeing "a big boy walking the halls" as a freshman and asking McCants if he wanted to play the sport."He said, 'No, I don't play football. It's all about the band," Parrish said.
I've also come across this article about McCants hosting a special needs football camp a number of years. This is one impressive guy, easy to cheer for.But McCants harbored a secret desire to play, an understandable dream considering Williamson grad JaMarcus Russell was then LSU’s starting quarterback -- and became the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick just before McCants graduated from high school -- and Williamson’s Antonio Coleman was then playing at Auburn.McCants walked the Williamson hallways with Nick Fairley, who later won the Lombardi Award as the college football's top interior lineman at Auburn in 2010 and was a first-round NFL draft pick.“My senior year came around, and I had achieved everything I could in the band,” the 29-year-old McCants said. “I was ready for a new challenge, and I convinced my Mom to let me play. And she begrudgingly did, so it all worked out.”Peggy McCants didn’t simply allow her son to play. She made a deal -- if Matt earned all As, he could play football. He did it."She challenged me, and I had a goal, and I went and got it," McCants said. "That was that."McCants’ decision to join team first added depth to the Williamson offensive line, which allowed Parrish to move Fairley to from offensive tackle to a full-time defensive lineman. That meant McCants spent that first year of football going against Fairley.Even though McCants didn't start early in his senior season, Parrish said, the newcomer had moved into the starting lineup by the end of the season.College coaches loved McCants' potential -- a long-armed, athletic 300-pounder with uncanny quickness and agility."I can tell you this: Once he came out to play, he was committed to playing football," Parrish said. "That's a compliment to him. When he first came out there, I kind of brushed it off. Once he got there, he really showed he wanted to play."As player with only one season of high school football experience, McCants seemed like a strong candidate to redshirt at UAB. Instead, he quickly rose on the depth chart and started the 2007 season opener at Michigan State in a game televised by ESPN2.He left UAB as a four-year starter, returned home to play in the Senior Bowl and was a sixth-round draft pick by the New York Giants."Every day, I wanted to work and get better, and I took that attitude to UAB," McCants said. "When I first got to UAB, I was fourth on the depth chart at left tackle and by the time we played Michigan State, I was the starting left tackle. Every day, I just had the mindset that I wanted to get better. I didn't want to stay average, I didn't want to be a fourth-string left tackle. I thought of myself as a starter caliber player and I always wanted to work toward that."I just wanted to be the best. That's what was always driving me," he added. "I kept asking myself, 'What can I do to be successful? What can I do to get to the top?'"
Inching forward with recording the Iron's brief existence, this partial summary is again by Dudley. The full version with quotes can be accessed through this link.
The photography was taken from the team's Instagram account and uncredited.
(Trent) Richardson scored three rushing touchdowns while the defense forced four turnovers and allowed two field goals – in four trips to the red zone – to lift the Birmingham Iron (3-0) to a 28-12 victory today over the Atlanta Legends at Georgia State Stadium in Atlanta.
Richardson finished with 46 rushing yards but scored three touchdowns – two in the second half – to give the former Alabama standout six rushing scores this season. He also scored a 2-point conversion attempt after his second touchdown.
Trent Richardson
Atlanta took a 3-0 lead off a 21-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo to start the second quarter, but the Iron answered with a 39-yard kick from Nick Novak and a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Richardson with 2:39 to go in the half.
The Legends managed to score on another field goal attempt near the end of the first half but was shut out in the second half until 1:41 remaining. Birmingham allowed 346 total yards but picked off Matt Simms three times– one each by Jack Tocho, Matt Redfield and Jamar Summers – while sacking the former Tennessee quarterback three times.
Casey Sayles
Simms finished 27-of-46 passing for 280 yards and connected with 10 different receivers. He threw a a 23-yard touchdown pass to Keith Towbridge late in the fourth quarter.
Richardson scored twice in the second half, and Novak nailed another long field goal in the third quarter to push the lead to 26-6 before the final Atlanta score cut the final margin to 28-12.
(Luis) Perez finished 17-of-31 passing for 160 yards and looked far more comfortable in the second half despite throwing his first interception of the season. He was sacked only once.
This summary of the Iron's second contest was written by Evan Dudley for al.com.
The Birmingham Iron earned a second straight victory, as former Alabama running back Trent Richardson scored the go-ahead touchdown in a 12-9 victory over the Salt Lake City Stallions (0-2) today at Birmingham’s Legion Field.
The Iron forced two turnovers in the game, turning one into a score near the end of the third quarter as Shaheed Salmon’s fumble recovery off a muffed punt return by Salt Lake.
“I thought defensively, we did a nice job,” Iron coach Tim Lewis said. “Our defensive coordinator wasn’t here today, so I had the honor of calling a game for the first time in a long time and we did a nice job. The guys played hard, fast and tough. They played smart and did what we asked them to do. Did a nice job finishing the game.”
“Offensively, we just grounded it out. They’re a big strong team and it didn’t shock me," he continued. "Coach (Dennis) Erickson is a heck of a coach and brought a really big salty team in here. They lost their game to Arizona and they were meaning to do business to us and we stood up to the challenge.”
Birmingham Iron wide receiver Tobias Palmer breaks away from Salt Lake Stallions linebacker Greer Martini at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. (Mark Almond | preps@al.com)The Iron defense limited Salt Lake to 252 yards but only a single touchdown and 1-of-3 on field goals. Birmingham also tallied two sacks while putting the pressure on Stallion starter and former Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen, who finished 15-of-31 for 115 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
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Birmingham (2-0) was shut out in the first half – gaining 108 yards – and converted only 3-of-9 third-down conversions with two three-and-outs. Perez was an efficient 12-of-20 in the half but was sacked three times for a loss of 15 yards, which ultimately doomed promising drives by the Iron.
Birmingham Iron defensive tackle Casey Sayles tackles Salt Lake Stallions running back Branden Oliver at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. (Mark Almond | preps@al.com)Perez was more on his game in the second half – finishing today 24-of-38 for 184 yards with no turnovers – and led the Iron on its game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
Richardson got his second straight start after battling a hamstring injury this week but had 31 yards on nine carries in the first half for a paltry 3.4 average. The former NFL first-round pick found little room in the second half and finished with 41 yards on 19 carries, but he scored the game-winning touchdown with 4:48 to go.
“We got back up and fought,” Richardson said. “And that’s what we did today. For me, fighting through all four quarters was a big step in the right direction.”
From that point, the Iron forced two missed field goals and a three-and-out from the Stallions while scoring the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-play, 54-yard drive that was capped by Richardson’s 3-yard touchdown.
Birmingham Iron linebacker Shaheed Salmon celebrates after Birmingham recovered a Salt Lake Stallions fumble in the endzone for a touchdown at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. (Mark Almond | preps@al.com)
The Iron appeared to seal the game on a fourth-down incomplete pass but an unsportsmanlike penalty gave the Stallions a first down at the Birmingham 31-yard line with less than two minutes to play. Birmingham managed to force the Stallions into a 48-yard field goal attempt with 1:03 to play, and the kick sailed wide left.“They fly to the ball,” Lewis said of his defense. “They do a fantastic job, we ask them to sprint to the ball everyday in practice, and they do it. So when the ball gets free or comes open, they’re there to make the play.”
Iron is forged by hand but it was the leg of former NFL veteran kicker Nick Novak that gave Birmingham’s newest professional football team its first win in the inaugural weekend of the Alliance of American Football.
The Birmingham Iron took an early lead on three first-half field goals from Novak before former Alabama running back Trent Richardson put the exclamation point with two fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 26-0 shutout of the Memphis Express at Legion Field.
Novak, who played collegiately at Maryland before a 12-year career in the NFL, was the highest profile player to sign with the Iron – outside of local favorites like Richardson – and proved his worth with kicks of 29, 28 and 47 yards in the first half while pushing a 31-yard field goal through to give the Iron a 20-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The AAF has no kickoffs or PAT attempts so Novak was relegated to only field goals.
The showdown between quarterbacks was settled quickly as Memphis quarterback and former 2016 second-round pick Christian Hackenberg struggled mightily against the Iron defense. Hackenberg was 10-of-23 for 87 yards and an interception, and looked completely lost in the passing game while getting sacked twice and hounded throughout the contest.
Iron quarterback Luis Perez, who taught himself the finer details of the position by studying YouTube videos before winning a national title at Texas A&M-Commerce, was solid if not surprising in his debut. The California native was 19-of-33 for 252 yards with no turnovers and 17 yards on three carries.
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The running game for both teams was inconsistent through three quarters until Richardson showed the potential that made him an NFL first-round pick in the final 15 minutes. He had only 18 rushing yards heading into the fourth quarter but added 40 rushing yards and two scores – plus a reception on a 2-point conversion attempt – and a catch for 14 yards.
Richardson turned it around in the second half and flashed the ability that made him an All-American at Alabama.
“Trent’s an unbelievable person and player,” Perez said. “He works very hard, and he’s very hard on himself so after that fumble he gathered himself up and said, “That’s on me and I’m going to come back and I’m going to end this game. I’m going to run the ball down their throats and we’re going to get this win.” And sure enough he did that.”
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Novak was named the Special Teams Player Of The Week for hitting on four field goal attempts in this game.The Iron defense was spectacular, allowing only 202 yards while shutting out the Express and forcing three turnovers. Jonathan Massaquoi, a former Troy linebacker, was the defacto leader for the Iron and was excellent in space with seven total tackles (3 for a loss) and two sacks to go along with three quarterback hurries.
The most telling number from the defensive performance, however, was the Iron’s ability to force the Express into an 0-of-2 showing inside the red zone.
For some reason, I've had a devil of a time locating an article specific to the hiring of Tim Lewis as head coach of the Birmingham Iron. It baffles me that it can be easier to find news stories from the 1974 Americans more easily than I can from two or three ago ago.
I've found the one below from the Alabama News Center, written by Solomon Crenshaw Jr., and copied parts of it in case the link goes dead at some point. In the meantime, the full version can be found here.
Cut Day is a painful day on a pro football team, and Tim Lewis knows that as well as anybody.
The 57-year-old has been on the staffs of football teams – either as an assistant or as a coordinator – for 30 seasons. Twenty-two of those seasons were in the pro ranks, where men’s hopes of living the dream of a professional football player were dashed when they were called into an office and told their days with the team were over.
This year was tougher for Lewis than any before. As the head coach of the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football, he was the one who delivered the bad news to the men who didn’t make the 52-player roster.
“There were a couple of moments where I got choked up and had a difficult time saying goodbye to certain people,” Lewis said. “It is a difficult time. It’s a difficult thing. I’ve never had to do that."
Birmingham Iron Head Coach Tim Lewis prepares his team for its first game against the Memphis Express. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)
Lewis is experiencing a new part of the game as he prepares to lead the Birmingham Iron into its first game in the AAF, taking on the Memphis Express at 3 p.m. Sunday at Legion Field...
Iron running back Trent Richardson said it’s about time for Lewis to step into the top role.
“Really, I don’t see why he wasn’t a head coach in the beginning,” the former Alabama Crimson Tide runner said. “He should have been a head coach a long time ago because of the values that he has, and what he brings to the table is really bringing this team together.”
Lewis teaches his players like he does his three kids, Richardson said, and he cares about all his players.
“He’s a player’s coach and he really listens to the players,” Richardson said. “He actually played the game, so you look at stuff the way he has done stuff, growing up and the great players he has played with and coached … he’s one of the smartest guys out there.”
Lewis relishes the AAF’s nickname as the league of opportunity.
“(That’s) what they’ve been touting and that’s what I believe that they’ve given me, a wonderful opportunity to showcase, to do what I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful for that opportunity and I plan on making the most of it."
Lewis’ football life took off as a college player at the University of Pittsburgh and continued when he was drafted in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, taken 11th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
As a player, Lewis led or shared the lead on the team in interceptions in 1983 and 1985, finishing with a career total of 16. His 99-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 18, 1984, remains the Packers team record.Wearing jersey No. 26, he played four NFL seasons before his playing career was cut short by a severe neck injury suffered during a Monday Night game against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 22, 1986.
The Quakertown, Pennsylvania, native knew from the time he was drafted into the NFL that football would be his life. By spring 1987, the former Pittsburgh Panther was a grad assistant at Texas A&M...From there, he was:
Defensive backs coach at Southern Methodist (1989–1992) under head coach Forrest Gregg in the aftermath of the Death Penalty.
Defensive backs coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers (1993–1994) under Johnny Majors.
Defensive backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1995–1999) and defensive coordinator for the Steelers (2000–2003), each under Bill Cowher.
Defensive coordinator for the New York Giants (2004–2006) under Tom Coughlin.
Secondary coach for the Carolina Panthers (2007–2008) under John Fox.
Defensive backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks (2009) under Jim Mora.
Secondary coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2010–2014) for Mike Smith.
Defensive backs coach of the San Francisco 49ers (2015) under Jim Tomsula. He was let go once the season ended as part of a complete coaching overhaul.
With so many coaches in his past, which one has influenced him the most?
“Oh, my goodness, that’s a tough question,” Lewis said. “Bill Cowher was the one that I was with the longest, so I probably pattern myself after him the most. I like coach Jackie Sherrill; he was my college coach. He is still a mentor to me today.”
Time to get some Iron in here.
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