最新杏吧原创

That鈥檚 my forward-looking takeaway from Friday鈥檚 news that the 最新杏吧原创 Battlehawks have parted ways with quarterback A.J. McCarron.

Once the shock of page turning on a fan favorite subsides, the opportunity comes into clearer focus. It鈥檚 a risk, sure. But maybe it pays off.

If you are a talented quarterback trying to prove to the NFL that it needs to take another look at you, why not prioritize playing for a player-friendly coach who wants to put up a lot of points in a home venue that does a pretty good NFL gameday impression?

Anthony Becht runs an NFL-like offense. He has as many NFL connections as any UFL coach. In two seasons with the Battlehawks, he鈥檚 taken the spring league team from playoff snub to the cusp of competing for the league championship. Winning it all is his goal now, and he now has plenty of time to recruit the right quarterback to get it done. And don鈥檛 forget, he was the one who recruited McCarron to the Battlehawks in the first place.

鈥淥ur system translates to about 15 of the top NFL systems out there,鈥� Becht said about his hybrid West Coast offense. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where we develop. That鈥檚 what we do. If quarterbacks are looking to advance and learn a proper system so it translates correctly, this is an opportunity for them to reach out if they are not on the list we are looking at.鈥�

For a young, talented quarterback who, for example, can鈥檛 seem to find his way off an NFL practice squad, this should be a compelling pitch. This opening should recruit itself, and now there鈥檚 no fear of a known name looking over the new guy鈥檚 shoulder.

The Battlehawks on Friday released McCarron, the former Alabama college football star who won over fans with his familiar name and glowing praise of 最新杏吧原创 during his time with the team. McCarron鈥檚 personality and the fanfare it created may be hard to replace. Let鈥檚 not underestimate that here. Becht certainly doesn鈥檛.

McCarron helped the relaunched Battlehawks feel big. He truly embraced The Lou. The images of his kids loving on him after games at The Dome are part of the Battlehawks鈥� feel-good fabric. And like his Alabama teams, his Battlehawks did a lot more winning than losing. Especially at home, which was a key to keeping The Dome rocking. His football future is undetermined at the moment, but he always should be appreciated here by those who were thrilled to see professional football return post-Rams.

鈥淪uper, super grateful and thankful A.J. decided to come with us two years ago,鈥� Becht said. 鈥淲hen I recruited him, he didn鈥檛 know much about the league. I was like, one year. Get him in. Get him back to the NFL, where he belonged. And that鈥檚 what happened. He made it to the Bengals. Then the following season, he wanted to come back. So, we ran it back and tried to win a championship. One year became a bonus year. Now, let鈥檚 find another guy we can help develop, do something different. A.J. has been awesome. He was the guy we wanted. Now, we want to give somebody else a chance. I know the fanbase loves him. We love him. But it鈥檚 time to see what else we can do out there.鈥�

Let鈥檚 not pretend that McCarron鈥檚 production on the field could be impossible to top. His toughness was on display as he tried to battle through an ankle injury last season, but his performance declined compared to the season before, and this time he would be returning on a surgically repaired ankle at the age of 34. There were times last season, like when backup Manny Wilkins stepped in and helped the Battlehawks clinch their playoff berth, when it was fair to wonder if Wilkins should have played even more. The Battlehawks still have the rights to Wilkins and Brandon Silvers. Logistically, it鈥檚 unlikely a current college quarterback starts in the UFL. As for stalled draft picks from previous years currently rusting away on NFL rosters, however, Becht has a message.

鈥淚f you have been on the practice squad for a couple years, what are you doing?鈥� Becht said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e sitting there. You鈥檙e running scout team. You probably need to show the NFL what you can do. Our offense translates. This is the platform to do it.鈥�

Becht has earned the benefit of the doubt. He convinced McCarron to come give the UFL a shot, and it worked out pretty great. Now he gets to go recruit another QB, this time with a lot more to sell.

The UFL really is sending guys into (or back into) the NFL. It鈥檚 saving and relaunching careers. And if you want people to, you know, actually watch you play, 最新杏吧原创 is the place.

鈥淲e do have a short list of players we really like,鈥� Becht said, declining to name names. 鈥淲e are going to take some time, go through the process and find the right piece. We did this early because it was the right thing to do for A.J., in case he wants to continue to play. And for us, I would tell the fanbase to just trust me.鈥�

Seeing last season end one win shy of competing for the league championship has motivated Becht even more. UFL Kickoff weekend starts March 28. Who takes the first snap for the Battlehawks is TBD, but it鈥檚 hard to imagine some talented QBs not being interested in trying to pick up where McCarron left off. I loved how McCarron meshed here, but I鈥檇 be lying if I said I鈥檓 not interested in who鈥檚 interested.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e looking at it from the outside in, you may be thinking, man, really rolling the dice there,鈥� Becht said. 鈥淏ut I trust my staff, the players we have and the quarterbacks that we are looking at. Whoever we decide to sign, we are going to have continued success. The goal is to win a championship, ASAP. That鈥檚 been it since day one. We鈥檝e taken a step every year. Now it鈥檚 time to take another step.鈥�