FanPost

Who is The Birmingham Iron?

Let me start with a short introduction. My name is Cody and I was born and raised in south Alabama. I grew up in the same era as many Bama fans in that I am a survivor of the unsung "Shula Days." I remember going to school for six consecutive years and hearing the phrase "Fear the thumb" from my Auburn Tiger peers. Even the remembrance of this period is enough to entice nightmares. I am also a registered nurse by trade and I currently work in an emergency room at a hospital in South Dakota. Don’t worry guys, I’m coming back in March and will be attending Iron games soon enough. Enough about me, let’s get to the meat of our discussion.

As an Alabama native, I grew up hoping and wishing for a professional football team to come to our beloved state. Our prayers have been answered, as the Birmingham Iron have debuted and emerged victorious in their first two outings at Legion Field. The matte black and grey, the re-emergence of Trent Richardson, and the employment of legendary Legion Field is almost too good to be true. There are already enough stories pouring from the newly founded Alliance of American Football (AAF) league that a novel could be written, but for now I am going to discuss (in short) the three people that fans want to know about the most: the head coach, the quarterback and the running back.

Tim Lewis

The first head coach of the Birmingham Iron. Lewis had a career playing football in the 1980s as cornerback for the Green Bay Packers. He has over 20 years coaching experience and operated as defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-03) and New York Giants (2004-06). He has functioned in other coaching duties for other programs since, but until now has not worked in the HC role.

It comes as no surprise that in the first eight quarters of play for the Birmingham Iron, only nine points have been surrendered by the defense. The offense however, leaves something to be desired as no touchdowns have come through the air in the first two games of play.

The AAF is dedicated to providing an environment conducive to giving people opportunities and Tim Lewis, our first HC has been given just that. He has proven to possess prowess in the sense of defense, and you know what they say about defense: It wins championships.

Luis Perez

Perez is perhaps the most interesting quarterback story in all of sports. He never played high school football. In fact, he spent many childhood and high school days at bowling allies and almost went to college as a bowler. he had a desire however, to play football so he watched YouTube videos and played backyard football with his brothers to develop his skills as a QB.

Let me say that again: He learned how to play quarterback by watching YouTube videos.

Perez walked on at Texas A&M Commerce, a D2 program and won the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is the D2 version of the Heisman. He was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2018 but was released shortly after the NFL preseason.

As the QB for the Iron, Perez has looked efficient in the pocket and has been capable in moving the ball downfield ergo the short passing game but has yet to throw a touchdown pass. He will get a chance to do so this weekend versus the Atlanta Legends.

Trent Richardson

Now for the story all the bammers have been waiting for. Trent is a native to Pensacola Florida, a town renowned for putting out high caliber football players. He won two national championships while playing with the Alabama Crimson Tide in ’09 and ’11 and was drafted first round by the Cleveland Browns in the 2012 NFL draft.

Of course, Cleveland is where football dreams go to die, and Richardson was no exception. After being traded away by the Browns and spending some time in the NFL with no significant playing time, he played one season in the Canadian Football League and has now landed back in the state of Alabama playing for the Iron.

Richardson was welcomed to Legion Field with open arms as he has scored all of the offensive points for the Iron in his first two weeks in a black and grey uniform. In week 1, he pounded his way for two touchdowns against the Memphis Express. He would then rumble ahead for a touchdown and a 2-point conversion in week 2 victory versus the Salt Lake City Stallions.

It is not difficult to assess that Richardson is the go-ahead back and the heart of the Birmingham offense, as he displays the same tough, power running style that boasts nothing but sheer authority in moving the ball downfield. As any Alabama fan will proudly tell you: With Richardson in our backfield, anything is possible. Cleveland may be where dreams go to die, but Alabama is where legends are made.

New year, new league, new team, and new opportunities. The AAF has provided us Alabamians with the Birmingham Iron. The uniforms are sleek, the players are talented, and the home field is historic. Only time will tell what the first AAF season will bring for the Iron, but one can be assured that greatness is imminent.

FanPosts are just that; posts created by the fans. They are in no way indicative of the opinions of SBN and the authors of Roll Bama Roll.