Welp…was my enthusiasm for Manny Wilkins a little premature? While I admit I had second thoughts during the game on Sunday, I woke up on Monday still confident in Wilkins as the quarterback. Regardless, I believe every quarterback deserves a chance to prove how he responds to adversity. This is his chance. If I am Head Coach Anthony Becht, I keep a close eye on how Wilkins performs in the first half of the April 19th game at the Arlington Renegades. If he returns to his steady, ball control ways, you stick with him. If he appears shaky and uncomfortable as he did against the DC Defenders, then you make the switch and see what backup quarterback Max Duggan has to offer.
Why the short leash? With a minimal, 10-game schedule, every game matters…a lot. With the loss yesterday, the St. Louis Battlehawks are now on a mission as only the top two teams in each division make the UFL playoffs. Unfortunately, the Battlehawks seem to be in the toughest division with the 3-0 DC Defenders and a very talented 2-1 Arlington Renegades. While we will get a chance to exact revenge on DC in week ten, this season appears to be shaping up as a race between St. Louis and Arlington for second place in the division.
With the breaking news that St. Louis will host the 2025 UFL Championship game, there is additional motivation for the Battlehawks to make the playoffs and advance to the championship. The scenario of the Battlehawks playing in front of their home crowd in the championship game is not only exciting for the city and the fans, but it would be a huge boost for the sustainability of the league.
Now back to the game versus DC. Kudos to the Blake Williams-led DC Defenders defense. If you know about Blake’s father, former DC Defenders Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams, then you know their reputation is playing defense that prioritizes speed, pressure, chaos, many moving parts, and disguises that make reading a defense at the line of scrimmage extremely difficult, if not impossible. Watching game film can help to a certain extent, but knowing how the Williams family gameplans and prepares, what our offense saw yesterday will be completely different than what they will see during the rematch with DC on May 30th. Remember, causing chaos and confusion is their “MO”.
So, what does that mean? It means Coach Becht must emphasize strategic offensive play calling. The Battlehawks need to be proactive in keeping the defense guessing, off-balance, and confused, rather than the other way around. It also puts a premium on our quarterback’s ability to remain poised amid chaos, while proving that he can read, process, react, and make sound decisions for a full 60 minutes. Again, this puts a lot of weight on the shoulders of our quarterback. It may seem unfair. But if there is one thing that stood out in week three, it was that the Battlehawks had a chance to win the game until the very end, despite three interceptions and one fumble lost, all by Wilkins. This proves just how talented our team is.