Quarterback race
Ready or not, it’s go time. The Memphis Express will make the short trip to Birmingham to face the Iron at 3 p.m. Sunday. It will be the first game in both teams’ history as 2019 represents the inaugural season for the Alliance of American Football.
Here are five things you should know ahead of Sunday’s game.
The Express will carry three quarterbacks into the opener: Christian Hackenberg, Zach Mettenberger and Brandon Silvers.
The team announced Friday that Hackenberg will get the nod to start versus the Iron. The former Penn State star and a second-round pick of the New York Jets in 2016 has not taken a snap in a regular-season game since his last year at Penn State in 2015, when he threw for 2,386 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.
In his pro career, Hackenberg threw for 465 yards and two touchdowns in five preseason appearances between 2016 and 2017.
Silvers, a former Troy standout, was named the backup. Mettenberger, who started 10 games for the Titans during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, is the third-stringer.
The rest of the starters
At the offensive skill positions, Terrance Magee (LSU) will start at running back, while Kayaune Ross (Kentucky) and Damore’ea Stringfellow (Ole Miss) will line up first at receiver. Brandon Barnes (Alabama State) will get the start at tight end, while Anthony Manzo-lewis (Albany) gets the first snap at fullback.
Anthony Morris (left tackle, Tennessee State), Jessamen Dunker (left guard, Tennessee State), Demetrius Rhaney (center, Tennessee State), Dallas Thomas (right guard, Tennessee) and Toby Weathersby (right tackle, LSU) make up the front five.
On defense, Anthony Johnson (LSU), Greg Gilmore (LSU), Montori Hughes (Tennessee) and Sam Montgomery (LSU) will man the line. Benetton Fonua, Drew Jackson and Demarquis Gates will start at linebacker. Justin Martin (Tennessee) and Channing Stribling (Michigan) will start at corner, while Brandon Maiden (Jackson State) and Jonathan Cook (Memphis) will line up at safety.
Alton “Pig” Howard (Tennessee) will work at punt returner, while Brad Wing (LSU) will handle punting and holder duties. Josh Jasper (LSU) will be the team’s kicker, while Ryan Navarro (Oregon State) is set as the long snapper.
Jason Munz Memphis Commercial Appeal USA TODAY NETWORK - TENNESSEE
Sibling rivalry
Besides the obvious, there will be an extra set of bragging rights on the line Sunday at Legion Field.
Express general manager Will Lewis happens to be the older brother of Iron head coach Tim Lewis. The hardest part? “Persuading our mother to pull for our particular team,” said Will, who played for the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs before moving into coaching with the Atlanta Falcons and later an executive role with the Seahawks and Chiefs. “This is going to be good.”
Tim, who played for the Green Bay Packers and coached for six different NFL teams, said the Lewis family will represent at least 40 members of the crowd on Sunday. But he’s confident mom will be rooting for the right son.
“She pulls for me,” he said. “Just don’t tell (Will) that.”
Familiarity
For fans looking for players they recognize, they won’t have to look too hard.
Former first-round draft pick Trent Richardson leads the way for the Iron, while former Alabama star Blake Sims is one of the team’s three quarterbacks.
Nick Novak, a 37-year-old NFL veteran, is Birmingham’s kicker.
One player who may suit up against the Express is Lawrence Okoye, who holds the British discus record. He is listed as a defensive tackle. But Wednesday, he was one of 13 people arrested on soliciting prostitution charges.
Odds and expectations
Setting odds for a brand-new league is no easy task. But here are the Week 1 lines, as well as the AAF Championship odds, from BETDSI.
San Diego Fleet at San Antonio Commanders (-5, O/U 43.5)
Memphis Express at Birmingham Iron (-1, O/U 40.5)
Salt Lake Stallions at Arizona Hotshots (-4.5, O/U 42.5)
Championship odds: Hotshots (+250), Apollos (+300), Commanders (+400), Stallions (+500), Express (+600), Fleet (+600), Legends (+800), Iron (+1200).