The New York Guardians are 1-2, all against division rivals at this point, having won at home and losing their 2 subsequent road games by open margins. The quarterback play has been inconsistent and now the quarterback position is totally in doubt.
Matt McGloin has started all games at so far, but he left with an apparent rib injury at halftime of the St. Louis Battlehawks game. He was sacked in the second quarter and left the game and tried to return on their last series and was intercepted on a pass that sailed on him. It is not known if the injury had anything to do with the mechanics of the pass, but he did not return to the field after the halftime.
This puts some doubt into the status of McGloin for Saturday’s home game against the Los Angeles Wildcats. If he does cannot go (and even if he could) this may be a time for the Guardians to make a change. Marquis Williams was able to move the ball but failed to put it in the end zone. Luis Perez got his first game action late in the 4th with an effective drive ending in the only touchdown pass of the game to Austin Duke.
If McGloin can’t go, my guess is you will see the Guardians utilize both Williams and Perez during the game in a similar way the Vipers used Taylor Cornelius and Quinton Flowers.
Williams is a good RPO option as he adds some speed and running ability while Perez is more of a pocket passer. Perez does not have a big arm though he shows he is accurate on shorter routes and screen passes. Perez’ best attribute is he is able to take care of the football on short routes. He is still athletic enough to run and shows toughness when running, which is what really made him a fan favorite in Birmingham during his time with the Iron.
He was touted by fans in the AAF where he started for the Iron, but he did have issues getting into the end zone and did toss more INTs than TDs, which should be a concern.
Regardless of who starts or how snaps are divided during the week 4 game, it may be more important to see if any of the injured players can return as players like Deangelo Yancey and Tanner Gentry are now eligible to return from IR and getting your projected number 1 and 3 receivers back would be a big uptick in offensive talent the Guardians would have on the field at any given time.
Week 4 promises to be a very important week for the Guardians. A win will certainly keep them in the playoff race while a loss can result in a total loss of fan interest in the New York Metropolitan area for the remainder of this season.
The schedule gets no easier with road games at Dallas and a home matchup with Houston and their emerging stars in WR Cam Phillips and QB PJ Walker. This is as much as a must-win as they will have. Whoever is under center better be ready to deliver.
Russell McLean
February 26, 2020 at 7:58 pm
If you had bothered to watch a Birmingham Iron game, than you would have noticed that their offensive line was horrible. Perez was running for his life
Alex
February 27, 2020 at 11:27 pm
Perez doesn’t have a big arm?????? Have you watched him play at all?