The Essence of Glory: UFL MVPs And Comebacks
- SABrahmabullpen
- May 8
- 3 min read
San Antonio Snap Count
Vince Lombardi once said, “The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That is the essence of it.” One could say that quote points to the core of the UFL, a league comprised of teams from two other leagues that were knocked down to their knees when they folded and rose back up in a two-league merger of the USFL and XFL. It applies to the hundreds of players in the league who have been on NFL rosters, cut, signed by the UFL, then made their way back to NFL rosters, just to be cut again, and then re-signed by the UFL for this 2025 season.
I would argue that the Houston Roughnecks fit the description of a team that has been knocked down and is on its way back up. The Roughnecks struggled to get one win in the 2024 season. Still, this Sunday at 11 AM CST, they have a real chance to beat the league's defending champions, the Birmingham Stallions, and take a significant leap towards making the playoffs this year.
Another big storyline that follows the comeback theme is Bryce Perkins. Perkins is no stranger to adversity. He started his collegiate career at Arizona Western Community College in January 2018, but his career really took off when he signed with the University of Virginia, becoming a standout quarterback and leading the team to many big wins to include a historic bowl game victory over Virginia Tech.
Despite going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, Perkins eventually signed with the Los Angeles Rams, playing five games during the 2022 season. After his time with the Rams, Perkins joined the Michigan Panthers of the UFL in 2024 and is looking like he might be the top quarterback in the league this season. At this point in the article, many writers would just provide a ton of stats to demonstrate how well he is playing. I will do something a little different and give you some evidence that proves the level of success he is enjoying. Fans have given him the nickname “MVPerkins!”
Speaking of comebacks, the San Antonio Brahmas have the opportunity to be the comeback team of the century. To start, Coach Wade Phillips said, “he was feeling better and will be in attendance.” (San Antonio Sports Star, n.d.) Coach Phillips may even be healthy enough to rejoin the team later this season in some form or fashion.
As far as the team, on Monday, May 5th, the UFL Communications department released trade news for the Brahmas, announcing that Cornerback Darius Phillips was traded to the Showboats for Wide Receiver Dee Anderson (The UFL, 2025). Whether you like the trade or not, it at least shows the team understands its offensive struggles this year and is willing to give up one of its top defenders in an effort to increase its offensive output.
To continue peeling back the onion of comeback possibilities, the Brahmas face the D.C. Defenders, and to say this game is a must-win would be an understatement. A win this week keeps the Brahmas post-season hopes alive, and before you say there is no chance a 1-5 team could beat a 4-2 team, the Brahmas have already gone on the road and beat this very same team back on April 20th, 24-18. Starting quarterback Kevin Hogan is his own comeback story, playing for Stanford and spending some time in the NFL with the Browns—a franchise known as a place for quarterback hopes and dreams to die.
No doubt, with so many amazing comeback stories in the league, the fans will want to tune in to see the next big play and watch players like MVP Perkins, write the next chapters of their careers while we see teams starting to jockey for the 2025 playoffs!
References
San Antonio Sports Star. (n.d.). The Blitz With Jason & Joe. Retrieved from 94.1 San Antonio's Sports Star: https://www.sasportsstar.com/
The UFL. (2025). UFL. Retrieved from UFL: https://www.theufl.com/
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