![Battlehawks host the San Antonio Brahmas](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=150%2C110 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=200%2C146 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=225%2C165 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=300%2C220 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=400%2C293 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=540%2C395 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=640%2C468 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=750%2C549 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=990%2C725 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C758 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C878 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C976 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1080 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/7f/47fbba13-276d-5ad9-a174-4537b97c49de/665bade73695e.image.jpg?resize=1683%2C1232 2008w)
Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron takes a snap in the second quarter against San Antonio on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at the Dome at America’s Center. McCarron returned to action after missing the two previous games with an ankle injury.
A.J. McCarron is not a fan of players wearing microphones in United Football League games, but one of his exchanges with a San Antonio player Saturday proved to be intriguing considering what followed.
Brahmas defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman can be heard telling McCarron after an incomplete pass, “I’m going to (blank) you up,” and McCarron responds by dismissing the trash talk with some choice words.
Twyman wasn’t heard from again, but McCarron had to protect his injured left ankle from other Brahmas as the St. Louis Battlehawks won to earn home-field advantage for Sunday’s conference championship game in a third meeting between the teams.
Two plays in particular raised questions on the St. Louis sideline about being excessive or unnecessary.
“I ain’t going to comment on that,” McCarron said before commenting. “If anybody with a set of eyes was watching the game, they can make their own judgment. It’s football. If certain guys want to play the game that way, that’s on them. All I can worry about is what I can control. If you watched the game, it’s pretty obvious.”
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McCarron missed two games with the injury and was clearly limited in his mobility.
The first questionable play came when he scrambled for a run that ended with cornerback Teez Tabor diving and clipping McCarron’s ankles as he stepped out of bounds.
The second came after a sack as Garrett Nelson made the tackle around McCarron’s lower legs and then held him on the ground with his hands around his right ankle after the play ended.
“I played a long time, and I know things happen,” Battlehawks coach Anthony Becht said. “There were two specific plays. If you can find me a play in the NFL where a player shoots himself to the lower legs of a quarterback going out of bounds, please show me. And there may have been some extra twisting on certain events.
“A.J. is a tough player. He’s going to get sacked, and if he gets hit or sacked 10 times, it’s fine. But it was obvious on two examples in that game. They’re duly noted.”
McCarron will give it a go again at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Dome at America’s Center, with the winner advancing to the UFL championship game June 16, at the dome.
In last week’s 13-12 win, McCarron had his least efficient game, completing 10 of 24 passes for 115 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was not able to do much running.
“It’s been a lot, just something I haven’t had to deal with before, and I’ve got to figure out ways to play with it,” he said. “I was just glad to be back. ... I felt great in the first half, then in the second, I didn’t feel great. But I got some treatment this week, and I think that will help me more.”
Becht said McCarron played in the game so that he wouldn’t be trying to shake off the rust in the conference title game. Offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski said he tried to call a normal game but had to give some thought to McCarron’s limitations.
The injury occurred in the Battlehawks’ loss at Birmingham in their seventh game. Manny Wilkins started in his place for two games, getting a win and a loss.
McCarron is 33 years old and spent the 2023 NFL season with Cincinnati. He asked for his release so he could re-sign with the Battlehawks. They are his focus, not what might follow.
“I want to try to win a championship, and that’s all I’m worried about,” McCarron said. “I’m not promised anything after this, and I signed up for it. I’m not going to bail on my teammates. I think the team needs me, so I’ll play through it and then deal with whatever happens after that point.”
McCarron will have his family, including his two sons, in attendance at Sunday’s game now that they have time to travel. Having healed to the extent he has, missing the game is not an option.
He is confident and has the support of Gradkowski, another former NFL quarterback.
“Any time you miss two weeks, it’s tough, and you want to get back into a rhythm,” Gradkowski said. “He wanted to play last week. He knows what he needs to do to get ready and be better.”