Jason Munz | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Jason Munz, The Commercial Appeal

One game into the Memphis Express’ existence, coach Mike Singletary knew a change had to be made.

“The biggest thing you want to do is find the right people and put them in the right places,” he said just minutes after the Birmingham Iron shellacked and shut out his Express.

Despite a less-than-stellar AAF debut, he wasn’t ready to pull the plug on Christian Hackenberg as the starting quarterback – although that call finally was made at halftime of last week’s loss to the Orlando Apollos. Instead, Singletary quietly relieved offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach David Lee of his game day play-calling duties and turned them over to receivers coach Bobby Blizzard.

Equal parts air raid and pro style, Blizzard's offense made an impact right away. Memphis put up 18 points and rushed for 175 yards as a team against the Arizona Hotshots. Last week, the offense blossomed further, namely in the second half when Zach Mettenberger replaced Hackenberg. The Express put up more yards in a half (178) than any other half all season, threw the only two touchdown passes it has in three games and averaged 7.1 yards per play.

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Mettenberger, in particular, was terrific. With Blizzard (a student of Hal Mumme’s air raid philosophy) directing traffic, Mettenberger, the former Tennessee Titans quarterback, threw for 120 yards on 9-of-12 passing. He averaged 10 yards per attempt and registered an average depth of target of 14.8 (Garrett Gilbert leads the league with an average depth of target of 11.8). The strong-armed Mettenberger’s adjusted completion percentage against the Apollos was 90 percent, and he finished with a 158.3 passer rating versus pressure.

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AAF: Memphis Express at Orlando Apollos

If the Blizzard-Mettenberger combination is a sign of things to come, a turnaround very well could be in the offing for the Express.

“Bobby’s been outstanding,” Singletary said, noting while Blizzard is calling the plays, he and Lee are currently functioning as offensive co-coordinators. “Very humble and, at the same time, very energetic. I’m very excited about what he does. You see it out here and in his players. Very excited about the path he’s on.”

Rick Wilson, AP

Blizzard, who played tight end for Mumme for two seasons at Kentucky, spent six seasons on Mumme’s staffs at McMurry and Belhaven. After Blizzard spent one season as the receivers coach at Hampton, Singletary came calling. He had an opening on his inaugural Express staff, coincidentally, because of Mumme.

“I guess when Coach Mumme pulled out, he gave them some names, and I was one of them,” Blizzard said. “My (coaching) tree is kind of deep with the air raid. I spent a lot of time with a lot of guys who’ve had success with it, and it’s trickled down. Coach Mumme, Mike Leach, Sonny Dykes, Tony Franklin – those are all my guys. I think that’s the reason why I ended up here.”

Mumme mostly handled play-calling responsibilities himself throughout his head coaching career. But he saw enough promise in Blizzard to feel comfortable handing the reins over to him during their four-year run at Belhaven.

“He understands the importance of simplicity,” Mumme said. “(The Express) will do nothing but get better.”

Rick Wilson/AP

Singletary is counting on it. Memphis hosts the San Diego Fleet at 3 p.m. Saturday before a two-game road swing that takes it to Atlanta then Salt Lake City.

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The Express offense has established a solid rushing attack (136 yards per game) that ranks fourth in the AAF, and with an apparent upgrade at the quarterback position, Blizzard believes it is on the cusp of breaking out.

“We’ve got good running backs and a good run-based offensive line. Now we’ve got Zach,” Blizzard said. “He’s not afraid to push the ball down the field. He’s a good fit. He has experience with the (run-pass option) and play-action. And he’s earned the opportunity to start. If you know Zach, he’s a winner now. He has a defensive mentality at quarterback. He’s got a little dog to him, and I like that about him.

“I expect a big game this week. I don’t want our guys having to think much. I want them to play fast.”