The UFL...Actually Not That Terrible.

The next Tommy Maddox?

If you were one of those people back in 2001 who, like me, were excited about the start of the XFL, you probably remember the crippling disappointment that came from the truly awful quality of play by everyone not named Tommy Maddox. The low scoring and ineptitude, in my opinion, contributed more to the downfall of that league than anything else. So, when I tuned into the UFL opener, with the Las Vegas Locomotives and the California Redwoods squaring off in Vegas, I was fully expecting more incompletions and god awful play than a Tuesday night game between Louisiana Lafayette and North Texas.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable the game, which Las Vegas won 30-17, actually was. Former 1st round pick and Bills quarterback JP Losman had a stellar game, going 21 of 31 for 226 yds, 2tds, and a 110.4 rating, and his counterpart, former University of Kentucky quarterback Shane Boyd, made some nice plays with his arm and his leg. It was also interesting to see some aging ex-NFLers like former Cardinals runningback Marcell Shipp and former Bears safety Tony Parrish get some playing time. Hell,the Las Vegas kicker even made a 53 yard field goal.

Honestly, I really think the UFL could achieve its stated goal of becoming a developmental league for the NFL. With former NFL coaches and a decent level of competition, the veterans and rookies that participate in the UFL have to be in better game shape by the end of their season in November than they would be coming in off the street. If an NFL team worn down by injuries needs a few players to fill out the roster for the stretch run, who's to say the UFL isn't the best place to find them? A guy like Losman, with NFL talent and a live arm, who has been in competitive shape, will probably make a better option for a team suffering from injuries or ineffectiveness at the quarterback position than a simple street free agent. I fully support the UFL, and I hope it lasts.

The UFL?

I realize this is now two posts about non-NFL or college football in two days, but the workday is light and quite frankly I'm stubbornly refusing to write about the Cubs until they give me something Worth writing about. So today I'm going to talk about a novel new concept, the United Football League. The UFL is set to kick off with four teams (Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, and San Fransisco) who will also play additional games in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and....Hartford, Connecticut. Because That's an unexploited football mecca. The league will play on Thursdays and Fridays from October to Thanksgiving. Their motto is "Where the Future Stars Come to Play!" which makes many believe that their ultimate goal is to serve as a developmental/minor league for the NFL from which teams can pull midseason replacements or future prospects.

In case you're wondering whether this league will be devoid of talent, I can assure you its every bit as loaded as the star studded rosters of the highly successful XFL! Why begin with the coaching staffs, where successful NFL coaches Dennis Green (113-94), Jim Haslett (47-61), Jim Fassel (58-53), and Ted Cottrell (defensive coordinator for the Bills, Jets, Vikings and Chargers, he was fired from 3 of the 4) all get a crack at the head jobs!

But what about the players on the field? Well besides the HUGE acquisitions of JP Losman and Tim Rattay, and the rumored acquistion of Ken Dorsey and maybe even Michael Vick*, its clear the team will have proven NFL field generals to light up the scoreboard! Curious about even more illustrious NFL and College vets that are going to take these first steps into a bold new football future? Here's the list of talent accumulated in yesterday's UFL draft!

So I know by now you're asking yourself, "Code Red, where the hell can I get in on some UFL action?" Well, by Golly, if you have the Versus Network, tune in this fall! If you don't, ASK YOUR PROVIDER NOW!!! Whats that, you actually want to be a PART of this fantastic experience? Well here's a place to sign up for tryouts! (honest to God loyal SKO readers, please sign up every single fictional football player you can think of. I've already registered Boobie Miles and Chris Rix (okay, not a fictional quarterback, just a really fake one). Get to it, people.

The UFL! Where the Future Stars Come to Play!**


*All kidding aside, how awesome would it be to see Vick exiled to a league of undrafted free agents and has beens. He might actually complete 60% of his passes! But probably not.

** Disclaimer: Probability of witnessing anything resembling past, present or future stars at a UFL game is extremely low.