UFL

from profootballweekly.com

The newly formed United Football League announced the coaches for its four inaugural franchises Wednesday.

Dennis Green, who had stints as a head coach in the NFL with the Vikings and Cardinals, will coach the San Francisco-based franchise. Green brings a record of 113-94 as an NFL head coach, including a 15-1 season as head coach of the Vikings in 1998.

1997 NFL Coach of the Year Jim Fassel will take the reins of the Las Vegas franchise. Fassel is most notable for his playoff guarantee as head coach of the 2000 Giants, whom he guided to a Super Bowl appearance.

Jim Haslett, who also garnered honors as the league’s top coach in 2000, led the Saints to their second division title and first playoff victory in franchise history in that same season. He will coach the Orlando-based team.

Ted Cottrell, who was a defensive coordinator for the Chargers, Bills, Jets and Vikings, will coach the team based in New York — also the site of the league’s headquarters.

The UFL kicks off Oct. 8 and has a deal with Versus to televise games weekly through the league’s championship game during Thanksgiving weekend. The deal allows the league to be broadcast to more than 70 million homes.

Prior to the start of the season, all four coaches and teams will convene Sept. 1 in Casa Grande, Ariz., for a training camp that will allow the players to compete together as rosters are finalized.

“I’ve coached a lot of years in both college and professional football, and one thing we know is that you don’t have to have a lot of time to put a team together,” Green said. “The unique aspect of this league and why we’re so confident is that we’ll be able to scout and look at the players who are playing in preseason games and National Football League camps and we’ll be able to evaluate those players when they are released and then we’ll get to sign those players. That gives us one full month to get together and play the games of which we’ll have some practices together going on.”

The lowest-paid UFL players will be paid the same salary as an NFL practice-squad player. In an effort to generate popularity during uncertain economic times, the average ticket will cost $20.

With establishing the league's popularity a primary concern, speculation has been raised as to whether the UFL would be interested in acquiring incarcerated Falcons QB Michael Vick, assuming he had cleared all of his legal issues.

Commissioner Michael Huyghue addressed that issue in a conference call Wednesday.

“Assuming he had cleared all those hurdles, then yes, we would welcome him to our league,” Huyghue said.

Huyghue indicated that the league would poll the fans regarding Vick on its official Web site at ufl-football.com. A deal with Vick would necessitate his release from his contractual obligation with the Falcons.

Part of the UFL's mission statement is: "To fulfill the unmet needs of football fans in major markets currently underserved by professional football by providing a high quality traditional football league comprised of world class professional football players."

However, two of the inaugural franchises will be in New York and San Francisco, two areas that arguably aren't "underserved."

League officials said they hoped to create a "synergy" with the NFL, in which UFL players would be permitted to join NFL teams at the completion of the UFL season in November. Although the UFL apparently will be signing mostly players who don't make the cut in the NFL, league officials didn't say whether or not their ultimate goal is to compete with the NFL.