UFL tryouts: The place where dreams still live

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UFL tryouts: The place where dreams still live
Weekly summer thoughts ...

The last we saw of Brian Johnson, he was holding aloft a Sugar Bowl Most Valuable Player trophy, having impressively stuck it to Alabama and its arrogant coach.

Nick Saban didn't think much of Utah's conference affiliation back in January, which really made him look like a boob once Johnson and the Utes rolled his team.

Months later, the quarterback still is trying to prove his worth.

This is where football players rejected by the NFL come to begin, salvage or resurrect a professional career, to a Saturday evening tryout for the new United Football League at Sam Boyd Stadium, to a group of 55 hopefuls all wearing white workout jerseys and assigned a number.

"It's a chance to keep playing football," Johnson said. "You have to take every opportunity you can get. You have to keep knocking on doors. You have to show them you can compete, that you have the physical tools they want."

Johnson is a spread quarterback, and those of such skill were as invisible as any H.G. Wells character during the NFL Draft in April, when none was selected. Not Johnson. Not Graham Harrell. Not Chase Daniel. None.

NFL executives look at spread quarterbacks nowadays like Bobby Flay might an Easy-Bake Oven, which really must make Tim Tebow feel good about his pro chances in 2010.

Johnson earned an invitation to Green Bay's minicamp but wasn't offered a contract. It is a classic instance of how college success often doesn't translate to the pro level. Still, if our lasting memory of Johnson is that he shut Saban up, well, he just jumped into our Top 5 all-time favorites. ...

Several players with NFL experience attended the tryout. So did former UNLV wide receiver Casey Flair, whose work should have opened eyes.

Forget that Flair ran 4.64 in the 40-yard dash. He didn't drop a thing all evening. He ran precise routes, made tough catches, represented himself as well as anyone there, impressive when you consider this was the first practice situation in four years he was going against defensive backs with actual ability.

Flair is the perfect choice for a Las Vegas roster as a second-line wideout, a kid with local ties who won't cause problems or be outworked. ...

Las Vegas coach Jim Fassel on Saturday was looking for quarterbacks who could fill the backup and No. 3 roles, saying he already has settled on a No. 1 with NFL experience. I am guessing if it has anything to do with Michael Vick, we won't be hearing a Las Vegas team nickname along the lines of Terriers or Bulldogs. ...

Best line at the UFL tryout came from Las Vegas Sun reporter Ryan Greene: "Jason Street isn't walking through those doors." (Just so you know: It is impossible to have too many "Friday Night Lights" references. Ever.)

I don't know if it's medically possible to injure a rib patting oneself on the back, but if there is a person out there capable of pulling it off, it's Floyd Mayweather Jr. ...

Putting the waste that has been Jason Schmidt with the Dodgers in perspective: Schmidt, on the disabled list since the Hoover administration, will make $15.2 million this season.

Combined, that is more than Matt Kemp, James Loney, Casey Blake, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin and Andre Ethier.

But it might make you feel better to know for the $47 million Schmidt will have collected over three years, he has been able to make six starts. ...

The more Dale Earnhardt Jr. becomes a nonfactor each week, the smarter Kyle Busch looks. ...

Speaking of the financially hemorrhaging NASCAR, drive around a racetrack one time in your life in a Cup car, and then realize what a remarkable athlete Mark Martin is at 50. ...

Memo to new Cubs hitting coach Von Joshua: Give Milton Bradley only two things to work on. Counting to three appears too big a challenge for him. ...

Final thought: Received this e-mail in response to a column on Vick perhaps joining the UFL team here: ''Here are two more people to bring here for 'press.' How about at safety Kim Jong-il or at wideout, direct from Iran, Ahmadinejad?''

Now that's just silly. Everyone knows Kim is built more for fullback and that it would take far too much time teaching good ol' Mahmoud the difference between a 12th man and a 12th Imam.

 

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Vick can be boon for UFL, Las Vegas

Vick can be boon for UFL, Las Vegas

Vick can be boon for UFL, Las Vegas

The United Football League will announce logos and colors and nicknames and sponsorship deals for its four franchises in the coming weeks, another step in the process of selling the new venture to whatever fan base is created by more football in the fall.

What the UFL should do: Pursue signing Michael Vick with abandon and assign him to the Las Vegas team.

The fledgling league on Thursday presented a $25,000 check to the Clark County School District in an effort to counteract budget cuts that killed the annual Hall of Fame prep games that allowed schools a 10-game football schedule over a nine-gamer.

It was notable gesture by an outfit that, while run by intelligent people with profound NFL experience, must convince strapped consumers its product is worth paying to see amid the usual fall blitz of high school, college and NFL games.

As public relations moves in a market go, the donation was a local hit.

Vick would be a national one.

The negatives are obvious. There will be a segment of the population that forever remains unforgiving of Vick's cruel and gutless acts in relation to dogfighting. He didn't make a mistake. He made a heinous, despicable choice. There always will be those quick to picket and protest, and that is their right.

Vick also paid for his crimes by serving 19 months in federal prison.

Some team is going to sign him. He's going to play football again and should be afforded the right to work once he pays his debt.

Vick completes his 23-month sentence on July 20, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he would address the quarterback's possible reinstatement.

But even if Goodell opens the door for Vick -- and many are guessing he won't for the 2009 season -- the number of NFL teams willing to annoy loyal fan bases by signing Vick once the Atlanta Falcons officially sever ties with him are seemingly few.

Of course Vick rather would play in the NFL, where the potential for a large income would be vital in his federal bankruptcy case. But if that option isn't immediately available, the UFL and Las Vegas make the most sense.

"No question, it would be a feather in our cap," UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue said. "Our league is about exciting players and Michael Vick is one of the most exciting in the game. But we can't look at it in a vacuum. We have to recognize he comes with baggage.

"You don't want to turn it into a show or take away from the product, which is family orientated. But we've looked very closely at this. We've done our due diligence and would continue to do so if we got closer to making a final decision."

It's not a big pie from which to choose a slice, but it appears Las Vegas today is the league's premier city of the seven that will host games once the season begins Oct. 8. The championship will be played here Nov. 27. The interest level has been higher here on several fronts, from potential season-ticket buyers to responses from a question posed on the league's Web site regarding Vick playing in the UFL.

(The results, of which, were overwhelmingly positive).

Huyghue won't step on any NFL toes pursuing Vick. He won't ambush the league from which he will try and sign practice squad players and castoffs for his own teams. But a six-game UFL season might be exactly what Vick needs to sharpen skills undoubtedly lessened by incarceration while allowing NFL teams tangible proof how much game he has left.

UFL founder Bill Hambrecht on Thursday called Vick "probably the best football player in America." He isn't close to that, especially now. But he is the name a new league could build its first season around. He is the draw that might push interest beyond a semi-curious level.

"Maybe our league would be best for him to start. Maybe it would be better to go right to the NFL. I don't know," said Jim Fassel, who will coach the Las Vegas team. "He's a great athlete, so some of that part will come back quickly.

"But you can't discount a quarterback not playing games for so long. You lose some of the intuitiveness, the instinctiveness, the timing. It won't be easy for him no matter where he goes, but he's a professional football player by trade who paid his debt to society and who deserves a second chance."

Michael Vick did some terrible things. That part will never change. Many will never get past it. It is their right.

So, too, is it Vick's right to seek employment in pro football come July 20.

Someone is going to sign him. He's going to play.

Why not here?

 

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Losman ticketed for UFL, Las Vegas

Losman ticketed for UFL, Las Vegas

Losman ticketed for UFL, Las Vegas

Former Buffalo Bills QB assigned to play here in new league


The Las Vegas franchise in the fledgling United Football League doesn't have a nickname, nor has it sold a ticket. But it appears to have a starting quarterback.

Ex-Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman reportedly will call signals at Sam Boyd Stadium for coach Jim Fassel when the UFL debuts in October. Losman was assigned to Las Vegas on Thursday during the league's player allocation meeting and draft in Florida.

Losman, picked by the Bills in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft, had an inconsistent career with Buffalo. In five seasons, he was a 59 percent passer, throwing for 6,209 yards and 33 touchdowns with 34 interceptions. He lost the starting job to Trent Edwards two years ago and appeared in only five games last season.

A free agent, Losman has been unable to land another NFL job, which might make the UFL a viable alternative.

Fassel said recently he had his starting quarterback in place, and he probably was referring to Losman. But the league would not confirm Losman was that player.

Gary Wichard, Losman's agent, did not return several calls seeking comment.

The UFL's four franchises -- Las Vegas, New York, Orlando and San Francisco -- each targeted 20 select players they want to sign and drafted 24 more. The league did not release the names of the select players.

Among the notable Las Vegas draftees were veteran NFL defensive back Adam Archuleta, former Dallas Cowboys running back Tyson Thompson, former Cincinnati Bengals running back Terrence Whitehead, former Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Wendell Bryant and veteran NFL linebacker Gary Stills, who played with Kansas City, Baltimore and St. Louis.

No former UNLV players were drafted. Former Utah quarterback Brian Johnson was selected by New York.

The UFL is expected to begin signing players within 10 days.

 

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UFL announces rule changes

UFL announces rule changes

UFL announces rule changes

The United Football League, which will have a yet-to-be-named franchise in Las Vegas, announced its rules this week, which include some notable differences from the NFL.

For instance, during overtime, both teams will get one possession in the allotted 15 minutes. After those possessions, if the score remains tied, sudden-death rules apply.

For instant replay decisions, the officials will be allowed 90 seconds to conduct reviews rather than 60 seconds ? although those reviews often linger far beyond such time limits.

The elimination of the tuck rule made famous in a 2002 playoff game between New England and Oakland means it will be a fumble if the passer loses possession of the ball as he is putting it away after completion of the forward pass motion without releasing a pass.

And a fumble into and out of the end zone will return the ball to the spot of the fumble when not recovered in the end zone.

 

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Losman signs with UFL franchise

Losman signs with UFL franchise

Losman signs with UFL franchise

Former Bills QB eager to play for Las Vegas

The Las Vegas franchise of the United Football League has a quarterback to go with its coach.

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman signed a one-year contract and will be the marquee player for the yet-to-be-named team, which will be coached by former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel and will begin play in early October.

"By no means is it a slam dunk," Losman said Tuesday from Buffalo, N.Y., where he has been working out in anticipation of participating in the UFL venture. "I'm definitely taking some risks. But in the situation I find myself in, if I want to get back to NFL, I need to play in the UFL."

Losman, who made $3.3 million last year backing up Trent Edwards, wouldn't say how much the UFL is paying him. But he said it's nowhere close to what he made with the Bills.

"It's a substantial pay cut," he said. "But I see this as an investment to what I hope will pay off with a return to the NFL. I love to play and I want to play for a long time. I've done a good job with watching my money, so I can afford to do this."

UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue said the signing of Losman was a huge step in the league's attempt to build credibility.

"I think it's critical," Huyghue said. "We want players who have shown they have the ability to play in the NFL, and I think it's terrific he's playing in Las Vegas. He'll have the opportunity to be tutored by Jim Fassel and help resurrect his career."

Losman said the chance to work with Fassel was a major part of why he signed with Las Vegas and the UFL. "To play for someone like Coach Fassel who has worked with some great quarterbacks, including John Elway and Kerry Collins, I'm very excited," Losman said. "I'm going to learn a lot."

Fassel said Losman's career can be saved.

"A lot of quarterbacks' careers get sideways for a lot of reasons," Fassel said. "It can be a coaching change, a change of the system, an injury, changes in personnel. Sometimes, quarterbacks need to be re-tooled.

Losman, a first-round draft pick of the Bills in 2004, spent five seasons in Buffalo, throwing for 6,211 yards, 33 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. His contract expired at the end of last season, and the Bills did not re-sign him.