Green, Fassel and Haslett to coach in new league

[1 Crazy Commish]

(AP) -- Former NFL coaches Dennis Green, Jim Fassel and Jim Haslett will lead teams in the new United Football League.

The league plans to debut in October with four teams in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando and New York.

"This will be awesome," Fassel said on a conference call Wednesday. "It's pure coaching - players that want to get better, players that want to develop. A lot less of the other stuff that's always involved when you're an NFL coach."

Ted Cottrell, a former defensive coordinator for the Chargers, Vikings, Jets and Bills, will coach the New York franchise.

Fassel, who led the Giants to the Super Bowl after the 2000 season, will coach Las Vegas. Green, the former Vikings and Cardinals coach, will be in San Francisco. Haslett, the ex-Saints coach who served as the Rams' interim coach this past season, will be in Orlando.

UFL games will be played outdoors using NFL rules. The goal is to sign players who just missed making NFL rosters. Players will be able to sign with NFL teams after the short season, which is scheduled to end Thanksgiving weekend, but not during it.

"So much of what we do is about developing players and developing coaches," Green said.

Teams are scheduled to play games in Hartford and Los Angeles along with the home markets. The league also announced that the San Francisco franchise will play games at AT&T Park.

The four coaches insisted they weren't looking to use the new league as a launching pad to return to the NFL. UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue, a former Jaguars and Lions executive and agent, said the league plans to eventually offer competitive coaching salaries to the NFL.

"This league, in general what attracted me to it was the people running it," Haslett said.

 

[nicholete]

Is starting another football league a good idea? The Arena league had to cancel this past season so why does this league think they will be beter?

 

[Miller]

Kinda what I thought nic....and how interesting will a 4 team league be anyways??

That said, decent group of coaches there.

 

[1 Crazy Commish]

Good chance it will be cancelled before the season starts just like the last three were. But Hey, you just never know.

 

[RLLD]

I think with the collapse of some of the other leagues recently, and perhaps also some of the NFL personnel who might be available allow these guys to perhaps put together a decent product.

The key will be how they promote that product and have assembled the design. If they can find a way to tie in to the Fantasy aspect of it really well I think they have a chance at least.

 

[1 Crazy Commish]

Arena II will be stronger here with many players jumping form Arena1. The AAFL is still ago with a lot of respect of many major colleges. I supported the XFL when it was around as I did the USFL. I strongly believe the NFL should not be the only show in the worlds most money making sport.

 

[GFL Commissioner]

The NFL isn't the only football league. There's the CFL and it's been around longer. However...for a league that is as old as it is...you'd figure there would be more than 8 teams by now...those dumb asses!!!

 

[1 Crazy Commish]

The NFL isn't the only football league. There's the CFL and it's been around longer. However...for a league that is as old as it is...you'd figure there would be more than 8 teams by now...those dumb asses!!!

One too many RoughRiders:grin:


I've always supported the CFL, I wish they would have left some teams down here. Still have some of the south of the border games on tape.