March 12, 2009
I just heard about a new league about to get started, the United Football League (UFL). As of right now, there will be four new teams: in San Francisco (AT&T Park), Las Vegas, Hartford/New York, and Orlando. The league will start to sign players in July, after all the rosters are formed for NFL teams; the season won’t start until October, with the championship game played around Thanksgiving.
The UFL has named former NFL coaches Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, Jim Haslett and
Ted Cottrell as head coaches for the first season. I was fortunate to listen on a radio interview on XX Sports Radio with Dennis Green, who lives in San Diego. Coach Green was fired up about the whole league and believes it will work due to its TV contract.
I think the UFL’s intention isn’t to compete with the NFL, but play to a market interested in watching games on Thursday and Friday nights. Its TV contract will be on Versus, which I think is a great fit. Versus is bundled with almost all cable packages these days and is shown in HD.
What does this mean for kickers and punters?
I think it will open up eight new positions, and maybe more, depending on how they will use their kickers. With limited spots available in the NFL, opens the door for a few more kickers.
The UFL’s season, which will only be a month long, will be a great platform for some kickers to stay in top form and maybe jump onto an NFL roster in the latter half of the its season. If nothing else, UFL kickers can develop highlight tapes that may land them jobs the following season.
After researching the UFL website, I noticed it will have training camp in Casa Grande, Arizona. I’m sure there will be some type of kicking combine, whether it’s officially sanctioned by the league or unofficial. I know a few kicking coaches who will be using this as a way to have another event and make some money.
The bottom line…I still think you’ll need a highlight DVD to help you get noticed. Get to the TKS Pro Day on April 5. Sign up today by e-mailing me at john@kickingsystem.com.
The Kicking System 
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