Report: UFL wants NFL to invest

[cowboyjoe]

Report: UFL wants NFL to invest
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 19, 2010 1:10 PM ET
Last month we mentioned that rumors were flying in the pro football world that the NFL recently tried to buy the UFL. The NFL denied that it had done so.

Today Chris Mortensen of ESPN has a report saying that the UFL wants the NFL to become an investor.

According to Mortensen, the latest proposal from the UFL is to sell a 30 percent stake to the NFL. But that proposal has not reached a point where it will be discussed at next week's NFL owners' meeting.

Mortensen writes that sources disagree on whether a deal is likely or not.

Although Mortensen writes that there's no word on how much the UFL would expect the NFL to pay for a 30 percent stake, the rumors we passed along last month were that the NFL offered $50 million for 51 percent of the one-year-old minor league, and the UFL responded by offering 49 percent for $49 million.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, who said last month that the rumor of the NFL trying to buy the UFL was "flat wrong," told Mortensen, "We decline to comment."

 

[casmith07]

Trying to become the NFL's developmental league? Smart move. Get all those practice squad guys on the field so scouts can watch them in games and not playing the role of the opponent in practice on Thursdays.

 

[elcowboi]

I think that would be a great thing. Hopefully they would play their games between February and July so we could have football all year long. Baseball and Basketball have minor league systems. Why can't the NFL???

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It sounds like it will happen but I really hope it goes farther. I want farm teams.

For example if the San Antonio franchise opening up was a subsidiary of the Dallas Cowboys for me at least if goes from a novelty to something I will avidly follow.

Plus there is the caveat of sticking it to the NCAA.

I like this a lot.

 

[Future]

The problem with farm teams and the idea of having the two seasons not at the same time would mean that, potentially, a guy could play football for an entire year. Literally.

If he dominates in the farm league, he's going to get brought up and play in the bigs. That's two seasons of football in one calendar year. It's too much if you ask me.

 

[joseephuss]

It sounds like it will happen but I really hope it goes farther. I want farm teams.

For example if the San Antonio franchise opening up was a subsidiary of the Dallas Cowboys for me at least if goes from a novelty to something I will avidly follow.

Plus there is the caveat of sticking it to the NCAA.

I like this a lot.

Owners aren't going to be willing to fork over the money that it would take to have a true farm system. Some owners are hesitant to invest heavily in their own teams, so spending what it would take to start a farm system probably won't happen.

 

[speedkilz88]

Trying to become the NFL's developmental league? Smart move. Get all those practice squad guys on the field so scouts can watch them in games and not playing the role of the opponent in practice on Thursdays.

I don't think teams would want their practice squad players in another city learning a different playbook and not practicing and learning their own. Won't happen.

 

[casmith07]

I don't think teams would want their practice squad players in another city learning a different playbook and not practicing and learning their own. Won't happen.

Just like the Atlanta Braves don't want their prospects playing in Mississippi under a different coaching staff and not practicing with the major league hitting/pitching coaches.

Or just like NFL teams wouldn't want their players on another continent learning a different playbook and not practicing and learning their own?

Oh, wait.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Owners aren't going to be willing to fork over the money that it would take to have a true farm system. Some owners are hesitant to invest heavily in their own teams, so spending what it would take to start a farm system probably won't happen.

I disagree.

WLAF, USFL had varying degrees of success but they made the mistake of trying to directly compete with the NFL.

If you start putting NFL prospects onto these teams and you don't have to split the consumers attention then I see it making A LOT of money. They already have the netowrk and all o fus that are already watching NFL replays and DLing torrents to just watch football certainly would watch it.

 

[speedkilz88]

Just like the Atlanta Braves don't want their prospects playing in Mississippi under a different coaching staff and not practicing with the major league hitting/pitching coaches.

Oh, wait.

Football is totally different than baseball dude. Who are you kidding?

 

[casmith07]

Football is totally different than baseball dude. Who are you kidding?

re-read my edit.

And the concept is the same, ultimately.

edit - so I'll add it back in, since I stand by my post.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I don't think teams would want their practice squad players in another city learning a different playbook and not practicing and learning their own. Won't happen.

I think they would prefer that to having their prospects being wasted learning Florida or Texas' spread offenses playing Appalachian or Texas State.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Football is totally different than baseball dude. Who are you kidding?

What purpose do you think NCAA football serves for the NFL right now? It is their farm team right now.

 

[speedkilz88]

Just like the Atlanta Braves don't want their prospects playing in Mississippi under a different coaching staff and not practicing with the major league hitting/pitching coaches.

Or just like NFL teams wouldn't want their players on another continent learning a different playbook and not practicing and learning their own?

Oh, wait.

You do realize that nfleurope was not going at the same time as the nfl? The UFL does compete at the same time. Like baseball and its minor league teams. DUH! And it doesn't work in football. Nfl teams want the players in their practices and playbooks with their coaches as much as possible.

 

[dallasfaniac]

Best case scenario in my mind is for the teams to exploit the UFL as a farm league, reduce the number of preseason games (UFL games would offset losses generated by missing preseason games), shift the offseason schedule a bit to allow UFL players a little break before training camp should they be called up to the majors and hire fulltime referees with side benefit of testing new leauge rules before they go live.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

You do realize that nfleurope was not going at the same time as the nfl? The UFL does compete at the same time. Like baseball and its minor league teams. DUH! And it doesn't work in football. Nfl teams want the players in their practices and playbooks with their coaches as much as possible.

NFLE was in Barcelona , Frankfurt and Scotland, played like 4 games and no one ever went to the games. They basically tried to follow basketballs success there during the same time frame and failed at it.

All that shows is that the NFL does want to do something like this. They tried to do a developmental league before.

UFL plays Wednesday thru Saturday nights from early October to late November. There is never a UFL game on at the same time as an NFL game.

It works in baseball. Its working in basketball. Solid starters are beginning to come out of the DLeague and as such teams are sending down more promising prospects.

Its also well run. Its got quality ownership who has hired NFL coaching talent like Denny Green and Jim Fassell and they have money to burn knowing that they are going to take losses there first several seasons.

 

[speedkilz88]

NFLE was in Barcelona , Frankfurt and Scotland, played like 4 games and no one ever went to the games. They basically tried to follow basketballs success there during the same time frame and failed at it.

All that shows is that the NFL does want to do something like this. They tried to do a developmental league before.

UFL plays Wednesday thru Saturday nights from early October to late November. There is never a UFL game on at the same time as an NFL game.

It works in baseball. Its working in basketball. Solid starters are beginning to come out of the DLeague and as such teams are sending down more promising prospects.

Its also well run. Its got quality ownership who has hired NFL coaching talent like Denny Green and Jim Fassell and they have money to burn knowing that they are going to take losses there first several seasons.

This is a debate on whether teams would send their practice squad guys to the UFL rather than stay with the team during the season. Nothing more. Sure its possible some players could be developed, but teams are going to want to keep their practice squads on the team.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

This is a debate on whether teams would send their practice squad guys to the UFL rather than stay with the team during the season. Nothing more. Sure its possible some players could be developed, but teams are going to want to keep their practice squads on the team.

How do you know that? I could very easily see a team saying they would rather a player get 300 snaps of live football rather than a handful as the end of the practice squad.

They do it in baseball and basketball all the time.

 

[speedkilz88]

How do you know that? I could very easily see a team saying they would rather a player get 300 snaps of live football rather than a handful as the end of the practice squad.

They do it in baseball and basketball all the time.

Football is totally different than those sports. Teams were reluctant to send guys to nfle even when the nfl was in offseason. They will want those guys practicing with the rest of the squad learning their playbook from their coaches. This is really common sense stuff.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

I doubt many of these guys are going to like carry the ball 300 times in a season after playing a slate of UFL games.