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Heisman Trophy Winner
Football: Nighthawks' targets include ex-Husker Green
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published Saturday May 29, 2010
The Nighthawks' general manager may soon be using permanent ink to jot down the names on Omaha's fall roster.
And a few of those players, Rick Mueller hopes, will have local relevance.
"I'm going to do everything I can to ensure that the best players are going to be on our team," said Mueller, the league executive responsible for drawing talent to the expansion Nighthawks. "But there's talent around Omaha. ... There are players who have ties to the Omaha area, to the Nebraska area, that we're (targeting)."
Who will be playing for Omaha's new franchise next fall?
It's too early to say. Mueller is expecting to have an answer in a couple of weeks, when some of the preliminary talks with prospective Nighthawks start reaching a more concrete level.
This much is known: Mueller's trying to add local flavor. The Nighthawks have talked extensively with ex-Husker and former NFL All-Pro Ahman Green, the veteran running back most recently with the Green Bay Packers.
The 33-year-old Omaha native is searching for a football job, and he's interested in coming home.
"It looks promising, but I'm just waiting still, keeping my options open," Green said Thursday from his home just outside Green Bay, Wis. "For me, it's not a fallback plan at all. I want to play football. The Omaha team would be a great fit."
The Nighthawks are also interested in Keith Eloi, the one-time UNO receiver who signed with the Washington Redskins after going undrafted last spring.
They've reached out to Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch, too. UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue was Crouch's former agent. Crouch won't be playing, though.
"I'd love to play, but I've been done for a couple years," the former Nebraska quarterback said. "I'm pretty happy with not having anymore (surgeries). I've had eight operations, you know. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't stay involved."
Based on the positive reviews of two Huskers who played in the UFL's inaugural season, Crouch and anyone else who's listening to the Nighthawks' pitches shouldn't have any regrets associating themselves with the upstart league.
Cory Ross, who ended his NU playing career in 2005, was the league's leading rusher for Sacramento's franchise. Running back Marlon Lucky, done at Nebraska in 2008, joined the Hartford team for the final two UFL games.
Both are planning to return to their respective teams this fall, after a first-class experience that neither expected for a new league.
"For the first year, for me, I was very surprised with it," Ross said. "I just wanted to show people that I was healthy again and then try to get back in the NFL. But I got more than what I expected."
The UFL paid for players to stay in hotels at two locations — Casa Grande, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla. They practiced at those sites as well. For games, the teams flew in charter planes to the host city.
"I didn't know what to expect when I went in," Lucky said, "and I only played in two games. But for the first year, I thought it was legit. People shouldn't talk down about the UFL."
This year, the plan is to house each team in its city from training camp until season's end.
All players — with the exception of starting quarterbacks — will be paid a salary of about $50,000, according to Mueller. That does not include living and eating expenses, which are paid for by the league. Each team gets 52 on its fall roster.
So far, Mueller and the Nighthawks have league-wide rights to 40 players — 20 UFL-seasoned players from the expansion draft and 20 more unemployed prospects from all parts of the country.
Most have not signed contracts yet, the reason why half of the 40 names on Omaha's roster radar haven't been released, according to league spokesman Michael Preston. The Nighthawks' 20 selections from their expansion draft have been posted on the league website since April.
The five UFL teams will conduct a 12-round draft Wednesday. Any player not under contract in another professional football league is eligible.
The Nighthawks plan to open training camp with about 70 players.
"Players have a chance to come and show what they can do. That's what they're getting in our league," Mueller said. "We're going to afford them the opportunity to prove themselves."
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published Saturday May 29, 2010
The Nighthawks' general manager may soon be using permanent ink to jot down the names on Omaha's fall roster.
And a few of those players, Rick Mueller hopes, will have local relevance.
"I'm going to do everything I can to ensure that the best players are going to be on our team," said Mueller, the league executive responsible for drawing talent to the expansion Nighthawks. "But there's talent around Omaha. ... There are players who have ties to the Omaha area, to the Nebraska area, that we're (targeting)."
Who will be playing for Omaha's new franchise next fall?
It's too early to say. Mueller is expecting to have an answer in a couple of weeks, when some of the preliminary talks with prospective Nighthawks start reaching a more concrete level.
This much is known: Mueller's trying to add local flavor. The Nighthawks have talked extensively with ex-Husker and former NFL All-Pro Ahman Green, the veteran running back most recently with the Green Bay Packers.
The 33-year-old Omaha native is searching for a football job, and he's interested in coming home.
"It looks promising, but I'm just waiting still, keeping my options open," Green said Thursday from his home just outside Green Bay, Wis. "For me, it's not a fallback plan at all. I want to play football. The Omaha team would be a great fit."
The Nighthawks are also interested in Keith Eloi, the one-time UNO receiver who signed with the Washington Redskins after going undrafted last spring.
They've reached out to Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch, too. UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue was Crouch's former agent. Crouch won't be playing, though.
"I'd love to play, but I've been done for a couple years," the former Nebraska quarterback said. "I'm pretty happy with not having anymore (surgeries). I've had eight operations, you know. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't stay involved."
Based on the positive reviews of two Huskers who played in the UFL's inaugural season, Crouch and anyone else who's listening to the Nighthawks' pitches shouldn't have any regrets associating themselves with the upstart league.
Cory Ross, who ended his NU playing career in 2005, was the league's leading rusher for Sacramento's franchise. Running back Marlon Lucky, done at Nebraska in 2008, joined the Hartford team for the final two UFL games.
Both are planning to return to their respective teams this fall, after a first-class experience that neither expected for a new league.
"For the first year, for me, I was very surprised with it," Ross said. "I just wanted to show people that I was healthy again and then try to get back in the NFL. But I got more than what I expected."
The UFL paid for players to stay in hotels at two locations — Casa Grande, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla. They practiced at those sites as well. For games, the teams flew in charter planes to the host city.
"I didn't know what to expect when I went in," Lucky said, "and I only played in two games. But for the first year, I thought it was legit. People shouldn't talk down about the UFL."
This year, the plan is to house each team in its city from training camp until season's end.
All players — with the exception of starting quarterbacks — will be paid a salary of about $50,000, according to Mueller. That does not include living and eating expenses, which are paid for by the league. Each team gets 52 on its fall roster.
So far, Mueller and the Nighthawks have league-wide rights to 40 players — 20 UFL-seasoned players from the expansion draft and 20 more unemployed prospects from all parts of the country.
Most have not signed contracts yet, the reason why half of the 40 names on Omaha's roster radar haven't been released, according to league spokesman Michael Preston. The Nighthawks' 20 selections from their expansion draft have been posted on the league website since April.
The five UFL teams will conduct a 12-round draft Wednesday. Any player not under contract in another professional football league is eligible.
The Nighthawks plan to open training camp with about 70 players.
"Players have a chance to come and show what they can do. That's what they're getting in our league," Mueller said. "We're going to afford them the opportunity to prove themselves."
