In a league as highly competitive as the UFL has been to date, there are bound to be some newly-minted rivalries that have been a part of that. Looking ahead, however, here are the rivalries fans will want to keep an eye on during the 2011 UFL season:

1. Marty Schottenheimer vs. Jerry Glanville. Football fans who remember the late-1980s matchups between the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Oilers will look forward to this year’s games between the Virginia Destroyers and the Hartford Colonials. Schottenheimer and Glanville know each other well, so the only secrets for the first game of the 2011 season will be each team’s personnel.

This renewal of the Schottenheimer-Glanville rivalry is 20 years in the making, and it will be well worth the wait.

2. Las Vegas Locomotives vs. Virginia Destroyers. How can you have a rivalry between a two-time defending league champion and a team which hasn’t yet played its first game? Well, it’s an extension of the Locos-Florida Tuskers rivalry which played out six times in the UFL’s first two seasons. As of Thursday night, the Destroyers had 17 ex-Tuskers on their active roster, meaning the passion for the games between Las Vegas and Virginia should be there.

Remember, of the six games the Locos and Tuskers played, five were decided by a touchdown or less – including the 2009 and 2010 UFL Championship Games.

3. Omaha vs. Sacramento. Not the teams. The fan bases. The Nighthawks sold out all four games at venerable Rosenblatt Stadium last year, setting new UFL single-game attendance records along the way. The Mountain Lions had crowds of at least 19,000 in three of four games at Hornet Stadium last year, and finished second in the league in average home attendance.

The UFL’s second game of 2011 will be in Sacramento between the Mountain Lions and Nighthawks, and Mountain Lions fans no doubt will look to get a head start on the race for attendance supremacy on August 14.

4. The new breed of UFL quarterbacks. Quarterbacks tend to want to out-perform other quarterbacks, and there could be some new rivalries formed among the league’s new pivots, like Hartford’s Colt Brennan and Jarrod Johnson, Omaha’s Eric Crouch and Virginia’s Pat White.

All four of those quarterbacks have proven themselves with high-quality play at the collegiate level. Now, they will look to take that high level of play into their first UFL seasons. The one or two who can do that might just face off in the league’s third Championship Game.

5. Las Vegas Locomotives vs. Sacramento Mountain Lions. Sure, the all-time series between these two organizations is 3-1 in favor of the Locos, but there are plenty of reasons to like this rivalry. For one, for the most part, it has been rather competitive. Their first two meetings in 2009 were tight affairs going into the fourth quarter, and the second meeting in 2010 was a seesaw game in which Sacramento scored the first 21 points, then Las Vegas scored the next 17, and the game was decided on a Fabrizio Scaccia field goal inside of two minutes.

Add to that the mix of Head Coaches Jim Fassel (Las Vegas) and Dennis Green (Sacramento), as well as the possible returns of Mountain Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper and running backs Cory Ross (Sacramento) and DeDe Dorsey (Las Vegas), and you have the ingredients for two more classic games this fall.

Source: http://www.ufl-football.com/news/36-days-kickoff-ufl-top-five-rivalries

“We want football!”

The chant resonated throughout the theater following a chorus of boos to “greet” Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Me, too,” he sheepishly responded to the fan’s plea. There were a few trades throughout the first round on Thursday evening, but war room personnel had to be satisfied moving only present and future draft picks with the labor issues.

The Atlanta Falcons made the boldest move of the night by trading up to Cleveland’s fifth spot for their first (27th overall), second (59th) and fourth round (124th) picks, plus a one and four in 2012. Alabama wideout Julio Jones will have a lot of pressure on him to come in and prove that he was worth all of that. He certainly feels confident enough to do that and where to give credit.

“Coach (Nick) Saban is a great coach to get you ready for the pros,” Jones said of his Crimson Tide collegiate mentor.

Quarterbacks came off the board fast as Cam Newton was picked first overall by the Carolina Panthers, followed by Jake Locker (eighth to Tennessee), Blaine Gabbert (10th to Jacksonville) and Christian Ponder (12th to Minnesota). Newton has a lot to prove, as pundits have been saying that the Auburn product does not have the intelligence to excel at the professional level. The Panthers cleaned house and will start fresh with Newton as the new face of the franchise.

Gabbert will sit behind David Garrard for a year or two but will get the nod prior to that if the incumbent starter falters or becomes injured, as he is prone to do. Ponder very well may earn the Vikings’ starting job, with Brett Favre (supposedly) retired.

Only one running back was drafted in the first round and the New Orleans Saints traded up to grab Mark Ingram. The NFL is a pass-first league and runners have felt the change.

Defense wins and the top of the draft was peppered with players like linebacker Von Miller (second to Denver), defensive tackle Marcell Dareus (third to Buffalo), defensive back Patrick Peterson (fifth to Arizona) and defensive end Aldon Smith (seventh to San Francisco) to round out the top ten alone.

Perhaps the best pure player in the entire  draft is Peterson, who is chomping at the bit to begin his professional career. “I can’t wait to get to Arizona, show those guys what I have to offer and get them back to the Super Bowl,” he said. DB’s have had great success in the NFL when drafted high and expect Peterson to top the list when it’s all said and done.

First things first, though. Getting a new Collective Bargaining Agreement signed is priority but it is fun to be able to follow America’s Game again, albeit only for a few days.

2011 NFL DRAFT ORDER

1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. San Francisco (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
11. Houston (6-10)
12. Minnesota (6-10)
13. Detroit (6-10)
14. St. Louis (7-9)
15. Miami (7-9)
16. Jacksonville (8-8)
17. New England (14-2) – from Oakland
18. San Diego (9-7)
19. New York Giants (10-6)
20. Tampa Bay (10-6)
21. Kansas City (10-6)
22. Indianapolis (10-6)
23. Philadelphia (10-6)
24. New Orleans (11-5)
25. Seattle (7-9)
26. Baltimore (12-4)
27. Atlanta (13-3)
28. New England (14-2)
29. Chicago (11-5)
30. New York Jets (11-5)
31. Green Bay (10-6)*
32. Pittsburgh (12-4)*

The last blowout came in January of 2003 when the Bucs manhandled the Raiders, 48-21. So we are unfortunately overdue for a dud.

This game is ripe for just that, too. The Colts are playing fantastic on both sides of the ball and shut down two formidable rushing attacks in the playoffs against the Ravens and Jets. Peyton Manning, who was named the NFL MVP, also has so much experience and won not only a ring but the game MVP in the same Miami venue in Super Bowl XLI.

The Saints did look strong in pasting the Cards, but were outplayed two weeks ago in the NFC Championship Game. The Vikings had a huge day offensively, easily outgaining the home team, 475 to 257 yards. If not for a late interception thrown by Brett Favre, the Saints would not have had the opportunity to win the game in overtime by a field goal.

The Colts are favored by four points in this game, and that seems like a low number, all things considered. If the weather turns wet, both teams play in a dome. But it was a torrential downpour when Indianapolis beat Chicago three years ago and they didn’t miss a beat. Even with a banged-up Dwight Freeney (at best), the Colts still have the horses to run away with it.

At least you can still follow your boxes.

Photo by Bill Menzel

In professional sports, fans live for rivalries. Whether it’s Boston vs. New York in baseball, Toronto vs. Montreal in hockey, or Ohio State vs. Michigan in football, fans have a burning desire to see their favorite teams soundly defeat eternal adversaries. Regardless of standings, rankings, or championships on the line, fans believe wins over bitter rivals are of the utmost importance.

In 2010, MMA’s biggest feud takes on a whole new meaning. In what will be one of the most hotly-contested seasons ever, Liddell and Ortiz have been selected to face off as coaches of Spike TV’s most popular original series ever, The Ultimate Fighter®. Scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:00pm ET/PT, two of the sport’s biggest icons will lead their respective teams in a season that will produce fireworks never-before-seen in the Liddell-Ortiz saga.

“The world knows that there is no love lost between Tito and Chuck,” UFC President Dana White said. “These two guys will do whatever it takes to beat each other. Whether it’s fighting or checkers, Chuck wants to beat Tito and Tito wants to beat Chuck. On Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, we’ll see which legend can score the upper hand when it comes to coaching the next batch of rising stars.”

A native of Santa Barbara, Calif., Liddell (21-7) served as coach of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter in January 2005. Known for his phenomenal striking ability and staunch takedown defense, “The Iceman” earned his way into the UFC Hall of Fame by defeating the likes of Vitor Belfort, Renato Sobral, Randy Couture (twice), and Ortiz (twice). Considered by many as the greatest 205-pound fighter ever, Liddell believes he will score another victory when he coaches opposite Ortiz next year.

“I am excited for the opportunity to coach on The Ultimate Fighter, especially since I get a chance to beat Tito again,” said Liddell, who became a pop culture icon with appearances on hit programs such as “Dancing with the Stars, “Entourage,” and “The Apprentice”. “This is a perfect chance for me to help young fighters grow and it’s a chance for me to get another win against Tito.”
The longest-reigning champion in UFC history, Ortiz (16-7-1) once held the light heavyweight title for nearly four years. An outstanding wrestler with vicious ground and pound, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” owns wins over some of the sport’s elite, including Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, as well as three victories over Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. A coach on season three of The Ultimate Fighter, Ortiz returns to the show holding the firm belief that he will finally knock off his arch nemesis.

“This season of the show is important to me in so many ways,” said Ortiz, who appeared on the hit series “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2008. “I love coaching and I’m happy that I can give my fighters a chance to become better athletes. Plus, I think I’m a better coach than Chuck. I think my guys are going to be hungry and ready to smash Chuck’s guys. I can’t wait to see his face when that happens.”

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®

UFC is the largest live pay-per-view provider in the world and the fastest growing main stream sports organization in history.  Owned and operated by Zuffa™, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, and Viewers Choice. International distributors include WOWOW in Japan, Premiere Combate and SporTV in Brazil, with worldwide distribution via the Internet on UFC.com and Yahoo! Sports.  UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada.  UFC programming is distributed in 132 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching 415 million homes worldwide.

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa® , The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.

Source: http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=30705

The only noticeable advertisement came in the form of  billboard along the New Jersey Turnpike near Giants Stadium, the location of the Sentinels’ first home game. On that Thursday evening at the end of October, the California Redwoods came into town and kept New York winless by taking a close contest, 20-13. The attendance was light and appeared even more so because of the capacity of the stadium. And it didn’t help matters any that the game was up against the second installment of the World Series in the Bronx.

But with more promotion, football fans who are shut out from Giants or Jets games would probably be more than happy to take advantage of the very affordable $20 tickets the UFL is offering. Couple that with the familiar names that adorn the rosters of the four teams and this thing may be a viable alternative during the week to the NFL.

“We had some guys here, like Simeon Rice, who had some injuries and are just looking to come back to play,” said Sentinels head coach Ted Cotrell, a former defensive coordinator for a number of teams including the New York Jets. “There are a few players like that and there are players coming up that just need a chance. It’s a win-win thing. If they do well, then we do well.”

Sounds like a good plan but for that to come true, the UFL has to get its name out there more. With the three other teams employing head coaches like Dennis Green (California Redwoods), Jim Fassel (Las Vegas Locomotives) and Jim Haslett (Florida Tuskers), instant credibility is brought to the table. Plus they have a television deal with Versus and HDNet, so the coverage is there if the fans choose to tune in.

In any situation where a new product is released, there will be trial and error periods. Such is the case when the Sentinels changed the location of their next home game from Citi Field (the Mets new ballpark in Queens) to Hofstra University on Long Island. A much smaller venue is more appropriate in a town like New York where it is very difficult to catch on when you have to deal with the likes of the Giants and Yankees garnering all of the headlines.

A short eight-week schedule commencing with the UFL championship game on November 27 will wrap up a campaign that the UFL can hopefully build on. They intend on adding teams and games in 2010 but need the capital to do so.

Other football leagues have had a difficult time surviving in what has become an NFL-monopolized sport. The WFL, USFL, AFL, XFL, WLAF and NFL Europe all dot the landscape of failed attempts to at least share a piece of the pigskin pie. Hopefully the UFL can stay off of that list.

Football fans may be staring downfield at a ‘Mitchell Report’ of their own after a convicted Texas steroids dealer met with NFL security officials recently.

David Jacobs of Plano reportedly gave the delegation names of individuals that he sold anabolic steroids and human growth hormone to. In separate meetings that took place since May 1, Jacobs provided documentation to substantiate his claims.

One of the players named was New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Matt Lehr, who was playing in Atlanta at the time of the alleged purchases. Lehr’s attorney did not comment, even after Jacobs, 35, publicly accused his client.

Beginning in 2005, Jacobs was involved in dealing steroids internationally and imported raw powder from China. The feds shut the operation down last year, and he received three years probation, no surprise when you factor in his information to the NFL.

Looking to justify his actions, Jacobs told reporters that he wanted to “share his knowledge of testing loopholes and the prevelance of performance-enhancing drugs with the NFL to clean up the game. Mr. Boy Scout also plans to speak to local school children about the dangers of steroids and HGH.

A rat is a rat. Because he saved his own ass by giving up a bunch of players does not make this guy “Prince of the City.” Similar to Kirk Radomski and Brian McNamee, Jacobs will have to live with himself.