Omaha Forums

Training camp starts next Friday

With Maurice Clarett coming back

Not a whole lot of big names coming back this year with so much uncertainty in the NFL. Even the TV deal is purported to have been delayed pending news from the NFL. Might be a rocky year for the UFL.

Oh well, should still be some fun football down at TD Ameritrade.

Eomaha's own Almighty Tuna will be the official photographer of the Omaha Nighthawks this season!

Former Husker QB Zac Lee just signed with the Las Vegas Locos, who has won the UFL Championship the past two years.

http://www.uflaccess.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15724

Not sure if he'll start, but it's good to see him get a shot

riceweb wrote:Former Husker QB Zac Lee just signed with the Las Vegas Locos, who has won the UFL Championship the past two years. Not sure if he'll start, but it's good to see him get a shot

1620 just reported that has healed up nicely, so he should have a shot.

Brad wrote:Eomaha's own Almighty Tuna will be the official photographer of the Omaha Nighthawks this season!

[Like]!!

The Nighthawks are going to make Crouch official tomorrow and they signed Purify.

iamjacobm wrote:The Nighthawks are going to make Crouch official tomorrow and they signed Purify.

Yeah I am expecting this team to have a losing record again.  It isn't a bad thing to have a few hometown guys to put butts in the seats if they needed it, but the Nighthawks would sell out without a single Husker on the squad.

iamjacobm wrote:Yeah I am expecting this team to have a losing record again.  It isn't a bad thing to have a few hometown guys to put butts in the seats if they needed it, but the Nighthawks would sell out without a single Husker on the squad.

Yeah, I was really hoping this wouldn't turn into a parade of Cornhusker castoffs and rejects, but when Jagodinski (sp?) got fired I figured there was a significant chance that it would head in that direction.

Honestly, I really question what value Crouch brings to this team. I've seen film of him in his various training camps and practices and that guy flat out cannot play quarterback. Plus, it's now almost a decade since he was drafted into the NFL so a combination of age and being away from the game has likely taken a toll on his athletic talent.

It will be interesting to see what Crouch can do.  I guess only time will tell.

I really think Joe Moglia is going to be a great coach.  I was standing about 10 feet from him one time when he was addressing the crowd in front of TDA and I have seen a few times on TV now.  He just seems to have that "it" that it takes to be a great leader and can really get a group of people fired up.

I cant wait until next month when he Nighthawks hit the field!

Crouch wont be wearing his familiar #7.  He is wearing #9 for the Nighthawks this year.

It's sad to see the rest of the UFL actually make strides to becoming a good league with coaches with real NFL experience in the league, and Omaha goes out and becomes an arena team.

The rich guy in town wants to coach. Does he have experience? No but he will make our debts go away. Sign him up then.

Hey the local hero who could not cut it in the CFL and who has been selling swing sets for the past year wants to play QB, he will put fans in the seats cause he was decent 10 years ago. Sign him up.

This guy was Nebraska's water boy. Sign him up.

I actually had hopes for the Nighthawks, just looks like another last place finish again.

Brad wrote:I really think Joe Moglia is going to be a great coach.  I was standing about 10 feet from him one time when he was addressing the crowd in front of TDA and I have seen a few times on TV now.  He just seems to have that "it" that it takes to be a great leader and can really get a group of people fired up.

+1 for that. Even I was getting a little riled up at that press conference.

cp jay 07 wrote:It's sad to see the rest of the UFL actually make strides to becoming a good league with coaches with real NFL experience in the league, and Omaha goes out and becomes an arena team.

The rich guy in town wants to coach. Does he have experience? No but he will make our debts go away. Sign him up then.

Hey the local hero who could not cut it in the CFL and who has been selling swing sets for the past year wants to play QB, he will put fans in the seats cause he was decent 10 years ago. Sign him up.

This guy was Nebraska's water boy. Sign him up.

I actually had hopes for the Nighthawks, just looks like another last place finish again.

The rest of the league is making strides?  I must have missed that.  

This isn't the NFL where winning is everything, the Nighthawks are smart and know that they are going to get more people to come if they bring in local big name guys rather than a team full of no-named guys that may be slightly more talented.

I just will never understand the desire people have for Eric Crouch to fail.  Even if he had not won that certain trophy, the guy was a super stud at UNL.   The idea that he "flat out can't play quarterback' is just silly.

Maybe he was a Prima Donna when he went to the NFL - some would say he was just sticking to his guns.  We'll likely never know if he could have competed at that level.

Maybe he won't prove himself worthy of the chance the UFL is giving him.  I, for one, hope he will, if for no other reason than to reduce the caterwauling.

I don't recall anyone wishing for him to fail.  I simply want the team to put a quality product on the field.  I along with everyone I know would rather watch a team that competes than a team full of local guys that lose most of their games.  

4 of the 5 teams head coaches have NFL head coach experience, Omaha is the odd man out.  Moglia may have the right attitude, but his highest coaching experience is the DC at Dartmouth or a volunteer coach at Nebraska.  He obviously isn't in the same league as the guys standing on the other sidelines and I expect the Nighthawks to be the worst coached team in the UFL by a pretty wide margin.

If they want to be a professional football league they need to act like it.  Losing will turn fans away faster than telling a former Husker he isn't good enough will.

Brad wrote:I really think Joe Moglia is going to be a great coach.  I was standing about 10 feet from him one time when he was addressing the crowd in front of TDA and I have seen a few times on TV now.  He just seems to have that "it" that it takes to be a great leader and can really get a group of people fired up.

I cant wait until next month when he Nighthawks hit the field!

While the ability to motivate people is an important skill for a head coach, I question whether he has the rest of the skills. He's been out of football for over 20 years now and is going to be stepping straight into the head coach's spot, which is laughable to me. I'm personally worried that when going up against former NFL coaches he is simply not going to know how to respond to offenses significantly more complex than at any level he has ever coached.

I hope for the best, but I am not enthusiastic.

HuskerDave wrote:I just will never understand the desire people have for Eric Crouch to fail.

Probably because he is a world class douchebag. I've met him several times (his dad was one of my coaches in peewee football) and my cousin played against him in high school. Neither of us had any positive experiences with him and judging by what I've seen mentioned by other people who knew him, neither did they.

Even if he had not won that certain trophy, the guy was a super stud at UNL.   The idea that he "flat out can't play quarterback' is just silly.

Let's get serious here. Crouch was essentially a running back in an option offense going all the way back to high school. None of those skills are remotely transferable to any pro style offense, hence why Crouch was never able to even make an NFL roster as a quarterback.

Maybe he was a Prima Donna when he went to the NFL - some would say he was just sticking to his guns.  We'll likely never know if he could have competed at that level.

There is no debate that he was a prima donna. He's always been a prima donna. Only difference being that in high school and college he was big man on campus so people overlooked his behavior because he was winning football games. When he went to the NFL and he was just another guy and didn't have people cater to him, he whined and then quit on the team that had used a 3rd round pick on acquiring his services. That self centered, me first attitude is bad for any player to have, much less a guy who wants to play quarterback and become the leader of a team.

Linkin5 wrote: The rest of the league is making strides?  I must have missed that.  

This isn't the NFL where winning is everything, the Nighthawks are smart and know that they are going to get more people to come if they bring in local big name guys rather than a team full of no-named guys that may be slightly more talented.

ESPN had an article about how 4 out of the 5 UFL coaches had over 100 NFL wins, guess which one does not have 100 wins, In fact he has 0. I would call that strides.

The thing is they sold out games last year without having to get down and out huskers selling swing sets. Nebraska loves football, they would sell out games getting good players that were good in college that maybe need an extra push to get to the NFL. And this isn't me being an anti husker, this is me being a UFL and Nighthawk fan that can't believe they got a swing set sales man to play QB. This sounds like a page from the Iowa Blackhawks or Beef playbook, not a league that is trying to become a major football league.

HuskerDave wrote:I just will never understand the desire people have for Eric Crouch to fail.  Even if he had not won that certain trophy, the guy was a super stud at UNL.   The idea that he "flat out can't play quarterback' is just silly.

Maybe he was a Prima Donna when he went to the NFL - some would say he was just sticking to his guns.  We'll likely never know if he could have competed at that level.

Maybe he won't prove himself worthy of the chance the UFL is giving him.  I, for one, hope he will, if for no other reason than to reduce the caterwauling.

Maybe if you take off the red colored glasses you would see what everyone else is seeing.

cp jay 07 wrote:

Linkin5 wrote: The rest of the league is making strides?  I must have missed that.  

This isn't the NFL where winning is everything, the Nighthawks are smart and know that they are going to get more people to come if they bring in local big name guys rather than a team full of no-named guys that may be slightly more talented.

ESPN had an article about how 4 out of the 5 UFL coaches had over 100 NFL wins, guess which one does not have 100 wins, In fact he has 0. I would call that strides.

The thing is they sold out games last year without having to get down and out huskers selling swing sets. Nebraska loves football, they would sell out games getting good players that were good in college that maybe need an extra push to get to the NFL. And this isn't me being an anti husker, this is me being a UFL and Nighthawk fan that can't believe they got a swing set sales man to play QB. This sounds like a page from the Iowa Blackhawks or Beef playbook, not a league that is trying to become a major football league.

I wasn't speaking about the coach, I have reservations on him as well.  With that said, how are other teams making strides while Omaha is not?  In a league like the UFL strides come from financial gains and growing popularity with its fan base, something Omaha has done far better than any other UFL franchise.

HuskerDave wrote: I, for one, hope he will, if for no other reason than to reduce the caterwauling.

Please use that in another sentence. I will use that word on this forum by end of day tomorrow. Thank you.

Marlon Lucky is on the roster now also.

iamjacobm wrote:Marlon Lucky is on the roster now also.

You have got to be smurfing me.

Can't wait till they sign Tommy Frazier.

Thunder Collins.  If Moglia doesn't work out hire Frank Solich.

Well, at least with Lucky and Purify you have young players with talent and value relative to their roles in a pro style offense, unlike Crouch, who doesn't.

Bosco55David wrote:Well, at least with Lucky and Purify you have young players with talent and value relative to their roles in a pro style offense, unlike Crouch, who doesn't.

I don't look for Crouch to start.  I think Omaha has a bigger issue when you look at the coaches of the other teams and we have Moglia....


Greg

cp jay 07 wrote:Maybe if you take off the red colored glasses you would see what everyone else is seeing.

Or take off the blue colored glasses...

Onto Marlon Lucky:

Marlon Lucky is a good third-down back. He picks up the blitz well, as well as catches short passes. He's never going to be the player that recruiting freaks claimed he was, but that's not his fault. I certainly wouldn't want him to be my top rusher, but you can do all sorts of things with Lucky.

I really would have liked to see him returning kicks at Nebraska.

HskrFanMike wrote:

cp jay 07 wrote:Maybe if you take off the red colored glasses you would see what everyone else is seeing.

Or take off the blue colored glasses...

Yeah a swing set salesman is a great QB  :roll: . If Lawrence Phillips was not in jail or homeless I'm sure people would want to sign him as well. heck Johnny Rodgers could still play probably, I heard the last time he robbed a gas station he still showed some speed.

And I'll give you Purify because he is young and was actually at an NFL camp last year I believe, not sure what he has been up to since. But Lucky already tried the UFL and could not cut it, I just don't get why they don't sign talent instead of washed up college players.

And FYI it would be orange colored glasses for college football.

cp jay 07 wrote:
Yeah a swing set salesman is a great QB  :roll: . If Lawrence Phillips was not in jail or homeless I'm sure people would want to sign him as well. heck Johnny Rodgers could still play probably, I heard the last time he robbed a gas station he still showed some speed.

And I'll give you Purify because he is young and was actually at an NFL camp last year I believe, not sure what he has been up to since. But Lucky already tried the UFL and could not cut it, I just don't get why they don't sign talent instead of washed up college players.

And FYI it would be orange colored glasses for college football.

Maybe to rope in Creighton fans they could hire Kevin Ross to help the players with reading the scouting reports?  :music:

cp jay 07 wrote:

HskrFanMike wrote:

cp jay 07 wrote:Maybe if you take off the red colored glasses you would see what everyone else is seeing.

Or take off the blue colored glasses...

Yeah a swing set salesman is a great QB  :roll: . If Lawrence Phillips was not in jail or homeless I'm sure people would want to sign him as well. heck Johnny Rodgers could still play probably, I heard the last time he robbed a gas station he still showed some speed.

And I'll give you Purify because he is young and was actually at an NFL camp last year I believe, not sure what he has been up to since. But Lucky already tried the UFL and could not cut it, I just don't get why they don't sign talent instead of washed up college players.

And FYI it would be orange colored glasses for college football.

Lucky was an above average running-back, but was one of the best slot receiver and open space runners I have seen at the college level for the last ten years.  I truly believe Lucky would have had a Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin type of career only if Callahan/Watson would have put him at slot/receiver.  If you forgot how good he was in space, then i recommend watching his youtube highlights.

Season pushed back 30 days
http://www.uflaccess.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16139

from UFLaccess facebook: We're getting reports that the UFL season has been pushed back 30 days. Stay tuned for more news as it develops...

I hate to be negative, but it might be time to see if I can get a refund for my season tickets before this whole thing collapses...

Now confirmed by several sources including a league coach:
http://uflaccess.com/ufl-suspending-training-camps/

lnkS wrote:

cp jay 07 wrote:
Yeah a swing set salesman is a great QB  :roll: . If Lawrence Phillips was not in jail or homeless I'm sure people would want to sign him as well. heck Johnny Rodgers could still play probably, I heard the last time he robbed a gas station he still showed some speed.

And I'll give you Purify because he is young and was actually at an NFL camp last year I believe, not sure what he has been up to since. But Lucky already tried the UFL and could not cut it, I just don't get why they don't sign talent instead of washed up college players.

And FYI it would be orange colored glasses for college football.

Maybe to rope in Creighton fans they could hire Kevin Ross to help the players with reading the scouting reports?  :music:

Hmm this has nothing to do with Creighton but you bring them up. Jealousy is so ugly. Lets keep this on topic please.

cp jay 07 wrote:

HskrFanMike wrote:

cp jay 07 wrote:Maybe if you take off the red colored glasses you would see what everyone else is seeing.

Or take off the blue colored glasses...

Yeah a swing set salesman is a great QB  :roll: . If Lawrence Phillips was not in jail or homeless I'm sure people would want to sign him as well. heck Johnny Rodgers could still play probably, I heard the last time he robbed a gas station he still showed some speed.

And I'll give you Purify because he is young and was actually at an NFL camp last year I believe, not sure what he has been up to since. But Lucky already tried the UFL and could not cut it, I just don't get why they don't sign talent instead of washed up college players.

And FYI it would be orange colored glasses for college football.

i hope for your sake those glasses are not burnt orange....

bmt wrote:

cp jay 07 wrote:

HskrFanMike wrote:

cp jay 07 wrote:Maybe if you take off the red colored glasses you would see what everyone else is seeing.

Or take off the blue colored glasses...

Yeah a swing set salesman is a great QB  :roll: . If Lawrence Phillips was not in jail or homeless I'm sure people would want to sign him as well. heck Johnny Rodgers could still play probably, I heard the last time he robbed a gas station he still showed some speed.

And I'll give you Purify because he is young and was actually at an NFL camp last year I believe, not sure what he has been up to since. But Lucky already tried the UFL and could not cut it, I just don't get why they don't sign talent instead of washed up college players.

And FYI it would be orange colored glasses for college football.

i hope for your sake those glasses are not burnt orange....

Oh heII no. I am to embarrassed to say, even though they have a very rich tradition and plenty of NFL players and hall of famers one bad coaching hire made them unbearable to watch for 4 seasons.

Erik wrote:Lucky was an above average running-back, but was one of the best slot receiver and open space runners I have seen at the college level for the last ten years.  I truly believe Lucky would have had a Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin type of career only if Callahan/Watson would have put him at slot/receiver.  If you forgot how good he was in space, then i recommend watching his youtube highlights.

You don't put guys who are 6'0 and just shy of 220lbs at slot receiver.

This league is hanging on by the short n curlies. i wouldn't get too bent out of shape about this debate, any of you.

Yeah, will know more details in a couple hours apparently.