Will Jarmarcus Russell land in the UFL?
Professional sports teams always have to be prepared, and that is exactly what the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League were when they decided to get the league rights to one QB Jamarcus Russell. Rick Mueller who runs the Player Personnel department for the entire league and serves as teh General Manger of the Omaha Franchise scooped up the right to Russell just after he was cut by the Oakland Raiders. Of course the Omaha franchise does not seem to have a QB on its roster yet.
Russell is in Arizona working on his mechanics, hoping to find work in the NFL, however if I were his agent I would tell him to go to the UFL and prepare to have a dominating season that then rejoin the NFL after Thanksgiving when injuries force teams to make numerous roster moves. It is very unlikely to find starting work in the NFL, and as a player we have to assume he would rather be a starting UFL QB, then a second or third string NFL QB. Of course until the paycheck comes in line with what a guy can make as a backup and what he would make in the UFL, we certainly understand a player’s pocket book motivation.
With that being said I see a lot of guys who could benefit from playing in the upstart league. Michael Vick might have been able to turn some heads had he played in this league last year, and I think Russell could benefit from playing each week. I see little to no benefit of a backup NFL guy holding a clipboard each Sunday, of course he probably gets some snaps in practice, but that is never really the same.
Related Links:
•The Business of the United Football League
•UFL News reservation for six.com
•MTR Football.com
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