Daunte Cullpepper: Here to Play

2010-06-10T03:18:43Z

I'm officially pumped for the UFL. To be exact, I'm pumped for your Sacramento Mountain Lions.

The Mountain Lions introduced their most recent signee, Daunte Culpepper, at a press conference at the Hilton Hotel Wednesday morning.

They also unveiled the team's new logo, a ferocious-looking saber-toothed fellow forming a sleek and dynamic "S". The logo is solid, and will look good on UFL-licensed merchandise. The Mountain Lions will have sweet hats.

Of course, it doesn't matter how cool the logo is. If the team and the league aren't a success, the merchandise won't sell.

On that front, both the team and the league took a major step in the right direction by bringing in the 6-foot 4-inch, 260-pound three-time Pro Bowl QB.

At 10 a.m., following the unveiling of a large banner bearing the new team name and logo, Culpepper and his wife Kim joined Coach Denny Green and Director of Business Management Joe Wagoner at a table below the banner.

Green walked up to the Hilton podium, grinning widely, and began his spiel.

Now, I suppose that all head coaches have to be part salesmen, but as a head coach in a league as new as the UFL, the sales ability becomes paramount. The UFL is a pretty new entity, and the Mountain Lions are brand new.

There is no body of work to fall back on, no built-in fan base. There is a room in the Pro Football Hall of Fame dedicated to the various pro leagues that have sprung up over the years as alternatives to the NFL. AFL, WFL, USFL,WLAF, ALF and XFL are just a few of the acronyms which have preceded the UFL in their attempt to be a profitable, successful complement to the NFL.

We, the would-be consumers, need reason to believe that the UFL is going to succeed where so many others have failed. We need to be convinced that this time is going to be different.

Denny Green is pretty darn convincing, and one heck of a salesman. I, for one, am drinking what he's pouring.

Before introducing Culpepper, he addressed the room with conviction.

"This is the beginning of a new era," he said, glancing at his new QB. "It's here now."

When Culpepper took the podium, he did so looking every bit like the superstar he once was. He spoke with a quiet confidence that belies his recent NFL struggles.

"I feel like I've got a lot more years ahead of me," the 33-year-old QB said. "I'm here to play."

He spoke of rejoining people that he knows and loves, and who know how to bring out the best in him. He had his best years in the NFL under Green's tutelage, and Mountain Lions offensive coordinator Mike Kruczek was his college coach at Central Florida.

Culpepper was not just paying lip service. I would have understood if he had seemed less than thrilled to be in the situation he is in. This is a guy who was at one point a top three quarterback in the NFL, and here he is joining a fledgeling league at the relatively tender age of 33. This wasn't the case at all.

He spent the vast majority of the press conference with a comfortable smile on his face. At no time during his statement or the question-and-answer period did he sound the least bit disappointed or embittered. And there were plenty of opportunities during the Q&A for him to vent his frustration or disappointment.

"I could have settled for a backup job somewhere, but that's not where I'm at," he said of NFL opportunities.

When asked why no one would give him the opportunity to win a starting job in the NFL, he joked that "people assume I'm 40."

When asked about his NFL aspirations, he responded that his goal was to help the Mountain Lions win a championship. It's not about getting back to the NFL, but "what I can do for the UFL."

Would he rather be starting in the NFL? I'm sure, but that wasn't in the cards for this season. For the time being, the man is clearly happy to be here, happy to have the opportunity to play in this system again, happy to have the chance to prove himself one more time.

The NFL's loss is our gain. Culpepper was asked how his surgically repaired knee felt.

"I feel great," he said with no hesitation. "I'm 100 percent healed from my knee surgery."

He went on to elaborate that when he had the surgery in 2005, his doctor told him it would take two years to recover. Culpepper was back on the field in nine months, before he had a chance to get fully healthy, and his play suffered.

With the knee no longer a concern, and Culpepper reconnecting with the men under whom he achieved his greatest successes, all of a sudden this is a captivating Mountain Lions team. Green raved about the talent and speed that they had brought in to camp. Green ended the session with a comment that, if it holds true, will guarantee the success of the UFL.

"We're bringing NFL (quality) football to non-NFL cities," he said.

A month ago, I would have scoffed at the notion. With the addition of Daunte Culpepper, all of a sudden it seems plausible. Pass me the Kool-Aid. . . and a Mountain Lions hat.

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Daunte Cullpepper: Here to Play