Mountain Lions show off new logo and QB Culpepper By Joe Blenkle / Sacramento Sports News Editor SACRAMENTO, Calif. (June 9, 2010) - When I heard several months ago that the new United Football League (UFL) was going to relocate its San Francisco Redwoods franchise to Sacramento for the 2010 season, I experienced mixed emotions. Like many other Sacramento football fans, I had to endure the loss of the Sacramento Surge (World League of American Football) and the Sacramento Gold Miners (Canadian Football League). The thought of another team coming to town and possibly breaking Sacramento's collective hearts wasn't a pleasant one. But in a June 9 press conference in which the Sacramento Mountain Lions' new logo was unveiled, and quarterback Daunte Culpepper was introduced, my feelings for this new team quickly warmed. Head coach Dennis Green, who coached Culpepper when he was with the Minnesota Vikings, has great enthusiasm for the Mountain Lions, the UFL, and especially the three-time NFL Pro Bowler Culpepper. And his enthusiasm was contagious. "We're really excited about the signing of Daunte Culpepper," said Green. "Daunte and I go way back to 1999, but Daunte goes back even further with our offensive coordinator Mike Kruczek who coached Daunte in 1995 at the University of Central Florida. Everywhere I go people are asking me about Daunte, our team and the league. Having Daunte come aboard has brought a very high profile to our league and everybody wants to know about the United Football League and our games." Culpepper, who spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions, is equally as excited to be in Sacramento. "My goal for this year was to get on the field and play football," said Culpepper. "When the opportunity came for me to sign with the UFL and play for coach Green in Sacramento, I could not resist. I am impressed with his approach to the game and to his players."
Culpepper probably could have signed with an NFL team as a backup, but his desire to play as a starter brought him to the UFL. "I probably could have settled for a backup job somewhere in the NFL if I wanted to, but that's not where I'm at. I want to play football and at a high level. Playing in the UFL is a great opportunity for me." Culpepper suffered a serious knee injury in October 2005 and admits he came back from it too quickly. "I probably did some things I shouldn't have tried," he said. Doctors expected him to take up to two years to recover, but his drive to play saw him back on the field in nine months. "I feel great and my knee is at 100% now." That's good news for Sacramento fans who should delight at the kind of numbers Culpepper is capable of putting up. In 2004, Culpepper passed for a league-high 4,717 yards and a Minnesota Vikings record 39 touchdowns. He also broke Dan Marino's NFL record for combined passing and rushing yards with 5,123. During his NFL career, Culpepper threw for 24,153 yards and 149 touchdowns. "I'm excited to be reunited with my college coach Mike Kruczek as the offensive coordinator," said Culpepper. I am expecting to have a lot of fun running a wide-open offense." "We want to be a high-octane, very explosive, high-performance offensive unit," added Green. "And that's the kind of offense where really Daunte is at his best. This is the right time and right place for Daunte to jump on board." It's hard to tell how long any new league might survive, but the UFL seems like a serious contender by recognizing early mistakes and moving quickly to fix them. Two of last year's teams were moved out of NFL markets and into non-NFL cities. And rather than throwing together a talent-diluted league all at once, the UFL started small with four teams, expanding to five for its second season. With Sacramento's great support for both the Surge and Gold Miners, I'll be disappointed if Sacramento State's Hornet Field isn't packed for the Mountain Lions first home game on Sept. 25. It should be an exciting beginning as pro football returns to the Capital City for the first time since the Gold Miners pulled up stakes and moved to Texas in 1995. Return to Features / Return to Main Page |
