UFL Names Jay Gruden Tuskers' Head Coach, Talks Expansion

The fledgling United Football League is moving out of New York and San Francisco and soon will be announcing expansion plans for Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; and Omaha, Neb. for its second season.

Although it also is exploring a move into Los Angeles, the UFL has targeted the smaller markets without NFL teams to join both Las Vegas and Orlando, whose teams played in the first championship game last fall.

UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue (pictured) declined to confirm any new cities, but a source close to the league office revealed some of the expansion plans.

Huyghue was in Orlando on Tuesday, where he made the announcement that Jay Gruden had become the new head coach of the Florida Tuskers. Gruden, the Tuskers' offensive coordinator last season, is replacing Jim Haslett, who left to become the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins.

Gruden, the younger brother of former NFL head coach Jon Gruden, won six championships in the Arena Football League, four as a quarterback and two as a head coach. Gruden also worked for seven years as an assistant coach for his brother with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Our first season was a learning year. The fact that we're still breathing is a good sign, a strong sign for the future of the league. We learned a lot,'' said Huyghue. "We know better now who we are, and what we can be.''

The UFL started last season with four teams playing a six-game regular season schedule. In 2010, it will become a six-team league with a 10-game schedule.

There were 30 UFL players who signed contracts with NFL teams after their seasons ended. The league is promoting itself as a training ground for potential NFL players. It was filled last season with many players who already had short stints on NFL rosters. Haslett led the Tuskers into the championship game last season.

"If this becomes a place where the NFL comes to replace players, coaches and front office people, that's a good thing,'' Huyghue said after making the announcement about Gruden. "We could be sitting here next year at this time doing the same thing if he [Gruden] goes to the NFL.''

The UFL will open training camps again in August with the first games expected to be played on Sept 8 and 9. The majority of the games this season are expected to be played on Friday and Saturday nights.

Gruden had a 93-61 record as coach of the Orlando Predators of the Arena League. Much of his football philosophy is similar to that used by his brother, now an NFL television analyst. They won a Super Bowl together with the Bucs before Jon Gruden was fired. They still meet once or twice a week at the office Jon keeps in Tampa.

"Obviously, you want to compete against the best, be the best at what you do,'' Gruden said. "Eventually, every coach has a dream of being [Saints coach Sean Payton] and holding up the Lombardi Trophy like he did the other day. And maybe some day that will happen, but this here is a wonderful opportunity for me.''

Gruden expects that his brother, Jon, will be offering plenty of advice this fall.

"We still meet and watch tape together all the time. We call it the FFCA, the Florida Fired Coaches Association,'' Gruden said. "We've had a lot of people come through our doors just to talk football."