In So Many Ways, Daunte Culpepper a No-Show in Loss to Locomotives

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Daunte Culpepper was a no-show.

The big-name, veteran quarterback, the guy brought in to be the face of the United Football League, simply didn't show his face.

Culpepper threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in a 26-3 loss to the Las Vegas Locomotives in front of an estimated home crowd of 19,000 fans in Sacramento on Friday night.

Following the game, as reporters and photographers awaited his arrival for a postgame press conference, Culpepper hit the exit early. It was a move out of character for the star who has been nothing but accommodating since he's arrived in Sacramento – making his absence more conspicuous.

The man who has embraced the spotlight in Sacramento instead let his teammates and coach answer the questions for him.

"Daunte, he is a professional and he is definitely going to bounce back," said Sacramento running back Cory Ross, the last Mountain Lions player to leave the locker room.
"He is one hell of a player and one hell of a quarterback. He is not going to take it lightly. He is definitely going to be the one riding in tomorrow, looking at what happened and what went wrong. He is going to correct it, that's just who he is. He never feels flustered when something happens."

Culpepper became the first quarterback in the UFL to throw four interceptions in one game – certainly not the type of record he planned on setting in the league.

The rough performance began early, as Culpepper turned the ball over on a fumble on Sacramento's first possession. In the team's second possession, Culpepper threw his first interception, a pass picked off across the middle.

"We got a lot of pressure on the quarterback. I have a lot of respect for Culpepper," Las Vegas coach Jim Fassel said.

A rare bright spot came during Sacramento's first series of the second half, when Culpepper flashed signs of his old self, breaking a tackle and scampering for a 24-yard run. But it was a fleeting success, as he underthrew a deep ball to an open receiver on the next play, leading to his second interception.

Culpepper threw his third and fourth interceptions late in the fourth quarter, the last leading to a 58-yard touchdown return by Locomotives safety Jamal Lewis.

"Daunte did not have a good day at all obviously," said Mountain Lions head coach Dennis Green, who also coached Culpepper in Minnesota.

Green added, "He is obviously very disappointed. The key is how did they all happen, since each one was a little bit different. He's got an incredible arm, he's familiar with the offense, and maybe some days it just – I don't know if he felt he had to force it in or whatever. There were some mis-throws. A couple of them were just downright interceptions where he just missed them."

The 33-year-old quarterback has taken his share of lumps before. But the last time he had five turnovers in a game came in 2005, when he threw five interceptions as the Vikings' quarterback in a Week 2 road game at Cincinnati.

For Culpepper, there's more at stake than just one loss. There's a reputation, or maybe even the hope for a return to the NFL.

Would this be the type of performance that might push Culpepper into giving up? His teammate quickly shook that notion.

"He is a competitor," Ross said. "That's just who he is, I've been around him for awhile now. He takes a lot of stuff to heart.

"He is going to take this loss very hard. That's just who he is as a person. But he is definitely going to be the one who will keep our heads up. He has been doing this a long time and he's been through the worst – worse than what he is going through now."