Jim Fassel: Room for the UFL to Succeed

Jim Fassel, coach of the Las Vegas Locomotives, is confident that the UFL will endure after its inaugural season.

"There is room without a doubt for another professional football league," Fassel said in a conference call Monday. "There is no more NFL Europe or Arena League."

He was exceedingly optimistic about the four-team league, which has debuted to relative anonymity during one of the busiest times in the sporting calendar. Fassel, though, believes that the UFL is on the right track.

"The league will sell itself," said the former New York Giants coach, who will return to the metropolitan area Wednesday, when the Locos take on the New York Sentinels at Hofstra's James M. Shuart Stadium -- a game that originally was scheduled to be played at Citi Field.

The UFL will need to do so, considering that it has purposely saved money on promotions and infused that into the on-field product. The league has four head coaches with NFL backgrounds and an experienced general manager, Rick Mueller, who has an NFL pedigree in player personnel.

Mueller told FanHouse on Thursday that the league most likely will add two more teams and four games to each club's schedule in 2010.

Fassel likes the progression, stating that the UFL was smart not to do any hollow boasting.

"You start with four teams, then add some more when you have a background to promote," the coach said. "Also, the pricing is right. People don't feel like they have to get a part-time job just to afford tickets."

In fact, Fassel's Locomotives lowered their ticket prices earlier this season at Sam Boyd Stadium, where the team will play all three of its home games. It originally was scheduled to play a contest at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles but decided to stay in Las Vegas, where fans have supported the team in the first two home games.

Fassel was no stranger to loyal home fans with Giants, whom he took to the Super Bowl in the 2000 season. The coach reminisced about his time in New York, where he will coach on a much lesser stage Wednesday.

"I miss a lot of things about New York," he said. "It starts with the people. I saw lots of people come and go as coaches and managers during my time [in New York]. The way people treated me really stands out. I never had a problem with anyone."

He went on to pinpoint his best memory with the Giants, picking the 2000 NFC championship game, which saw Fassel's club rack up a 41-0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in front of a raucous home crowd.

"It was packed and loud," Fassel said. "Even during the trophy presentation nobody left. The fans were so awesome."

While he will have a hard time topping that memory in the UFL with the Locos, Fassel likes what the alternative league has to offer. He raved about the quality of the coaches and players.

Fassel's Locos (1-2) can take some solace in Friday's 27-24 loss to the undefeated Florida Tuskers -- certainly a quality outfit -- who had beaten each opponent by at least 13 points entering that game.

The triumph, however, earned the Tuskers a spot in the championship game on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas, where the Locos hope to be as well. A championship opportunity on his home field -- not exactly Giants Stadium in January, but Fassel will take it.

"We have to take care of business Wednesday night and two more games after that," Fassel said.