Vegas wins UFL opener

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Unlike his players, Dennis Green, coach of the California Redwoods, claims no desire to get back to the NFL.

But like everyone else associated with the upstart United Football League, the former coach of the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals is taking advantage of an opportunity.

The four-team UFL kicked off its inaugural season Thursday night when the Redwoods visited the Las Vegas Locomotives.

Las Vegas won 30-17 behind former Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman's two touchdown passes. Former Indianapolis Colts running back Dede Dorsey ran for two touchdowns. A crowd of 14,209 fans attended the game at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium.

The Florida Tuskers and New York Sentinels play Saturday in the other opener.

The UFL, which will begin with a six-game season, is presenting itself as a complement to the NFL, a place where potentially underserved fans can enjoy professional football for as little as $15 and NFL hopefuls can prove their worth.

"The NFL these days has a lot of cap casualties, which means that young players get replaced by even younger players," Green said. "This is a league where guys that have played in the NFL have a chance to get back."

Other former NFL players in the UFL include Tim Rattay, Tony Parrish, Tatum Bell and Simeon Rice.

Green, Jim Fassel (Las Vegas) and Jim Haslett (Florida Tuskers) all are former NFL head coaches, and New York Sentinels coach Ted Cottrell is a longtime NFL defensive coordinator.

Most players will be making between $35,000 and $65,000, with quarterbacks getting paid slightly more than other players.

Reasons for UFL optimism include venues such as AT&T Park and the Mets' Citi Field, as well as TV deals with Versus and HDNet.

Redwoods owner Paul Pelosi, a San Francisco investment banker and husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, said the long-term goal for the UFL is expansion to markets such as Los Angeles, Sacramento and Hartford, Conn.