United Football League gives NFL hopefuls, former NFL players a chance to shine

ORLANDO — Dexter Jackson — Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson from the Bucs' 2002 championship season — is walking through a no-frills locker room at the Florida Citrus Bowl, sweat soaking his aqua jersey from a brutal morning workout.

He sits on a bench before hitting the showers and reflects on his new digs in the fledgling United Football League.

"It's a humbling experience," said the 32-year-old safety, who starred at Florida State, then spent six of his 10 NFL seasons with the Bucs. "It lets you know how well you had it in the NFL. But just being around these guys and feeling the camaraderie, I just love the atmosphere. It's a brotherhood of guys who love the game. You wouldn't be here if you didn't."

Jackson is a new addition to the Florida Tuskers. They are one of four franchises in the upstart league (along with the California Redwoods, Las Vegas Locomotives and New York Sentinels) that will play a six-game regular season from Oct. 8 to Nov. 20 with the title game Nov. 27.

He's like many of the 62 players in Tuskers camp hoping to make the 50-man roster, play well enough to get a new reel of highlights and impress an NFL general manager looking to fill a late-season hole.

The group includes ex-Bucs: running back Michael Pittman, defensive end Patrick Chukwurah and offensive tackle Anthony Davis. Even former wideout Ike Hilliard has signed on — not as a player, but as receivers coach. His career came to an end last season after a neck injury, and he now hopes to follow a new path to the NFL on the staff of coach Jim Haslett and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.

"I'm happy just having an opportunity to still be part of the game and learn it from the other side," Hilliard said.

The team's connection to Tampa Bay extends beyond former Bucs. The Rays have an ownership stake in the Tuskers, and Tropicana Field will be the site of their game against Las Vegas on Oct. 30.

The UFL is banking that NFL fans have enough appetite to watch more outdoor pro football even though entities such as the USFL and Xtreme Football League didn't last. The league is hoping televised games on Versus — with on-air talent including former NFL quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Kordell Stewart — will help stir interest along with former NFL coaches Dennis Green (California), Jim Fassel (Las Vegas) and Haslett.

"We took a little bit of a different approach," said Haslett, who was Saints coach from 2000-05 and Rams defensive coordinator from 2006-08 as well as interim coach for 12 games last season.

"A lot of guys in the league said they wanted to go with young players who never played in the NFL. I wanted to get some good players. And for whatever reason, they're out of football and deserve another opportunity. So we have guys who were suspended from the league, guys who were hurt and out a year. We had guys come out of NFL training camp. We just tried to get as many good players as we could."

So you'll find 34-year-old tight end Jerome Wiggins (who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots), running back Tatum Bell (four seasons with the Broncos) and quarterback Brooks Bollinger (a brief starter with the Jets). Another player, guard Zach Piller (a Florida Gator who spent eight seasons with the Titans), joined the team with no desire to return to the NFL.

"I just want my daughter, Zoe, to see me play," he said last week. "She's almost 7 and was too young to remember me playing. When I tell her to hustle on the soccer field, she can tell me to hustle on the football field."

But Piller, a St. Petersburg native, suffered a separated shoulder and was recently cut.

Former Rams defensive tackle Claude Wroten, meanwhile, is desperate for another shot at the NFL after spending 2008 on a substance-abuse suspension.

"I took advantage of this league. It came just in time," Wroten, 26, said. "There are a lot of players in the NFL who lost the numbers game.

"But maybe we can get a second chance to put out some fresh film for GMs and coaches."

The UFL is home to many players who never latched on in the NFL. Yet there are also familiar names such as former Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice and former Seahawks wideout Koren Robinson (both playing in New York for Ted Cottrell, a longtime NFL defensive coordinator). And don't forget Jackson, who spent 2008 on injured reserve.

"This is great because it keeps me in football shape," he said, "and gives me a chance to show the NFL I can still move."

Dave Scheiber can be reached at scheiber@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8541.