The United Football League will have many weeks leading up to Opening Day like the one it had this past week – news nugget after news nugget after news nugget.

And, for the second week in a row, the UFL’s week ended with a group of players trying to make the league’s initial rosters. This week, it was in Las Vegas, and the tryout pool was strong again, led by a very intriguing quarterback prospect.

Ex-Utah pivot Brian Johnson highlights Saturday’s hopefuls. Johnson, 22, is the perfect example of how NFL teams can overlook a prototypical “winner” due to a lack of “measurables.” Johnson led the Utes to a 13-0 record in 2008, including a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Johnson has been chosen to be the cover athlete for the PlayStation 3 version of EA Sports’ NCAA Football 10. Not that this is a good enough reason solely for the UFL to sign him, but think about the recognition for the league to have one of its players on the cover of a popular video game.

Give me a guy who wins over a guy who fits the NFL prototype anyday. And, apparently, the UFL feels the same way.

There were some other intriguing names to come out of the Las Vegas tryouts:

• The rest of the quarterback list has some known names on it, including 2007 World Bowl MVP Casey Bramlet, ex-Denver Bronco Darrell Hackney and ex-San Francisco 49er and Cleveland Brown Ken Dorsey.
• A name to watch from the running back group is ex-Bronco Cecil Sapp. After being undrafted in 2003, Sapp stuck around the NFL for six seasons, playing 61 games. He can play tailback or fullback.
• The wide receiver corps definitely had an Arena Football League flavor, led by Timon Marshall, who had 100-plus catches and 1,300-plus return yards three years in a row. Mike Seidman, a former third-round pick whose career was derailed by injuries, led the tight end list.
• On the defensive side, names familiar to football fans included ex-Ohio State linebacker Anthony Schlegel, defensive lineman Bryan Save (9 sacks in 2 years in the AFL) and former NFL Europe and AFL standout safety Jeremy Unertl.

The UFL has attracted a good player group in its two tryouts in back-to-back weekends. Those players, along with those who will have individual workouts in the weeks to come, will be the start of the league where player acquisition is concerned.

And it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Quick hits

• Friday’s release of quarterback Michael Vick by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons stirred up the Vick-to-the-UFL rumor mill again. Again, while it is good for the UFL to get this type of attention where Vick’s future is concerned, it is not in the league’s best interest to have Vick play in it.

Besides, ESPN’s John Clayton said Friday night Vick doesn’t want to play in the UFL. Therefore, the feeling should be mutual – but it’s OK for the UFL to ride the speculation out a while longer.

• Perhaps the best quote for those who still aren’t sure about the UFL came from former NFL tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who tried out for the UFL last week in Orlando. It’s a simple, yet powerful quote – “I know I am not a minor league player, the guys they had out there were not minor league players. This isn’t going to be a minor league.” Can’t help but root for Wiggins to be a UFL star, right?

• The UFL’s profile has been helped by its choice of head coaches and assistant coaches, and that profile was furthered by the addition of Rick Mueller as the league’s Vice President & General Manager. Mueller is a former executive with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints, spanning 13 seasons, and has coaching and scouting experience in the CFL and WLAF, so he has seen professional football from many angles.

• The choice of Wes Chandler as New York’s offensive coordinator is an inspired one. Chandler, a quality wide receiver for 11 seasons in the NFL, has been a head coach or assistant coach for 14 years at the collegiate and professional levels. Don’t be surprised if, given the right talent, New York employs an “Air Coryell”-type offense with Chandler at the controls.