The week of the Championship Game has arrived and UFLAccess.com will have all of the coverage that UFL fans can handle. I will be posting a daily blog beginning in Tuesday live from Las Vegas, tomorrow night we will have a special Championship Game edition of “Inside the UFL” at 8 PM EST with a round table preview of the game, and on Wednesday we will be livetweeting the United Football League’s first ever Media Day at http://www.twitter.com/UFLAccess.

It is hard to believe that the “Premiere Season” is coming to a close for those of us who have been following the development of the league from the May, 2007 article where William Hambrecht’s dream was unveiled.

This week’s Morning After is going to focus on the future, and the Championship Game, rather than the usual review of the action but before we look at the future – a quick hit look at the last two games of the regular season.

California Redwoods versus Florida Tuskers

The Redwoods gave the Tuskers a game and made it clear that they are the most improved team from the beginning to the close of the season even as their record didn’t reflect it… Shane Boyd deserves a game ball despite two costly turnovers late, one UFL player texted me after the game that “The Redwoods should have thrown that much all yr long”… Cory Ross only rushed for 45 yards, a subpar effort for him, but I still ended up supporting him for MVP… Brooks Bollinger had another solid effort, throwing for 220 yards, but he was outplayed by Boyd for the majority of the game… This game was the most entertaining game of the year – any game with two onside kicks and a pick six in the first quarter has to be highly rated.

Final thought: The Redwoods moving to San Jose, announced by the Commissioner but unconfirmed by the league as they never responded to my request for clarification, is a good move for the team. The attendance in Orlando and Las Vegas have shown that this league can work but it will need to be primarily based in non-NFL markets.

Las Vegas Locos versus New York Sentinels

The Locos rolled to the surprise of no one… The biggest surprise was the excellent attendance – 13,306 marked the second best attended UFL game of the year – and the league spent ZERO marketing the specific game proving that Las Vegas is embracing the Locos… The final score was 41-10, the New York QB’s throwing three interceptions didn’t help – one has to wonder why CJ Bacher didn’t get a shot to player and why Brian Johnson was cut in the preseason… DeDe Dorsey racked up over 70 all purpose yards and will have a big target on his back this Friday against the Tuskers… Tim Rattay looked to be, perhaps, a better QB than JP Losman in the game – then again he was playing against the Sentinels…

Final Thought: The New York Sentinels should bring Ted Cottrell back but they should change their Offensive Coordinator and players. Here’s why – Cottrell was not able to institute a 3-4 defense due to the shortened training camp, it was his first head coaching gig, and the Sentinels improved as they added some experienced vets. New York fans need to give TC a chance.

Now, on to the next one…

The Championship Game ended up shaping up the way that most of us expected as the Las Vegas Locos will play host to the Florida Tuskers. The Tuskers are looking to close the season without a loss while the Locos are looking for revenge – one has to wonder which desire is greater.

I’m voting revenge and I believe the Locos will win. Here’s why:

• Playing at home will help. I would expect at least 13,000 fans in attendance and that should provide a lift for the team.
• DeDe Dorsey seems to be finally getting healthy and in St. Pete he was the best player on the field.
• It is historically difficult to beat a good team three times in the same year, that trend does not favor the Tuskers.
• The Tuskers haven’t been as good over the second half of the season as they were the first half, although some have argued that is because they have had less to play for.
• Teddy Lehman has been a beast at LB and the Locos D-Line should control the Tuskers front line, meaning Bollinger will have to throw more frequently and under more pressure than he is used to – something that should render him less effective.
• Tim Rattay showed that if Losman struggles, or if his injury lingers, that he will be a fine starter – one CFL scout who reads our board texted me Friday night and said, “TR is the best QB in the league”. I’m not sure if I would go that far but he did look great during game action.

The main reason the Locos might not pull the upset? Their secondary. Wale Dada and Trey Young have looked better of late but Bollinger was basically taking Dada’s lunch money in the previous games. We will see if those two can maintain their progress over the course of the year, although if Eric Henderson is in Bollinger’s face all night they might be alright.

Thumbs Up…

I have to give a thumb’s up to Speaker Pelosi for attending the Redwoods game – the UFL investors really seem to love this league which bodes well for the future… Las Vegas making the Championship Game will only help them build on the tremendous foundation that the Locos have laid this first year… The move to San Jose will likely be for the best, if confirmed… Noah Herron seems to be Ok after a vicious hit – the entire UFLAccess.com family is rooting for his full and complete recovery…The buy one, get one free deal for the Championship Game is great for fans – go http://www.unlvtickets.com and use the promo code BOGO to take advantage of the offer… The league finished the season with an average attendance of 9,305 – not bad for a first year effort with little marketing during the worst economic downturn in three quarters of a century…

Thumbs Down…

I used to support NFL markets, on occasion, but if the attendance this year is any indication then we have to give them a thumb’s down moving forward – San Fran and New York were not on the same level as Vegas and Orlando/St. Pete… Dennis Green should be kicking himself for ever pulling Shane Boyd AND for not throwing the ball more, earlier…

Game Ball:

Shane Boyd deserves the game ball for his tremendous performance against the Tuskers. Yes, he made a few mistakes late but he looked as good as any UFL QB on Thursday night.

Remember to vote for the Motorola MVP and the Men’s Wearhouse Coach of the Year on ufl-football.com.