SAN ANTONIO — Spring professional football makes its return this weekend around the country, and in San Antonio, with the United Football League's San Antonio Brahmas.
The Alamo City has been here before too many times, as have other football markets, existing NFL cities or not, most recently with the XFL and the Alliance of American Football.
"Let's make sure when we do this, that this is a strong league," said UFL Operations Director Daryl Johnston.
The former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl winning fullback told us the mission is to make sure this is the best professional spring football product in forty years referring to the USFL some four decades ago.
It would seem though that the most important question again is "Why is it going to work this time?"
"With the people that we have behind us with FOX (network) and RedBird Capital and to have The Rock and Dany Garcia out there are people that promote for us," said Johnston. "It is a different business model now, but I truly do believe that this is going to be the most talented spring league that anyone has seen since those days of the USFL that had those great football players that tried to go head-to-head with the NFL," he added.
There's no doubt the UFL is thinking big, but Johnston believes they will be able to back that up. "The phones are ringing with names that are impressive," he said. "The players that are coming across wires on a daily basis are impressive. We've been finally able to earn the trust of people that this looks like it is finally gonna work this time."
And if there's one reason the league needs to find a home with fans and television viewers alike it would be this: "The NFL needs us," he said. "I know everyone thinks we need the NFL, but the NFL needs us," he continued. "You have one single focus and one single goal and that is to make sure that is around a long, long time this go around."
The UFL San Antonio Brahmas open their season at 11 a.m. on Easter Sunday hosting the D.C. Defenders.