The final score didn’t seem to matter, even though Dennis Green’s California Redwoods beat Ted Cotrell’s Sentinels, 20-13. More importantly this league seems to be doing it the right way and has a chance to succeed.

Unlike past upstart football leagues, the UFL wants to be a complimentary unit to the NFL. Much like the way the Atlantic League works outside of affiliated baseball, but draws some name players, this league is setting itself up to be a place where players can continue their careers. Some may be coming back from injury while others are just looking for another chance after getting cut from an NFL club.

“We had some guys here, like Simeon Rice, who had some injuries and are just looking to come back to play,” Cotrell said. “There are a few players like that and there are players coming up that just need a chance. It’s a win-win thing. If they do well, then we do well.”

That’s what the UFL is looking for. Unlike leagues like the WFL and USFL in the past, the UFL is trying to control salaries by installing a hard cap. There are no million dollar bonuses, an outlandish contracts. Instead this is a league for development and development. At Giants Stadium today, there were NFL scouts looking for talent and if a player gets a chance, the league will probably let them go.

“The model they have set up, there’s a hard salary cap, but a wage that is still attractive to some players,” Cotrell said. “It’s still a good brand off football, but without the million dollar bonuses.”

More importantly though, the league seems to be playing it straight. Instead of reinventing the wheel here, the game is pretty much what you will see on Sundays in the NFL. They play the same rules with the same size field and there are no XFL-like gimmicks, which ruin the flow of the match.

And that seems to be a good thing. Will the UFL survive long term is anyone’s guess and they will have to get attendance up, especially after tonight’s crowd, which was far smaller than the 10,318 announced crowd.

But the games are on television and the league is making changes as it goes along, like next week’s game which was originally scheduled for Citi Field will now be played at Hofstra in order to play in a more intimate environment, with the hope that the college crowd will come out to see some professional football.

It’s also good to see coaches like Cotrell, Green, and former Giants coach Jim Fassel getting second chances as well. But this is a league of second chances and even though the first game in the area could have been better, the UFL seems to be learning and for that reason alone, the league has a chance to survive.

Two years ago if you were one of the co-founders of this joint venture and you would have polled veteran sports media types, weather traditional print, or electronic/new media, someone might have said ” it might work for a year or two, but it will go the way of the USFL and XFL.” Six Months ago I might have said to you “If the economy were different….”

With many in the business world saying that the worst of the financial down turn could be over before the end of the coming holiday season, it just might be the perfect time to launch a new pro football league. So today, myself and a small but experienced group of football journalists, along with several executives involved with the UFL came together for their first New York based press conference at the Cornell Club in Midtown Manhattan. Commissioner Michael Huyghue opened the media meet and greet with about 6 or so minutes of information commentary, after which he turned it over to the New York franchise’ head coach, Ted Cottrell.

Don’t let Cotrell’s calm business like demeanor fool you. This man is excited to finally have a shot as a head coach, something it looked like he would never get in the NFL, even with 24 years of experience as a position coach and defensive coordinator. To say that he got a raw deal in his last two stops (with San Deigo & the NY Jets) would be an understatement. He warmed up the crowd almost instantly with, “Only in NY would a head coach get a round of applause before he’s coached a game.” He stated that he was truly honored to be in this position.

“If you ask me what kind of team we will have in NY, it will be the kind of team that gives you it’s all on the field today.”

“I expect to see players playing hard from start to finish, that’s what I expect”

Later he told a smaller group of us. ” We are trying ti watch the age of the Veteran players we bring in, with the concern that players get worn down”

On Being in NY: ” Aside from this being the team I was assigned, I love it here. I was here for three years with the Jets, and as an assistant with Rutgers for nine years, plus I worked in the NFL offices for a year.”

On Being a 3-4 Defensive Guru and innovator: “Well, this year we will run the 4-3  based on the fact that we want to change things up a bit.”

On his assistants: “I had to find a group of guys I could trust, guys I knew well. with the exception of one coach, everyone on this staff has worked with me before.”

On His Offensive coordinator: “Wes Chandler” (That’s good enough for me!)

Chandler played 11 seasons in the NFL, and was a big part in the 1981 “Epic in Miami” playoff game (6-106-1TD  on a 56 yd. punt return). His coaching career includes stops in NFL Europe, and in the NFL with Dallas, and most recently with Cleveland.

We also heard from the NY franchise owner Bill Mayer, the Founder of Park Avenue Equity. Probably the most interesting thing Mr. Mayer let drop is that he was a former NY Jets season ticket holder, and that after a few years of traveling to New Jersey for games, he was just plain fed up. “This team will play somewhere east of the east river,” said Mayer. Hmmmm…do the math. The New Facility at Citi Field would be perfect, but it’s playing surface is just not set up for football. That leaves…Hmmm…That college in Hempstead, NY when the Jets used to hold their training camp and practices. We think Hofstra would be a great place, but we will have to wait for a formal announcement.

Final Notes: Every good sports endeavor needs a good P.R. person, and the  UFL has a very good one In Rachel Gary. She was fantastic today, and so far in every contact this reporter has had with her.