Utah Blaze: Team looks to 'cap' off slump
It wasn't only the Utah Blaze players wearing skull caps on Tuesday at practice, however. The entire Blaze coaching staff was donning the head wear, too. The result, was, well, interesting — to put it nicely.
"It's not a good look for a middle-aged white guy," said candidly honest defensive coordinator Ron James.
Still, James, head coach Danny White and the other coaches wore the black skull caps as a sign of unity with the players.
"These are our rally caps," explained White, whose black skull cap was visible underneath his usual Blaze baseball cap.
At 0-8 halfway through the Arena Football League season, White, it seems, is willing to try anything in an attempt to change his team's fortunes.
"I am so close to the edge," White admitted.
But he has yet to jump.
"It's been a real challenge," said White, one of the all-time most successful coaches in AFL history. "This is not something I've ever dealt with before."
"Yes, we can" beat New Orleans, White said. "There is not a team in the league we can't beat."
NO FIRE SALE: While White's previous Arizona Rattlers and Utah Blaze teams have never struggled like this one has to win games, he's been around the league enough to know that every year there is a team or two in a similar position.
The difference is that White is convinced that the Blaze organization won't simply throw in the towel and try to cut costs as much as possible in the final weeks of the year like most other AFL franchises do in similar predicaments. Since AFL contracts are not guaranteed, teams with losing records often release their highest-paid players and use only low-paid veterans and rookies in the final games to reduce their financial losses.
White said he has received assurances from Blaze owner John Garff that the team will continue to be fully funded throughout the final half of the season and the Utah fans should be grateful to the Garffs for that support.
White, meanwhile, said his plans are to continue coaching the Blaze for the long haul, but he would understand if team ownership felt there needed to be a change since the results this year have been "unacceptable."
"(Garff) has to analyze and evaluate what's been going on," said White, who is also the Blaze's general manager. "But I'll be here in any capacity they want me to be here."
Recent comments
The Blaze shouldn't fire Coach White...
PJ | April 23, 2008 at 2:35 p.m.
