Utah Blaze: Winless Blaze looking to exorcise VooDoo
"Everyone needs to find a reason to keep working hard and playing hard," said Mason. "One of those reasons is just to keep your job."
Mason is right. There aren't guaranteed contracts in the AFL. Blaze players, if they want to continue to make a living playing football, would do well to continue to compete hard in the face of the many obstacles the team has dealt with this year.
Utah's latest chance to finally get a win will be tonight against the 6-2 New Orleans VooDoo in New Orleans.
While Mason pointed out that each player needs to continue to compete for hisown personal sake, he is also well aware that the 0-8 Blaze are certainly not out of the playoff race just yet. Six of the eight teams in Utah's conference will be playoff-bound, and the Blaze are just two games behind sixth-place Grand Rapids with eight games to play.
Last week the Blaze lost at home to San Jose when a close game in the second half turned into a rout as Utah's offense committed four consecutive turnovers, including two straight fumbled snaps from center. It was the first time all year that the Blaze had problems with their snaps from center.
"It's like everyone is expecting bad things to happen," said White.
The good news is that the Blaze defense had its best game of the year. Utah's defense will need to be at least as good tonight if it hopes to down the Southern Division-leading VooDoo.
New Orleans is led by quarterback Danny Wimprine, who is second in the AFL in passing efficiency (121.7). He has 39 touchdown passes this season with only three interceptions. His top target has been James Jordan, who is third in the league in scoring.
The VooDoo defense, meanwhile, has been outstanding. It leads the league in interceptions with 21 and has 27 total takeaways this year., which isn't good news for the Blaze coming off their most mistake-prone offensive game of the year. New Orleans defensive back Calvin Spears has a league-leading seven interceptions, while DB Norman Legeune has picked off five passes and has returned three of those for touchdowns.
Blaze quarterback Joe Germaine continues to lead the league in total yardage with 2,422 on the season despite a sub-par performance last week. The wide receiver trio of Aaron Boone, Huey Whittaker and J.J. McKelvey has been a bright spot during an otherwise forgettable season.
After tonight's game Utah will return home to for a pair of contests at EnergySolutions Arena against conference foes. They host the 1-6 Kansas City Brigade on May 3 and the 3-4 Colorado Crush the following week
Blaze on the air
Utah Blaze (0-8) at New Orleans VooDoo (6-2)
Tonight, 6:30
New Orleans Arena
TV: Comcast Ch. 111 Radio: 1320 AM
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com
Recent comments
never been to a game and never will unless they start winning
blaze | April 25, 2008 at 8:29 p.m.
