Blaze picked to make playoffs

As an expansion team in the Arena Football League, the Utah Blaze can't be expected to be a playoff contender.

Or can they?

In the Arena Football League 2006 Season Preview Magazine (on newsstands now), seven media "experts" are asked to predict the division winners and the other playoff teams. Of those experts, three — Jenn Boehm of arenafootball.com, Glenn Parker of NBC Sports and Mike Neu, the head coach of the New Orleans AFL team that is taking a year off due to Hurricane Katrina — select the Blaze to make the playoffs this season.

The AFL features 18 teams — 12 of which will earn a trip to the postseason.

Expansion teams doing well right off the bat have proven to be possible in the AFL. New Orleans, for example, was an expansion team in 2004 when it won its division with an 11-5 mark.

"A lot of people in the league will be surprised by what we put out there on the field," predicted Blaze offensive specialist Siaha Burley, who caught a league-high 45 touchdown passes last season for the Arizona Rattlers. "We're young on defense, but we have a lot of good athletes."

Burley was voted by the AFL writers as the league's offensive player of the year last season.

ON TO NASHVILLE: With two weeks remaining before the season opener on Jan. 28 in San Jose, Blaze coach Danny White and his staff are busy evaluating talent. The team currently has 37 members. Only 24 will be around when the season starts.

So like a young country-music hopeful, the Blaze are headed to Nashville.

In an attempt to get a better idea how his players would do against AFL competition, the Blaze flew to Tennessee on Sunday. They will practice with — and scrimmage against — the AFL's Nashville Kats today, Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to Salt Lake City on Thursday.

White has called the practices in Nashville the most important of training camp.