White leading team out of Utah Blaze's desert

Sometimes even the most ambitious plans end up looking like a scene from "Lawrence of Arabia."

Take, for instance, those set by Blaze coach Danny White.

Last February he insisted "a reasonable goal now becomes a championship."

Five months and 10 losses later, it's still his goal — and still attainable.

That doesn't mean he didn't first have to go through his own Saharan death trek.

"We've been in the desert and we know what it's like, and we've been deeper in the desert than I've ever been before," said White. "To be in the position we're in now is a great thing, but it's also a scary thing. We don't want to waste what we've been through. It's been a real laboratory for all of us, and we don't want to waste that knowledge that we've gained."

When the Blaze kick off Saturday at Arizona, a playoff berth is on the line, which is a bigger story than one might think. They can become the first AFL team to lose its first nine games and still make the post-season. Moreover, with the right combination of wins and losses among other teams, the Blaze could even host a playoff game for the first time.

"I told them yesterday I never, ever in my life plan to be 0-9, ever again," said White. "So I'm going to get what I can get out of this one. This could be a historical year for us. It's not very often you get a chance to make history."

Isn't that like being the first person to survive falling from a 60-story building?

Yes, you survive, but oh, the pain.

Except for last year, when popular linebacker Justin Skaggs died of a brain tumor, this was the most difficult year of White's career.

"No question," he said. "It gets to the point where you start questioning everything you do. You start questioning your philosophies, questioning the things you learned as a kid, your work ethic — is it too much, not enough? — you question everything."

You start wondering, Gee, when did we get off the Fun Bus?

Salt Lake's Arena Football League team began the year with a home loss to Arizona. The Blaze actually had the game won, but the go-ahead touchdown was called back on a penalty. They also missed a last-second field goal.