Blaze Begin Season Saturday Night in San Jose
Josh Fisher
Friday January 27, 2006
White did a good job of assembling veterans and young players that should make the team competitive. He also brought in guys that know his system, especially at the skill positions. Starting quarterback Joe Germaine was a back-up for White in Arizona. Offensive specialist Siaha Burley was signed by White in Arizona prior to the 2004 season. In two seasons with Arizona, Burley became one of the top offensive weapons in the AFL.
Nobody really knows what to expect from the Blaze Saturday night, but it appears that they will score a lot of points. The big question for Utah is whether or not they can stop San Jose. The SaberCats were the league’s highest scoring team in 2005, and many of their key contributors are back. Quarterback Mark Grieb is the leader of that offense. Grieb spreads the ball around, but offensive specialist James Roe is his number one target.
Coach White is very familiar with the SaberCats having played in the same division as them. Saturday’s game will mark the 25th time that White has led a team against the SaberCats. He has a winning 13-11 record in those games, but his last meeting was a loss in ArenaBowl XVIII, White’s last game as coach in Arizona.
For the first game of the year, this game Saturday night has a lot riding on it. First of all it is a division game, meaning the winner will start the season one-up on the other. It is also a chance for Utah to show the league that they knew what they were doing when assembling this team. They set out to bring in the right player for the system, not just the best players. Winning in San Jose would prove that is a god way to approach expansion. San Jose wants to show the league that they are a team to be concerned with in 2006. They want to ArenaBowl XX and a win Saturday night would start them off on the right foot.
Josh Fisher has been a fan of the AFL for as long as he can remember. He followed the Arizona Rattlers since they began playing. Josh works for the University of Utah
as their head statistician. He is also the media contact for Klub Boom
Volleyball Club and the head volleyball coach at Park City High School.
