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Barring a complete and miraculous turnaround that would rival anything that has ever been accomplished in the Arena Football League's 21-year history, the Utah Blaze will not be going to the playoffs.

Whether they can pull that off is no longer the big question surrounding the third-year franchise which boasted before the season that anything less than a home playoff game in Year 3 would be a major disappointment. Now, the only mystery remaining is this: Will the Blaze win a game this season?

They are 0-9, with seven games remaining heading into Saturday's home game against the second-worst team in the league, the 1-7 Kansas City Brigade. The game represents Utah's best chance at getting a win this season, given Kansas City's record and performance lately.

But, to a man, the Blaze say they aren't worried about becoming the first AFL team since the Carolina Cobras in 2003 to go 0-16. Carolina went 6-10 the following season, then folded.

"No, never. That's not going to happen," said receiver Huey Whittaker. "However it works out, I know that's not going to happen. Making the playoffs or coming real close, that's still the goal. That's what we're thinking about. Zero and 16 is not even a thought in our minds. We don't even think about that."

Perhaps they should, because they are more than halfway down the path toward something shamefully historic. No Utah professional sports team has gone winless before, although in fairness, the state has not had a lot of pro teams that played just 16 regular-season games.

Blaze co-owner John Garff, whose family shelled out an estimated $18 million four years ago to bring an AFL franchise to Utah, told The Tribune last week that going winless would not be the end of the world as long as the players and coaches fight to the bitter end.

"If we went 0-16, it would be embarrassing, but not the worst thing," Garff said. "I told the players last week, 'Quitting is never an option.' And as long as they go out and give 110 percent and give it all they've got, I am good with that."

If there has been a common theme to the Blaze's attitude during the losing streak, it is that they think they are better than their record indicates. Way better. Perhaps that is why a winless season seems so foreign to them.

"That's far-fetched," said ironman J'Sharlon Jones, who operates a public relations firm in the offseason. "That's completely out of sight. I mean, literally, out of sight. That's beyond anybody's imagination."

Last week, Jones even talked about playing in New Orleans twice this season - once against the VooDoo and once in the ArenaBowl.

"We look at our situation like this: It allows us to do something great. We still have the opportunity to make the playoffs. We are good. Everybody within the team believes we are good," he said. "We don't walk on the field like we are [0-9]."

Still, they've done nothing to show they can win, let alone win consistently. They resemble the little boy who tries to plug holes in the dike with his fingers.

"It's the same old story," coach Danny White said. "We put ourselves in position to get bad breaks, and then we get bad breaks. We can identify the problem, because it is us. It is right in the locker room. We've just got to overcome the things that have been happening to us, if at all possible."

All told, six teams have gone winless in league history, although in 1989, the Maryland Commandos only played four games. The five other winless teams all played 10 or more games. All were outscored by at least 219 points. The 2008 Blaze have only been outscored by 96 points, an average of 10.1 points a game.

If the Blaze don't win Saturday, their next-best chance comes the following week when 3-5 Colorado visits. After that, they will be underdogs in all their remaining games with the possible exception of a June 9 home game against 3-6 Los Angeles.

Garff and White both acknowledged that the Blaze's attendance - they are still among the league leaders in paid attendance despite four home losses, some lopsided - has taken some of the pressure off the franchise. Seemingly, an entertaining experience is more important than seeing the home team win for Utah's fan base.

"The coaches, the owners, the players, everyone still believes we can win," receiver Aaron Boone said. "Coach White has said all along that this is the most talented team he's ever had. The weird thing is, we're not winning games."

Not even one.

The road ahead

The Blaze only face two more teams with winning records

Date / Opponent / Record

Saturday / Kansas City Brigade / 1-7

May 10 / Colorado Crush / 3-5

May 17 / at San Jose SaberCats / 5-4

May 24 / Chicago Rush / 7-2

June 1 / at Grand Rapids Rampage / 3-5

June 9 / Los Angeles Avengers / 3-6

June 21 / at Arizona Rattlers / 4-4