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UTAH’S STEVE VIDETICH IS A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 29 October 2008 22:24 |
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By Spencer Sorensen SALT LAKE CITY – To have 1,597 points in an Arena Football League career is quite an accomplishment. However, to do so without scoring a single touchdown in a league where wide receivers are the predominant scorers is arguably even more remarkable. Yet that’s exactly what Utah Blaze kicker Steve Videtich has been able to do in his 13-year career. Videtich is first all-time in extra points made (1,048), second all-time in field goals made (182), and fifth all-time in points scored — first among kickers —(1,597). He recognizes his standing among the record books, but what he defines as having a successful career is beyond records. “In order to be around that long you have to have sustained success. That’s what I’m most proud of,” he said. Pragmatically, he probably won’t end his career as the all-time field goal leader as Remy Hamilton of the Dallas Desperados has a two field goal advantage and plausibly more AFL seasons ahead of him. Still, Videtich believes overall points and extra points are in his favor. “He (Hamilton) and I have a little battle going on with each other, he keeps asking me to retire,” expresses Videtich with an amiable laugh, “I think he wants a lot of those records as well.” Despite his longevity and his well-established name in the record books, his time in the AFL hasn’t always been easy. Just last year after the first game of the season, where he missed two field goals in a one-point loss, he was cut from the team. That left him in a state of shock and confusion, but he didn’t let that affect him. Instead, he continued to work hard and got the necessary surgery and rehabilitation for an injured left knee. “One game I don’t think should have been my chopping block…[but] I think in hindsight everything happens for a reason,” he said. By the ninth game of the season he was back on the team and helped jumpstart the team’s surge towards the playoffs. Said Videtich, “With everything in life you just live and learn and grow from it and move on.” There was a lot of learning and growing in Videtich’s early AFL career as he made the adjustment of kicking at a smaller target. The goal posts are nine feet wide with a 15 foot high crossbar in the AFL, while at the collegiate and NFL level the goal posts are 18 ½ feet wide with a 10 foot high crossbar. Videtich, who walked-on at North Carolina State University, explains that while attending college he made over 80 percent of his field goals and rarely missed an extra point, but he knew to obtain the same success rate in the AFL was impractical. “In this league the biggest adjustment was mentally accepting that I am going to miss every now and then because it just happens,” said Videtich, a two-time All-ACC First-Team selection. His rookie year with the Florida Bobcats in 1996 proved to be a change as he went 10-for-23 on field goals and 70-for-80 on extra points. Nevertheless, by his second season with the New Jersey Red Dogs, Videtich improved respectably by going 21-for-41 on field goals and 71-for-73 on extra points in earning first team All-Arena honors and the 1997 Kicker of the Year. Success and accolades continued Videtich’s way as he earned first team All-Arena honors and Kicker of the Year in 2002 with the New Jersey Gladiators. Additionally, he earned Second Team All-Arena honors in 1998, 2000 and 2003, before arriving in Utah in 2006. Videtich acts as if there isn’t anything special to his success. However, one thing that would better explain it is his love for golf and the mental aspect he takes from it. “The way a golf swing is (the same) with kicking a football is that it’s something that you’ve practiced,” discusses Videtich, “it’s almost like you have grooved your body into making that one same motion every time.” With his age creeping up on him — he will turn 37 on November 4 —Videtich knows his career is coming to an end. Thus, he began working in the Blaze front office during the off-season with the hope to one day become the general manager of an AFL team. “[By] me doing this now makes the transition a little bit easier for when I am done playing, so I am not starting from scratch then,” says Videtich. An idealistic situation for Videtich would be to become a general manager for an expansion AFL team in North Carolina, if that day were to ever come. However, Videtich is happy in Utah with his wife and two kids and would enjoy settling here to continue his work with the Blaze. “We love it out here. I think the weather is awesome and the pace of life is just right for what I wanted. It’s not too hectic, it’s not to slow,” he said. “I love this organization and I would definitely want to be part of this organization for a long time.” ABOUT THE UTAH BLAZE The Utah Blaze were recipients of the Best Support Staff Award for the 2006 and 2007 seasons as recognized by the Arena Football League. Tickets are available by logging onto www.utahblaze.com or by calling (801) 257-3111. The Blaze are owned and operated by the Ken Garff Automotive Group – www.kengarff.com. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 29 October 2008 22:29 )
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 22 October 2008 14:53 |
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Last week I talked about losing Germaine and how it could affect the team. Well this week Blaze Nation has learned that he has committed to Arizona, so that pretty much slams the door shut on any possibility of his return. With that I’m going to look at several potential replacements and make my highly “professional” opinion as to who we should give the nod to. Here they are in order from my least favorite, to who I would go with if I had the headset. Tony Graziani Pros: Proven winner, has a strong arm, and is willing to stand tall in the pocket to complete the pass. He’s a veteran of the game, is great with clock management, and an amazing leader. Tony also put up solid numbers last year despite being out for the last half of the season. Cons: Age, no offense to Tony here – but he is getting up there in age as far as Quarterbacks in the AFL go. He will be going into his 8th season, which doesn’t seem that old, until you look at some of the hits he takes. Which brings us to point number two, the guy is made of glass. The past two seasons he’s missed the majority of snaps because of injury. And lastly – he’ll be expensive to court away from Philadelphia; sucking up some of that precious cap money. Jason Gesser Pros: Gesser is a Blaze Nation and a fan favorite. The community loves the guy and he is very likeable. Jason has a stronger arm than Joe, and is much more accurate with the long ball. He has a developed report with his potential receivers Whittaker, Pace, and Boone. Gesser is very mobile and able to make big plays out of the pocket. Cons: Gesser’s biggest flaw as a quarterback is that he’s a huge risk taker. He’s willing to make any pass on the field despite the coverage. Like Germaine, Gesser also tends to get happy feet after one or two sacks, and will start misreading the defense and moving out of the pocket when it’s not necessary. Lastly, it’s unknown how well Gesser would handle the day to day pressure of being the field commander, the last time he had the reigns we ended up calling in Grandpa Kelley to replace him. Danny Wimprine Pros: Wimprine is a young upcoming star in this league once he gets a few more snaps under his belt. He came out of the gates last year like a locomotive and had the VooDoo cruising. He’s a big bodied QB and is hard to bring down and very versatile – the man played on special teams in 2007 for crying out loud. Wimprine would supply a very nice foundation for the Blaze to build on. Cons: He’s still fairly inexperienced which was very noticeable towards the end of last year – when he started throwing multiple picks, and some how helped New Orleans miss the playoffs despite their amazing start. He also tends to try and turn every play into a big play, rather than taking the simple dump off he’ll try to throw it deep expecting the receiver to make the play. Lastly – we’d have to somehow pick him up in the dispersal draft (which by the way has been delayed as has the free agent signing date) and I believe we’ve burned about every “future consideration” we’ve had. Lang Campbell – Imdat’s Pick Pros: Like Wimprine he’s young which gives us an advantage in building this franchise to what our expectations are. Has a strong and very accurate arm which allows him to make passes that most quarterbacks cannot. He stands tall in the pocket and is fairly good at reading defenses. Campbell helped the Rattlers into the playoffs with his early good play, despite his fading due to injury late last year. Campbell probably has a bit of a chip on his shoulder over the Germaine debacle, and players that play like that have scary potential. Cons: Again inexperienced, which can be corrected with snaps. Second we would have to somehow snag him up from Arizona as I believe he is still under contract. Lastly, despite his accuracy he did throw a surprisingly high number of interceptions last year. One thing is certain the next QB will not have to deal with the high expectations that Germaine faced last year. So it should setup nicely for a young upcoming QB. We have a strong offensive line, a massive number of receiving threats. And a head coach who knows the game in and out. - Imdat |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 22 October 2008 15:06 )
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FORMER PHILADELPHIA, BYU STAR RENO MAHE |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 14 October 2008 01:49 |
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Courtesy of the Utah Blaze... SALT LAKE CITY - Former Philadelphia Eagles and Brigham Young University standout Reho Mahe is scheduled to attend the Utah Blaze Player Combine, Friday, Oct. 17 at the Spence Eccles Field House on the campus of the University of Utah. Mahe, who prepped at Salt Lake City's Brighton High School, played five seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles and made a name for himself as a kick returner. In 55 career games with the Eagles, Mahe (5-10, 212) had a combined 130 kickoff and punt returns for 1,600 yards. He also had 47 carries for 196 yards and 33 receptions for 230 yards. In 2005, Mahe led the NFL in punt return average (12.8). At BYU, Mahe was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference performer. His junior year he led the MWC in receptions with 91 for 1,211 yards and nine touchdowns. One year later, he tallied 59 receptions for 771 yards and two touchdowns. He will be available to the media following the combine, which is set to end around noon. Registration for the combine is still open. The cost is $75 if participant registers on-line at www.utahblaze.com before noon on Oct. 15. Otherwise, the cost is $100 (cash only) the morning of the combine. Participants will be tested in the 40-yard dash and a short shuttle, as well as being tested for upper- and lower-body strength and explosiveness. The combine will begin at 9 a.m. with registration and check-in beginning at 8 a.m. All participants will be required to sign a waiver. Participants should dress in workout gear and wear grass cleats (the surface is FieldTurf). No metal spikes will be allowed. More information concerning the combine can be found at www.utahblaze.com |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 October 2008 01:52 )
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The Revolving Door Continues to Burn this Young Team… Or Does It? |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 14 October 2008 05:30 |
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Earlier this month we learned that Joe Germaine opted out of his contract. What does this mean for the team? Who are some possible replacements? And will the Utah Blaze ever have the opportunity to lockdown the yearly revolving door? These are just a few of the questions that I asked myself when I first read the lackluster article in the Tribune. In an attempt to express some anger, concern, and excitement I thought it best to blog about the subject. Granted I had to let the information settle and didn’t want to just start typing a bunch of obscenities hence the delay. That said I will break down these questions into three segments, just to keep things brief and easy to read  What does it mean for the Blaze? For the second straight year the Blaze have several massive gaps to fill. Last year we all sat and questioned who would replace Siaha Burley, Justin Skaggs, and Hans Olsen. There were thousands of questions surrounding our defense, and new questions surrounding our offensive line. Well luckily the combination of the front office and good off-season scouting the Blaze received huge contributions from three new players who stepped up where big gaps were left in our young team – Huey Whittaker, Kelvin Morris and Devin Wyman. Things turned out ok – once the chemistry finally came together. This year – things will be even more interesting. A completely new coaching staff was brought in, with Ron James announced as the head coach being the signature off-season move. Coach James’ knowledge of the indoor game is un-matched, and his work ethic is unquestionable. The biggest question I have about him, as a Blaze Nation member, is will he still stick around and give us the personal time and precision explanations we grew accustomed to last year. Or will he simply just have too much on his plate. Coach James quickly had several key resigns with Whittaker, Boone, and Janek all signing to multiple year deals. Which gives us some (hopefully) stability at receiver and a strong anchor on our defensive line. He also brings in a young, talented, and highly motivated defensive coordinator and GM in Jeff Russell. Who last year had the VooDoo defense performing at their pinnacle and was one of the top defensive teams last year. And with the VooDoo folding this year – it opens up opportunity to snatch up some of their young standouts. So things so far are looking great! Then the bombshell drops! On September 30th Joe Germaine announces he’s opting out of his contract. Now I know there were those who questioned Joe’s leadership ability. And there are also those who thought that Joe wasn’t getting it done. But the fact of the matter is his numbers are amazing – and a black hole is now left at the biggest position on an AFL team – Quarterback. Now, you may be thinking to yourself “well we still have Gesser.” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Gesser’s contract was up last year, so technically as of October 3rd the Blaze are Quarterback-less. With the ability to sign free agents right around the corner, this could be a huge hindrance to our ability to find the quarterback and defensive backs we so desperately need; simply because there’s only 24 hours in a day. I’ll close this week with a few thoughts about a possible replacements – no comment on them yet – just names: Sonny Cumbie, Tony Graziani, Danny Wimprine, Jason Gesser, or do we seek out some new young gun out of colleve? Check out my answers to this pressing question next week in - "The Case of the Missing QB - or Joe's Replacement!" |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 October 2008 05:41 )
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Tales of the Off-Season - Blaze Nation's Newest Writer |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 22:10 |
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Blaze Nation is pleased to welcome Greg Northcutt into it's friendly confines (well most of the time it's friendly), for the time being we'll call him Greg as he has yet to come up with an extremely awesome alias such as Imdat or Krep. Greg will be doing a lot of writing, interviewing, blogging, etc. on behalf of Blaze Nation to help keep us as one of the premier "media" outlets for the Blaze. We're still looking for others who are willing to be part of this community effort of keeping the Blaze and the AFL in the eyes of the general public by providing new and updated content regularly. If you are interested please submit an email to
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Without further ado - we asked Greg to give us an introduction of himself, his thoughts about the Blaze history, and an overall opinion on the AFL. Looking forward to more, and I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did! PS We'll forgive him for his thoughts on Danny White - after all he is new to the family and we all make mistakes; just kidding with you Greg! My name is Greg Northcutt. I am a Supervisory Air Traffic Controller in Salt Lake City, having lived here for the past 11 years. I am 41 years old and grew up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, which means I am a HUGE Cowboys fan. I watched as Danny White took over from Roger Staubach, never quite able to fill "The Dodger's" shoes in the eyes of the hometown media. It wasn't until he left that Dallas fans realized what they had; I fear that Blaze fans may soon discover the same thing. However, the promotion of Ron James to head coach should enable a smoother transition away from White, since he is already familiar with the team and the quirks of playing and living in Salt Lake City. New offensive coordinator Tony Kinbrough, though, has his work cut out for him in trying to keep pace with White's frenetic scoring output. His experience as a quarterback in the AFL and CFL, as well as offensive coordinator in the AFL, however, should serve him well. The re-signing of WR's Boone and Whittaker will also pay dividends, since they are familiar with QB Joe Germaine's style and cadence. As for the rest of the team, well, the defense needs a makeover, or at least better coaching, because it was inconsistent at best last season, although they did play better in the second half of the season. Still, there were too many mistakes, and with the offense's inability to put four quarters together consistently (especially the 3rd quarter--I recall very few good offensive 3rd quarters in the last two years!), the defense has to step up and help out. As for the offense, Germaine has got to put it all together; he clearly has all the tools required to be an elite player in this league, but rookie-type mistakes have plagued him during his time here in Salt Lake. Hopefully it was just jitters having to play for White; if not, some serious coaching of the basics may be required to extract his full potential. As for my thoughts on the AFL, I think that overall it is a very well-run and fan-friendly league. I just hope that the league remembers this, and doesn't price the average fan out of the stands. It would also be nice to see a preseason game or two (no more than two, though) added to the schedules. The substitution rules implemented last year were for the better, though I do like the two-way play. Two penalties I think need to be re-examined are pass interference and off-sides. I saw way too much contact last year that wasn't called, both offensively and defensively. I honestly cannot recall EVER seeing an off-sides penalty against ANY offense. Correcting these two problems would go a long way towards making a good game even better. - Greg Northcutt
Blaze Nation Writer
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 August 2008 22:21 )
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