The Utah Blaze are preparing for their second year in the Arena Football League after getting started from scratch, but that doesn't mean they will lack experience.
The team announced the release of seven players on Friday — five of them rookies trying out for the club — taking the number of players down to 30. Of the remaining players, only four lack AFL playing experience.
Ex-Ute offensive lineman Jesse Boone, as reported in Friday's Deseret Morning News, is leaving the Blaze to join the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. The other four rookies released by the Blaze were defensive backs Kevin Adams (Minnesota State) and Brandon Everage (Oklahoma), fullback/linebacker Don Expose (Southern), and lineman Brandon Eaton (Hawaii). The two other players cut Friday include speedy defensive back Kevin Moffett and ex-Ute lineman Richard Seals.
Local college products who are still on the Blaze roster include ex-Utes Garrett Smith, Clarence Lawson, Kautai Olevao and Lewis Powell, and former BYU players Hans Olsen and Manaia Brown.
The team will have to turn its official roster of 24 players into the league offices by Monday, but that doesn't necessarily mean any additional players will need to be cut in the meantime. Four players can be put on the team's practice squad, while others could be placed on the injured list.
The Blaze will be introduced at halftime of tonight's Utah Jazz game against the Boston Celtics and will open the 2007 season a week from today at home against the New Orleans VooDoo at EnergySolutions Arena.