The Colorado Crush have beld a very strong fanbase in their short history. The Crush are the first team to play in the AFL since the Denver Dynamite. In 2003, the team wen 2-14, struggling as many expansion teams do. The Crush lost two overtime games. The Crush showed promise in 2004, going 11-5 and winning their first playoff game in franchise history. The Crush won on the road at New Orleans, 47-44. They then lost in the semifinals to Arizona. 2005 would bring a Championship to Colorado. After a 10-6 record, the Crush played their playoff games at home against San Jose, Chicago, and then traveled to Las Vegas, where they beat the Georgia Force, 51-48. This was the first neutral site Arena Bowl in AFL history. After a 6-1 start in 2006, the Crush were poised to defend their title. Wide receiver Damian Harrell caught 152 balls for almost 2,000 yards and 61 touchdowns, leading Colorado into the playoffs. However, after a bye week, the team came out flat in the first half of their game against Chicago and they ended up losing, 63-46. Colorado had beaten Chicago twice in the regular season. The Crush began the 2007 season at 3-3, and managed to defeat just two teams that ended up making the postseason. The Crush certainly backed into the playoffs, losing four straight games. However, Colorado and John Dutton had defeated Kansas City twice in the regular season, and did beat them once again in the first round on the road, 49-42. A trip to San Jose proved to be too much, as the SaberCats ended the Crush's season, 76-67. The John Dutton led Crush lost ten games in 2008. Only three of these losses were by single digits. The team won its final two regular season games, and thanks to a weak conference, qualified for the playoffs. The Crush played at 6-10 Utah, a team they had never beat on the road. Utah defeated the Crush earlier in the year by five touchdowns. However, the Blaze offense fell apart and the Crush left Utah with a 49-44 victory and would play at San Jose. This game ended up much like the regular season meeting between the two teams. The SaberCats defeated the Crush, 64-51.