WITH NEITHER THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS NOR THE MIAMI DOLPHINS ANYWHERE NEAR THE POST-SEASON, FOOTBALL FANS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE ARE BUZZING ABOUT THEIR LFL TEAMS PLAYOFF SHOWDOWN ON LFL, FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. STEP ASIDE FLORIDA GATORS VS FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES GAMES, BUS LOADS OF FANS ARE PLANNING ON MAKING THE TRIP FROM TAMPA TO MIAMI TO BE PART OF FLORIDA'S NEWEST RIVALRY GAME.

WHEN TAMPA ARRIVES IN MIAMI ON FRIDAY NIGHT, BRAGGING RIGHTS ALONG WITH THE NO.2 SEED IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE WILL BE ON THE LINE. THIS IS THE SEASON'S BIGGEST GAME IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE AS THE SURGING MIAMI CALIENTE WHO HAVE WON TWO GAMES IN A ROW BEHIND THE LEAGUE'S NO.1 RANKED OFFENSE ARE TAKING ON ARGUABLY THE BEST ALL-AROUND TEAM IN THE LFL IN THE TAMPA BREEZE.

MIAMI LAST PLAYED ON NOVEMBER 13TH AT BANKATLANTIC CENTER TROUNCING NEW YORK 49-7, IN FACT, MIAMI HAS OUTSCORED THEIR OPPONENTS THIS SEASON BY 43 POINTS BEHIND THE LEAGUE'S HIGHEST SCORING OFFENSE LED BY ALL-FANTASY QB #12 ANONKA DIXON AND WR #11 TINA CACCAVALE.  OUTSIDE OF DIXON TO CACCAVALE MIAMI HAS STRUGGLED TO ESTABLISH ANY OTHER FORM OF OFFENSE, ALTHOUGH THAT COULD CHANGE WITH THE RETURN OF WR #9 ANNETTE MASCARO FROM THE INJURED RESERVE. THE LEAGUE'S NO.1 OFFENSE WILL CERTAINLY BE TESTED AGAINST TAMPA'S NO.4 RANKED DEFENSE WHICH WILL BE THE BEST DEFENSE THEY HAVE SEEN ALL-SEASON. DEFENSIVELY, MIAMI HAS SHOWN SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT BUT HAVE YET TO SEE AS MANY WEAPONS AS TAMPA WILL HAVE ON THE FIELD. ALL-FANTASY MIDDLE LINEBACKER #20 TAIRA TURLEY AND SAFETY #11 TINA CACCAVALE WILL NEED TO HAVE CAREER GAMES ON FRIDAY NIGHT TO CONTAIN TAMPA'S OFFENSE.

WHILE MIAMI HAS TURNED THEIR SEASON AROUND AFTER A SEASON OPENING LOSS, TAMPA HAS HAD TWO MAJOR LETDOWNS AGAINST PHILADELPHIA AND CHICAGO. FOLLOWING TWO GAMES THAT THE BREEZE BASICALLY GAVE AWAY, TAMPA REVIVED THEIR SEASON WITH A 40-13 WIN LAST FRIDAY NIGHT IN TAMPA. DESPITE NOT HAVING THEIR STARTING QUARTERBACK #8 JENN MYERS UNDER CENTER, THE BREEZE OFFENSE WAS A WELL-OILED MACHINE BEHIND THEIR BACK-UP QB AND GAME MVP #3 DENISHA CRAWFORD WHO FINISHED THE GAME 11 FOR 16, 103 YARDS AND 3 TOUCHDOWN PASSES. CRAWFORD'S PERFORMANCE COULD CREATE A QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY IN TAMPA BECAUSE MYERS WILL NOT BE 100% AND DOES NOT GIVE TAMPA THE OPTION TO RUN OUT OF THE POCKET. WHOEVER PLAYS AT QUARTERBACK FOR TAMPA WILL NOT ONLY HAVE STANDOUT WIDE RECEIVERS LIKE #9 BRANDYCE LEE AND #14 JENNIFER LANGSTON BUT A SOLID RUNNING GAME HEADLINED BY ONE OF THE MOST ATHLETIC PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE IN RUNNING BACK #11 TIFFANI POWERS. DEFENSIVELY, OUTSIDE OF PERHAPS CHICAGO YOU WOULD BE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND A BETTER FRONT THREE LED BY LINEBACKERS #1 LIZ GORMAN AND #4 ASHLEY THUNDER. GORMAN IS THE BEST PURE TACKLER IN THE LEAGUE WITH CAT-LIKE SPEED AND QUICKNESS. LOOK FOR TAMPA TO POSSIBLY SPY MIAMI'S ANONKA DIXON WITH GORMAN. TAMPA'S SECONDARY HAS STRUGGLED THIS SEASON AND NOW WILL BE UP AGAINST THE BEST PASSING GAME IN THE LEAGUE, TAMPA WILL NEED TO DROP MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN COVERAGE AND PUTTING DOUBLE AND SOMETIMES TRIPLE COVERAGE SCHEMES AGAINST MIAMI'S CACCAVALE.

TAMPA WILL NEED TO COME OUT WITH A QUICK-PACED OFFENSE NEEDING A 32 POINT MARGIN WIN AGAINST MIAMI TO ADVANCE TO THE PLAYOFFS. HOWEVER WHEN THESE TWO FLORIDA TEAMS MEET ON FRIDAY NIGHT, UNDER THE LIGHTS, THE SCOREBOARD WILL BE SECONDARY TO THE PRIDE ON THE LINE. WHILE MIAMI HAS THE INSIDE TRACK FOR THE NO.2 SEED, THE CALIENTE CERTAINLY DO NOT WANT TO LOSE AT HOME AGAINST THEIR RIVAL HEADING INTO THE PLAYOFFS.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: MIAMI - WIN TO ADVANCE OR LOSE BY 31 OR LESS POINTS
TAMPA - BEAT MIAMI BY 32 OR MORE POINTS

LINE: MIAMI -3  51 OVER/UNDER

INJURIES:         TAMPA - QB JENN MYERS (LEG FRACTURE - PROBABLE)
                                         C   ALEXIS HEYMAN (CONCUSSION - DOUBTFUL)

ARENA: BANKATLANTIC CENTER, SUNRISE FL. (ARTIFICIAL TURF)

TICKETS: TICKETMASTER.COM OR CALL 1.800.745.3000

KICKOFF: 9:15PM EST