IN THE FIRST-EVER LFL FLORIDA BOWL, THE NO.6 RANKED TAMPA BREEZE SENT A LOUD MESSAGE AS PERHAPS BEING MORE DESERVING OF A PLAYOFF BERTH THEN THE MIAMI CALIENTE WITH A 28-18 WIN. THE BREEZE LAID OUT THE CALIENTE EARLY AND OFTEN BEHIND A MONSTROUS GAME FROM POSSIBLY THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR ELIZABETH GORMAN WHO DOMINATED.

TAMPA OPENED THE GAME WITH A DENESHA CRAWFORD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO BRANDYCE LEE TO TAKE A 6-0 LEAD. THAT SCORE WAS FOLLOWED-UP BY GAME MVP TIFFANI POWERS' TOUCHDOWN RUN TO TAKE THE BREEZE LEAD TO 13-0. THE BLEEDING DID NOT STOP THERE FOR MIAMI AS POWERS' ADDED YET ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN RUN ADDING TO THEIR 1ST HALF LEAD AND SKUNKING MIAMI 20-0. THE CALIENTE FINALLY ANSWERED BEFORE THE HALF WITH A TOUCHDOWN RUN BY ANONKA DIXON WHICH ENDED THE HALF WITH A 20-6 SCORE.

THE CROWD WHICH EXPECTED A MIAMI BEATING OF TAMPA WAS STUNNED AS THEY SIPPED ON THEIR BEERS WONDERING WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO THEIR MIAMI TEAM THAT PLAYED SO WELL IN THEIR PREVIOUS TWO GAMES YET WERE COMPLETELY FLAT IN THE 1ST HALf.

MIAMI FINALLY BUILT SOME MOMENTUM COMING OUT OF THE HALF WITH A ANONKA DIXON TOUCHDOWN PASS TO TAYLOR THOMPSON WHICH MADE THE SCORE 20-12 BUT THAT WAS AS CLOSE AS THEY WOULD GET AS TIFFANI POWERS ADDED ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN RUN IN ROUTE TO A 28-18 VICTORY. MIAMI HEAD COACH BOB HEWKO SAID, "I DONT WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM A VERY GOOD TAMPA TEAM, BUT OUR LADIES WERE SIMPLY TOO FOCUSED ON FACING CHICAGO IN THE PLAYOFFS AND LOST FOCUS TONIGHT. WE WILL RE-GROUP AND COME OUT SWINGING AGAINST CHICAGO".

TAMPA ENDED THE SEASON ON A VERY HIGH NOTE BEHIND COACH OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE YO MURPHY WHO DESPITE STARTING THE SEASON 0-2, ALWAYS MAINTAINED A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND TURNED HIS SHIP AROUND. LOOK FOR TAMPA TO MAKE VERY LITTLE MOVES IN THE OFF-SEASON AS THEY BOAST PERHAPS THE BEST ROSTER OUTSIDE OF DALLAS WITH MULTIPLE ALL-FANTASY PLAYERS INCLUDING TWO AT QUARTERBACK. FORMER BACKUP DENESHA CRAWFORD HAS TAKEN OWNERSHIP OF THIS TEAM AS A THEIR STARTING QUARTERBACK WHICH SHOULD MAKE FOR AN INTERESTING OFF-SEASON COMPETITION BETWEEN HER AND JENN MYERS. DEFENSIVELY, THE CLASS OF THE LEAGUE IS ELIZABETH GORMAN WHO EMBODIES AN LFL ATHLETE WITH SUPERMODEL LOOKS AND A MEAN STREAK THAT MAKES HER THE MOST FEARED DEFENDER IN THE LEAGUE. LOOK FOR TAMPA TO COME OUT AS POTENTIALLY A PRE-SEASON FAVORITE IN 2010 TO WIN THE EAST IF THEY CAN RETURN THEIR CURRENT ROSTER.

DESPITE THE LOSS, MIAMI IS STILL HEADED TO THE PLAYOFFS BUT TO SAY THEY BACKED-IN WOULD BE PUTTING IT MILDLY. ONE OF THE SUPERSTARS OF THE LEAGUE MIAMI QUARTERBACK ANONKA DIXON WHO AT TIMES COULD BE A HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL STRUGGLED THROUGHOUT THE GAME MISSING OPEN RECEIVERS AND THROWING TWO INTERCEPTIONS. WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OF A RUNNING GAME, THE PASSING GAME COMPLETELY OUT OF SYNC AND A DEFENSE THAT WAS ON IT'S HEELS MOST OF THE NIGHT AGAINST TAMPA MAKES FOR A VERY TOUGH MATCH-UP AGAINST A NO.1 RANKED CHICAGO TEAM THAT COMES INTO TOWN ON FEB 4TH AT HARD ROCK LIVE IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS.

"WE NEED TO SIMPLY DIG IN AS INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS AND REALIZE THE OPPORTUNITY BEFORE US, WE WILL BOUNCE BACK AND BRING A CHAMPIONSHIP TO MIAMI", SAID DIXON. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEIR FIRST TEST WILL CERTAINLY BE TELLING.