IT HAS BEEN A TOUGH SEASON IN THE BIG APPLE WITH A COACHING CHANGE IN MID-SEASON COUPLED WITH A NUMBER OF PLAYERS BEING RELEASED FOR DISCLIPLINARY REASONS. NEW YORK NEVER SEEMED TO BE AS PREPARED, PHYSICAL OR DETERMINED AS THEIR OPPONENTS. THE TEAM HAS BEEN RIDDLED WITH IMMATURE EXHIBITIONS LIKE STARTING QUARTERBACK #1 KRYSTAL GRAY GOING INTO THE STANDS AT AN AWAY GAME TO POSE WITH FANS WHILE HER TEAM WAS LOSING 30-0. WHEN GRAY IS UNDER CENTER AND THE NEW YORK OFFENSE IS ROLLING THEY CAN COMPETE WITH ANYONE, ALTHOUGH THEIR ACHILLES HEEL ALL-SEASON HAS BEEN PENALTIES AND MENTAL BREAKDOWNS INSIDE THE REDZONE.
IF YOU THOUGHT NEW YORK HAS BEEN STRUGGLING ON OFFENSE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CLOSE YOUR EYES AND NOT READ THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF POINTS THIS TEAM GIVES UP PER GAME ON DEFENSE..41.5PTS, OUCH. SO WHAT DOES A TEAM DO WHEN THEIR 0-2 AND COULD EASILY BE 0-3 IF IT WERE NOT FOR A GAME AGAINST CHICAGO BEING CANCELLED? WHAT DO YOU PLAY FOR ? ACCORDING TO NEW YORK HEAD COACH HENRY RACICH IT'S SIMPLE, 'PRIDE'. WHEN YOU’RE A BLUE-COLLAR EAST COAST GUY LIKE COACH RACICH EVERY GAME IS THE LINGERIE BOWL AND ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS A LACK OF RESPECT AROUND THE LEAGUE. RACICH LOST HIS COOL IN ONE OF THE SEASON'S MOST MEMORABLE LOCKER ROOM TIRADES WHEN HE EXPLODED ON HIS TEAM THAT WAS TRAILING 28-0 TO MIAMI.
WHAT IS SCARY IS THAT I AS I WRITE THIS PIECE LITTLE THOUGHTS ARE CREEPING INTO MY HEAD LIKE A BREAK-OUT GAME FROM A POTENTIAL ALL-FANTASY WR LIKE NEW YORK'S NICOLE STANLEY OR GRAY GOING NUTS AND THROWING FOR 300YDS, SHE HAS THE ARM AND TOOLS TO DO IT.
UNDER ANY OTHER POSSIBLE SCENARIO, THIS IS WHEN A WRITER WILL TAKE A LEAP AND SAY SOMETHING LIKE 'ON ANY GIVEN FRIDAY NIGHT' OR 'THEY ARE ALL PROFESSIONALS AND ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN'. BUT NOT WHEN YOU’RE PLAYING A TEAM THAT MOST LFL ANALYSTS CONSIDER THE BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE, THE TAMPA BREEZE. YOU USUALLY DO NOT HEAR THE WORD 'BEST' IN THE SAME LINE AS 0-2, BUT TAMPA IS 0-2 AND CONSIDERED BY SOME AS THE BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. WHEN YOUR HEAD STOPS SPINNING I WILL TRY TO EXPLAIN, ON DECEMBER 4TH WHEN TAMPA OPENED THEIR SEASON HAVING NOT PLAYED A GAME ALL-SEASON AND MATCHED UP AT THE TIME THE NO.2 TEAM IN THE LEAGUE, TAMPA DOMINATED. IF IT WERE NOT FOR TAMPA BEATING ITSELF INSIDE THE REDZONE WITH FALSE STARTS AND MENTAL BREAKDOWNS, CHICAGO WOULD HAVE LOST (HYPOTHETICAL TAMPA RECORD 1-0). WAIT IT GETS MORE INTERESTING, NOT ONLY DID TAMPA NOT PLAY A GAME UNTIL DEC 4TH, THE LEAGUE SCHEDULED THE BREEZE TO PLAY THEIR 4 GAMES IN STRETCHES OF BACK-TO-BACK GAMES. THE FOLLOWING WEEK TAMPA PLAYED PHILLY IN A GAME THAT THEY WERE UP AT HALFTIME AND LOST THEIR FRANCHISE QB JENN MYERS IN THE SECOND HALF, YET STILL WOULD HAVE WON THE GAME IF IT WERE NOT FOR NUMEROUS REDZONE FALSE STARTS BY RIGHT TACKLE SHANNON BENNETT AS WELL AS A POTENTIAL 4TH & GOAL TOUCHDOWN BEING MISSED BY THE REFS (HYPOTHETICAL TAMPA RECORD 2-0).
NOW LET'S EXAMINE WHY THE BREEZE HAVE THE ABLITY TO NOT ONLY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS BUT WIN IT ALL IF THEY CAN BE DISCLIPLINED AND NOT BEAT THEMSELVES.
- THEY HAVE A FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK AND A PURE POCKET PASSER IN #8 JENN MYERS.
- THE MOST UNDER-RATED IRON-WOMAN WHO STARS ON OFFENSE AND DEFENSE, #12 TIFFANY POWERS
- THE MOST AGGRESSIVE AND SIMPLY THE BEST DEFENSE IN THE LEAGUE, WHAT IS GIVES UP IN SIZES IT MAKES UP FOR IN QUICKNESS AND PERSUIT
- ARGUABLE THE BEST LINEBACKER IN THE LEAGUE IN LIZ GORMAN
- A BACK-UP QB THAT CAN START FOR HALF THE LFL TEAMS, #3 DENISHA CRAWFORD
- A TEAM IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD
- CLASS AT COACHING
DESPITE ALL THE ANALYSTS WORDS AND TEAM RECORDS, WHEN THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS COME ON, THESE TWO TEAMS WILL LINE UP ON FRIDAY AND PUT ON ANOTHER THRILLING LFL GAME THAT CONTINUES TO CHANGE THE PERCEPTION OF THIS LEAGUE, ONE GAME AT A TIME.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
TAMPA - MUST WIN TO ADVANCE TO DECIDING GAME AGAINST MIAMI (1/22 IN MIAMI), WINNER ADVANCES AS NO.2 SEED IN EASTERN CONFERENCE - LOSS WILL ELIMINATE TAMPA
NEW YORK - MUST WIN AND HOPE FOR TAMPA TO BEAT MIAMI (1/22), THE BEST POINT DIFFERENTIAL ADVANCES AS NO. 2 SEED IN EASTERN CONFERENCE - LOSS WILL ELIMINATE NEW YORK
PREDICTION: TAMPA 32 NEW YORK 20
LINE: TAMPA -9 45 OVER/UNDER
INJURIES: TAMPA, QB JENN MYERS (QUESTIONABLE - LEG FRACTURE)
TAMPA, WR ASHLEY THUNDER (PROBABLE - CONCUSSION)
NEW YORK, QB KRYSTAL GRAY (PROBABLE - SHOULDER)
ARENA: ST PETE TIMES FORUM (TAMPA - ARTIFICIAL TURF)
KICKOFF: 9:15PM EST |
