Friday night the New York Majesty visit the St. Pete Times Forum to take on the Tampa Breeze in a game that is filled with hope. For the Breeze, hope for a chance at the playoffs.  For the Majesty, hope for building a better team.

Right now, Tampa has a shot at making the playoffs as a wildcard if they can win big over New York, and then win next week against a very good Miami Caliente team.  On the other hand, New York is playing to forget the tremendous losses it suffered against the Chicago Bliss and the Caliente two months ago.  

Tampa is much better than its 0-2 record would lead you to believe.  This is a team that had a very powerful Chicago offense fighting and clawing for every yard it gained, and Tampa was leading by a touchdown at the half before being worn down by the very powerful Chicago running attack.  Tampa had a very good shot at winning that game, and performed better against the Conference-leading Bliss than any other team in the conference has.  Near the end of that game, Tampa was one play away from taking a victory at home.  A 4th-and-2 incomplete pass that Jenn Myers short-hopped to Brandyce Lee turned the ball over on downs, and Chicago then sat on their lead to take the win.

Then, against Philadelphia the following week, Tampa should've won that game but for some offensive miscues down close to the end zone; three times in a row.  Had Tampa converted on those efforts, they would be at least 1-1 instead of 0-2.  The Tampa loss wasn't because Philadelphia was so good; it was that Tampa was so bad at exactly the worst times.  Coach Murphy has recognized that problem and addressed it the only way possible: repetition.  Practice the goal-line plays until the girls get it right.  And then do it again, one more time.  And then bring in the backups and drill them on it, too.

The key player for Tampa will be Tiffani Powers. There are faster girls in the league, and there are stronger girls in the league, but there aren't any that influence their teammates' level of play more than she does.  She had a good game against Chicago, and a great game against Philadelphia.  Barring injury or illness, she should be fired up and ready to go against New York. "Right here; right now" should be her mantra this week.  Look for her to explode early and often.

Playing alongside Powers will be Brandyce Lee, the human dynamo. She'll get a fair share of carries and possibly some quick outs in the slots. On defense, look for the Majesty to test her early with a run or two to keep her honest, then switch to the weakside.  I'd also look for New York to use Krystal Gray as a  #1 wide receiver to get a favorable match-up against the shorter Lee, then use the height differential for a fade pattern to the curved corner in the back of the endzone. Players in the LFL are allowed to touch the wall so long as they aren't touched by an opponent, which means a jumper to Gray in the corner is a good call if the Tampa safety is engaged with another receiver and leaves Lee alone on coverage.

At quarterback, Jenn Myers is still nursing a stress fracture in her leg that she suffered against Philadelphia last month, so expect to see Denisha Crawford lining up behind center.  Crawford played scared in her first series against Philadelphia -understandable given the circumstances at the time - but now she's had several weeks to practice and prepare, and Friday she'll get her shot to take this team to the playoffs. She has the physical talent to run this Tampa offense.  It's just a question of where her mind is at.  If she knows the playbook and avoids tossing interceptions, she can win.  Strike that. She will win.

Nobody plays better team defense than Tampa.  They can stop the run.  They can seal the gaps.  Powers, Lee, Alexis Heyman, Shannon Bennett, and Elizabeth Gorman can tackle in the open field. Each of those players is capable of bringing down any opponent they meet one on one. The only way Tampa gives up a long play on the ground is if the linebackers overpursue and open up a lane.  Having said that, look for New York to run some misdirection plays and overload one side of the line to get some double-team blocking schemes going deep on Tampa's side of the line.  If Gray develops as a receiver, the Breeze could be vulnerable through the air as well.  Nicole Stanley, the New York quarterback, can throw. Its just a question of who will be there to catch it.

For New York, the Majesty team has been a revolving door of players and coaches. With that kind of turmoil, you aren't going to win many games (if any), and the 2009 Majesty season is proof of that.  That was 2009. Now, the Majesty need to look at this game as the start of the 2010 Majesty season; a fresh start in a new year.  They should approach this game with that mindset. Paul Teutel said it best: "What's was is was and what is is is, and what is is what's happening right now!"  Right now, the Majesty are coming out with fresh players and a new quarterback, and their new quarterback is a very, very good football player.

Gray is still nursing shoulder injuries she's been struggling with since training camp last year, which means Nicole Stanley will be in charge of the offense.  Stanley is physically stronger than Gray and better capable of shrugging off attempted sacks, and can be a threat to rush on the corners as well.  Another benefit to having Stanley behind center is that it frees up Gray to run patterns in the secondary where she can use her speed and hands to get behind the safety.  Gray will probably be the #1 receiver, which guarantees a matchup against Lee when Gray lines up on the strongside.  Look for New York to establish a Stanley-to-Gray connection early and exploit it throughout the game.

For the rest of the Majesty, this will be only their first or second game, so expect them to come out nervous for the first series or two.  After the first ten minutes, they should settle down into a rythm and get a feel for how things are done in tackle football.  For them, as a team, this will be the most critical part of the night.  If they can show that they can play after the initial jitters have faded, they can build on that.

The goal for New York will be to play good football. Ignore the scoreboard, ignore the playoff implications.  They need to be able to coordinate an offense and play quality defense. If they can do that, they can go home proud of a job well done no matter what the scoreboard says.  However, if they're throwing interceptions and committing fumbles and blowing coverages, it will be a rough night, and an even rougher plane ride back home.

Tampa is playing in front of their home crowd, has a steady line-up of players, and consistent coaching.  For those reasons, I'm giving the victory to Tampa on this one, but I'm saying that with my fingers crossed behind my back because the revamped New York team, built and run by Nicole Stanley, could surprise a lot of people.  Make no mistake - the Majesty team that steps onto the artificial turf at the Forum this Friday night is most definitely not the same Majesty team that got crushed by both Chicago and Miami earlier in the season.

Friday night's game will be a barnburner, and Tampa will be fanning the flames.

I should also mention that, if there are any ladies in the Orlando area interested in being on the other side of the wall, the first round of try-outs for the Orlando franchise is on Sunday, noon to four, at Friday's on International Drive.  I remember the rivalry of the old Arena Football League, when a Tampa team and an Orlando team regularly slugged it out every season.  I wouldn't be surprised if something like that develops in the LFL next season, too.