The league's most celebrated interdivisional rivalry is renewed for 2002 as the Irwin Hellions pay a visit to the Sims Stereco. Irwin enters the game having won three straight to reclaim a share of the Western lead. Sims was not so fortunate last week, dropping a divisional game to the C.W.O.T. and falling back below .500.

Irwin has gotten back to Hellion basics - win games with an unrelenting defensive assault and huge play from the quarterback. It's Tampa Bay defense has posted four straight 20+ point outings, an FLF record, and would like nothing better then to suffocate the Stereco's flashy offense. In a great QB matchup, Brett Favre, last week's hero against the Machines, will get the start opposite the Stereco's Drew Bledsoe, who's revived his career after a season away from the league. What's more, Edgerrin James and Ricky Williams - forever linked from the 1999 draft - get another opportunity to show the other up while churning out the tough yards. Regardless of how the club sits now, Sims always bring its A-game against Irwin; it is only one of a few franchises to be on the winning side of the career series with the Hellions.

victims of the bye week:
Irwin - QB McNabb, RB Martin, K Edinger
Sims - REC Freeman, K Akers

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Thomas' Bock Boys make their first ever visit to Saint Arnold Stadium this weekend to do battle with their cross-division brewery-inspired counterpart, the Anderson Brewmeisters. Thomas comes into the matchup having been humbled at home by The Pimps, while Anderson suffered an upset on the road by the Naughty Figs.

After starting the season two games up of the Irwin Hellions in the West, the Bock Boys have lost two of three and are now tied atop the division alongside the surging Hellions. Anderson, meanwhile, is already two games back of The Pimps in the East, and needs to find some consistency if they're to make a playoff run. And run they shall, as LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor, and Charlie Garner anchor the best ground game in the league. Thomas, however, counters with arguably the best single running back in the game, Priest Holmes, who almost managed to outscore the rest of his team in last week's loss. This game could ultimately be decided at the quarterback position, where Anderson's Peyton Manning is off to a good start while Bock Boy Daunte Culpepper is struggling to find his game this year. Historically, Thomas has feasted on the Brew Krew, winning all three previous meeting in the comfy confides of Bockyard Stadium.

Victims of the bye week:
Thomas - RB Jones, REC Boston, DEF Philadelphia
Anderson - QB Miller, RB Staley, REC Coles

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Pirk's Wicked Oil Profiteer$ take to the road to do battle with the Naughty Figs in a battle of two Week 5 winners. Both clubs stopped a two-game losing streak last week; P.W.O.P. downed the Raze while the Figs stopped the Brewmeisters in a mild upset.

The Profiteer$ are off to a rough start against the East this season, having already dropped games to Jody and Sims. Lifetime against the Figs, they're 1-2, but the lone win came late last year and helped keep the Figs out of the postseason. Now, Jeff Garcia, Ahman Green, and company look to post their second straight over the Figs and catapult into the Western Division race. But they'll need offense and a lot of it. The Figs are putting loads of points on the board, thanks mostly to the superhuman play of their aging quarterback, Rich Gannon. He alone has posted 40 points in the past two games and has his sites set on carving up the Profiteer$. While it shouldn't be considered a make-or-break contest, this certainly has all the makings of a defining moment for each of these clubs and its forecast into the second half of the season.

Victims of the bye week:
P.W.O.P. - REC Thrash
Figs - DEF Chicago

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The Piana Raze visit the Abstract Machines in a battle of the league's slow starters. Given their combined record of 0-7-3, it appears - thankfully - that there is at least a 70% chance one of these teams will net their first win of 2002 this week.

History bodes well for the Machines in this one, as they have won the last four in the series and have not lost to the Raze since Week 5, 1999. Yet their struggles in 2002 might be the surprise of the season. Up until last week, the offense had been stifled; Marshall Faulk has yet to show his dominance of past, and Drew Brees' performance has slowed after a quick start. The Raze have arguably played a lot worse to date, but things could be looking up. Tom Brady has taken over the helm at QB for Kurt Warner, and Tiki Barber, has held his own as the team's only featured back. Most importantly, the receiving corps took a big step forward last week against the P.W.O.P., and could cause havoc for the Machines' defenders. Will the Raze have enough to steal one from the Machines and sneak out of the Western Division basement? Stay tuned.

Victims of the bye week:
Piana - REC Booker
Machines - none

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Some say Pimpin' ain't easy, but it's necessary. Other, such as Jody, say it's a Colossal Waste of Time. The FLF says it makes for one heck of a Game of The Week. Indeed, the defending Eastern Division champion Pimps travel to lock horns with Jody's Colossal Waste of Time in the first of their two seasonal contests. Between the two franchises, they have won the past three divisional titles and have combined for an impressive 8-1-1 start to 2002.

The Pimps are right where they should be, considering they boast practically the same lineup of their Super Bowl campaign from last year. Mark Brunell has settled into the historically volatile quarterback position for The Pimps, and the running game - featuring Jerome Bettis and Shaun Alexander - has picked up steam in recent weeks. Yet The Pimps' greatest asset this season has been the receiving corps. Rod Smith, Jerry Rice, and Peerless Price have been a formidable trio for opposing defenses to contain. And with their Packer defense starting to play better, The Pimps seem to have all the tools in place for a second straight divisional crown.

After a horrible campaign in 2001 that saw the club miss the playoffs for the first time, Jody retooled on offense. Gone are Kerry Collins and Stephen Davis, replaced with the versatile Aaron Brooks and young but explosive Deuce McAllister. Behind these two new recruits, the C.W.O.T. have almost already tied their win total from last year and have quickly climbed back to the top of the league. Even with an improved offense, the C.W.O.T. will still need a strong defensive showing if they're to get past The Pimps this week and reclaim first place.

The most staggering statistic regarding this series' history? The Pimps have won the last seven regular season contests. Granted, the C.W.O.T. managed to score a huge win over The Pimps amidst that streak, besting the feathered-ones at home in Championship Week 2000 to earn a Super Bowl appearance. If Jody can't reverse this regular season trend, however, they may not get another chance to host The Pimps in the playoffs anytime soon.

Victims of the bye week:
Pimps - none
Jody - RB Thomas

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