The Anderson Brewmeisters scored a must-have victory over the Abstract Machines last week to earn the sixth and final slot in the 2002 playoffs. Now, returning to the playoffs after a year's absence, they face a familiar foe in third-seeded Jody's Colossal Waste of Time, also making its return to postseason action. This will be the third time these Eastern division rivals have met on a playoff field; Anderson has won the previous two meetings, with the last being a similar 6-over-3-seed upset in 1999.

Things finally seem to be coming together for the Brewmeisters. Despite an unimpressive 17-21-1 record over the past three seasons, rebuilding is starting to show some dividends. 2001's first over all pick - LaDainian Tomlinson - is having a career season and has become the team's biggest threat. Jerry Porter, Laverneous Coles, and Charlie Garner were all added to Brew-veteran Peyton Manning's arsenal. Topping it off, this years' first round selection, the Steeler defense, has gotten much better after a horrid start. Yet despite all this, Anderson is still only 6-6-1 and horribly inconsistent, making them a dangerous team not only to their opponent, but also themselves.

Jody lost its grasp on the Eastern Division crown with two straight losses to close out the regular season. A big reason for the offensive short comings during that stretch was the sudden drop in production from their two biggest horses, newcomers Aaron Brooks and Deuce McAllister. Both are now healthier than they have been in weeks, and they simply must have big games if Jody expects to hold off the Brewskies. If this Saintly pair fails to do so, then it could be an early exit for a team that was a win away from earning an automatic berth into Championship Week.

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The fish-seeded Sims Stereco visit fourth-seeded Pirk's Wicked Oil Profiteer$ in an immediate rematch of last year's Wild Card dual, a game that saw P.W.O.P. claim a 20-18 victory behind the strength of the home field advantage. Already having established a franchise mark for most wins in the regular season (7) the 2002 Stereco enter the playoffs as the hottest team on the board, winner of four straight. P.W.O.P. is arguably the second hottest, winning five straight before dropping last week's title bout with Thomas. In their only regular season encounter two months ago, Sims doubled up the Profiteer$, 48-24. The visitors will need to find a way to get past Pirk again if the franchise is to ever score its first playoff victory.

Stereco QB Michael Vick has done a lot lately to justify his status as the first overall pick in this year's draft. In Sims' four-game winning streak, Vick has averaged 13 points per game. Ricky Williams, Sims' other first overall pick ('99), has also emerged as a force from the backfield. Yet while the offense has been clicking, the defense has been hit-or-miss; just last week Sims' Giants team coughed up a point against Jody.

The Profiteer$ are not without their own weapons. Jeff Garcia, Travis Henry, and Hines Ward anchor an offense loaded with big-game players from top to bottom. Furthermore, their Saints defense is consistently strong, and should give P.W.O.P. an edge this week. The Profiteer$ - still stinging from last week's loss to the Bock Boys, which cost them a bye - are itching to get back on the field and right the ship against the team they vanquished from the playoffs last year.

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The Irwin Hellions have made it to a Bowl game for the third straight season. Unfortunately, this year's version will have much less pomp and circumstance than the previous two, as the 4-9 Hellions travel to En Fuego field to meet up with the 2-10-1 Piana Raze in Draft Bowl VI. For the Hellion franchise, this is the first season they've failed to make the playoffs, and the fall from Super Bowl champion to Draft Bowl precedent is unprecedented. Not to be outdone (but outdone anyway), the Raze actually regressed after winning the Draft Bowl last year, finishing a game-and-a-half worse.

Brett Fresh, fresh off of back-to-back Super Bowl starts, now leads his injury-depleted team into battle for the first overall draft pick in 2003. Having just lost to the Raze last week at Purgatory Field, the Hellions will need to find a way to put more points o the board. While Irwin's Bucs defense is by far the best in the league, the offense is the reason they've lost five straight.The once-powerful ground attack of Curtis Martin and Edgerrin James has to gets its legs back to keep the pressure off of Favre, or it could be another long day for the Hellions.

As bad as Irwin's offense was this season, it wasn't as bad as Piana's. Trading the first overall draft pick for in inefficient and injured Kurt Warner was just the tip of the iceberg. Besides Tom Brady and Donald Driver, there's not too many players in the Raze lineup that instill fear in an opponent. Compounding matters, the Raze's defense is playing at a franchise low, keeping all the pressure on the pieced-together offense. So now, five years removed from their Super Bowl I meeting, the Hellions and Raze put the worst season in their respective franchise's history to rest with Draft Bowl VI.

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