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Super Bowl X Preview
2006 League Championship Game

Anderson Brewmeisters vs Piana Raze
(12 - 2)   (9 - 4 - 1)
series history: Piana leads 6-4-2
last meeting: Week 7
Piana 48, vs ANDERSON 55
postseason records:
Anderson 8-5, Piana 8-4
Record in Super Bowls:
Anderson 2-1, Piana 1-1
 

The first decade of Fantasy League Football draws to a close this weekend as the Anderson Brewmeisters meet the Piana Raze in Super Bowl X from Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Eastern Division Champion Brewmeisters throttled Jody's Colossal Waste of Time last week while the Western Division Champion Raze muscled past the Sims Stereco, setting up the sixth interdivisional Super Bowl and fourth between division champs.

Despite having 20 playoff games to their combined credit, this will be the first ever playoff meeting between the Raze and Brew Men. (They did meet in the 2001 Draft Bowl, however.) Together, the two franchises account for the first three Super Bowl titles; Piana won in 1997 before Anderson won it all in 1998 and – controversially – in 1999. On the heels of Anderson's second championship, the league expanded to ten teams and implemented its six-win playoff eligibility rule. In this new "modern era" of the FLF, neither the Raze nor the Brewmeisters have won another title, although they each have a relatively recent Super Bowl loss to show for their efforts.

The 2006 Brewmeisters, however, are poised to be crowned the most dominant FLF team ever. Led by LaDainian Tomlinson, Peyton Manning, and Brian Westbrook, Anderson has been rewriting the league's record books all season. They are the first club to win 11 regular season games and would have likely made it an even dozen if it weren't for Jody's "Game of the Year" in Week 12. In 10 of their 13 games, the Brewmen have produced a raw score of 60 or more points, and they have scored 72 or more in their past three. Avenging their only two losses on the season, Anderson comes into the Super Bowl having just destroyed the Stereco and C.W.O.T. by a combined score of 102-22.

The league simply can't hand Anderson the title based on their season resumé, however, which brings us to the Piana Raze. Piana came within a game of getting to the Super Bowl last year, and the front office made efforts in the offseason to get them over the hump. Terrell Owens and once-again Raze QB Marc Bulger were brought in to bolster the offense, but Piana still came out of the gates slowly, failing to win any of their first three divisional games. The Raze rebounded to win the balance of their divisional schedule and earn the franchise its fourth Western Division title. While lacking the break-away ability of the the Brewmeisters, Piana has been every bit as productive in the win column down the stretch, posting an identical 6-1 record since Neutral Site Week (which, coincidentally, saw the Brewmeisters top the Raze 55-48 in Idaho's Kibbie Dome).

The Raze (9-4-1) and Brewmeisters (12-2) bring a combined 21 wins into the league's championship game, the highest total since the Hellions (10-4) and Pimps (11-3) brought 21 into Super Bowl V. Let's see how the position matchups break down:

QUARTERBACK

With his commanding 19-point effort in last week's victory over Jody, Peyton Manning has once again catapulted to the top of the quarterback scoring list. It was, however, his first double-digit game since Week 9, as his hot start cooled off in the second half. The Raze suffered a similar – albeit much more dramatic – drop in production from Marc Bulger, who has failed to score above 6 points in any of his past five starts. Rumors are swirling that rookie Vince Young might even be given the start, but even he's no Manning. Advantage: Anderson

RUNNING BACKS

After an "off year" in terms of superstar running backs last season, the Super Bowl is thrilled to have three of the top four halfbacks on display. LaDainian Tomlinson has been far and away the best player on any field this season, and he leads all scorers with a whopping 204 points. Piana's Larry Johnson is a distant second with 135, and Anderson's Brian Westbrook is fourth with 118. Piana – needing ever possible point it can muster – might bench the retiring Tiki Barber in favor of undrafted rookie and goal line specialist Maurice Jones-Drew. Tomlinson will be going for his tenth (tenth!) straight game of 11 or more points. Advantage: Anderson

RECEIVERS

Anderson entered the season with some of the biggest names at the position, and Steve Smith and Torry Holt have been solid. Donald Driver has been a pleasant surprise, and all three wideouts are in the Top 10. Piana has tinkered with the receiver position more than any other, and it's given landed him two of the top three point-scorers: Reggie Wayne (No. 1) and Terrell Owens (No. 3). Roy Williams was brought in midseason to shore up the corps, but he's been DOA in the past three weeks, scoring only 6 total points. Jericho Cotchery could get the start, but it's ultimately up to Wayne and Owens to find the endzone. Advantage: Even

KICKER

This is certainly the Achilles' Heel of the formidable Brewmeisters lineup. Ryan Longwell was given the job in Week 7, and he's averaged a paltry 4 points a game. He was shut out in Championship Week last week, and is already off to a bad start in Miami (scoring only a point in Thursday Night's game). Piana counters with Adam Vinatieri, who reaps the benefits of a very productive Colts offense. Advantage: Piana

DEFENSE

Anderson finally won the mid-season defensive lottery, picking up the Chargers in Week 5. They proceeded to post a double-digit number in seven of ten starts for Anderson, including 21 last week. Piana went through three defenses in 2006, and their current Giants team is only 18th in scoring. Advantage: Anderson

 

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