Neutral Site Week 2007 kicks off in west Texas as the Anderson Brewmeisters and Pirk's Wicked Oil Profiteer$ lock up at the Mustang Bowl in Andrews. The Brewmeisters have surged back into contention following a 1-3 start by first handing Thomas its only loss on the season and then throttling the Figs 78-11. The Profiteer$ are heading in the opposite direction, having dropped two straight games, both to Eastern teams (Figs, Sims).

The Brew Krew had three starters score over 15 points in last week's rout, which included Derrick Alexander posting 18 as Peyton Manning's bye week replacement. That number, surprisingly, is higher than anything Manning's put up thus far. Is there a quarterback controversy in Brew Town? Pirk is dodging a big bullet this week, as the other two Brewskies to post 20+ points from a week ago (LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers defense) will be sitting this one out on a bye of their own. Can Tony Romo piece together enough offense to get the banged-up Profiteer$ back into the win column?

victims of the bye week:
Anderson – QB Anderson, RB Tomlinson, REC Smith, DEF San Diego
P.W.O.P. – QB Phillips, RB Wynn, REC Jackson, K Crosby

back to scoreboard

About 170 miles east of Andrews, the Abstract Machines and Sims Stereco will line up at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas. Both clubs are coming off Week 6 victories, and in Sims' case, their two-point win over P.W.O.P. was their first of the season. The Stereco need to win five of their last seven games to qualify for a return trip to the playoffs, but history isn't on their side this week, having won only two of fourteen career meetings with the Mechanical Ones.

With Brett Favre out on bye, Drew Brees will get anotheer shot to recapture some of his '06 magic for Sims. He's cost his team points In each of his previous three starts, however. Not to add pressure, but his quarterback counter part from the other sideline is Tom Brady, who is having a dominant season, averaging a staggering 15 points per game. The Machines are gaining steam after a slow start and have have won their last two over Jody and Irwin by a combined score of 74-26.

victims of the bye week:
Sims – QB Favre, REC Driver, REC Winslow, DEF Green Bay
Machines – REC Jurevicius, K Dawson

back to scoreboard

The first of two games featuring a pair of three-win teams comes to us from The Meadowlands, where Jody's Colossal Waste of Time and the Irwin Hellions each look to break back above .500. Jody is coming off a strong win over The Pimps, while Irwin is licking its wounds following a primetime beatdown at the hands of the Machines.

It's been a strange year for Jody, as T.J. Houshmanzadeh and Ronnie Brown have surplanted Antonio Gates and Steven Jackson as the biggest offensive threats. Carson Palmer is still gunning from the backfield, but his numbers have begun to slide since a strong opening. Irwin could use some more offensive punch as well, particularly with his top scorer – Braylon Edwards (???) – sitting this one out on bye. Luck may be on their side, however, as Jody has yet to solve a western opponent this season (losses to Piana and the Machines).

victims of the bye week:
Jody – RB Williams, REC Chambers, REC Gates
Irwin – QB Quinn, RB Foster, RB Jackson, REC Edwards, K Kaeding

back to scoreboard

The second battle of three-win teams originates for the Left Coast, where The Pimps and the Piana Raze invade the University of Oregon campus. The last two weeks have not been kind to either club; The Pimps tied Sims before losing at home to Jody, while Piana dropped games against Irwin and Thomas in truly horrible fashion.

The Pimps were sankebitten a week ago when Kurt Warner – signed fresh off the street as a bye week replacement – went down early after costing his team a couple of points. The silver lining of that loss, however, was the play of rookie Adrian Peterson, who tore through the C.W.O.T. defense for 20 points. Keeping the conversation on the ground, Piana got just their first rushing touchdown of the year last week when Larry Johnson finally made it into the endzone. The Raze need their ground game to improve quickly if they're to have a shot at defending their title in the postseason.

victims of the bye week:
Pimps –  none
Piana – RB Turner, REC Jones

back to scoreboard

Neutral Site Week 2007 concludes back in the heart of Texas, where the Naughty Figs and Thomas' Bock Boys invade Prairie Lea's Panther Stadium. These two last met in last season's Draft Bowl, with the FIgs claiming the first overall pick. Six weeks into the season, it seems The Pimps (drafting third) hit the lottery with Peterson, while the Figs' Marshawn Lynch and Thomas' Calvin Johnson are contributing at a much smaller scale.

That's not to say things are going poorly for these two clubs. After combining for just seven regular season wins in 2006, the FIgs and Bock Boys have already combined for 8 in the first half of 2007. The Figs are 3-3, just a half-game out of in the East and in the thick of the playoff hunt. At a league-best 5-1, the Boys are two-games (and tiebreakers) above three second-place teams in the West. Thomas can certainly thank the Patriots unrelenting defense and the one-two receiving punch of Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress for their early-season success.

The Figs won five games total in 2006. Two of those victories came at the Bock Boys' expense (by a combined score of 127-35). Is revenge served cold in Prairie Lea?

victims of the bye week:
Figs – none
Thomas – RB Lewis, REC Jennings

back to scoreboard