Philadelphia showed no love in the last meeting between these two teams, taking advantage of Tampa’s slow start and thoroughly handing the Breeze their first loss of the season. But do not expect it to be so (avoiding cliches) easy when these two meet again 1/29/11 in Jacksonville.
QB Christy Bell and WR Tyrah Lusby have quietly affirmed themselves as one of those most dynamic combinations in the league, but it has been the equally as quiet success of RB Marirose Roach that has led this team to the Eastern Conference title game this season. Roach is averaging 107 yards a game and 10 YPC, which are ridiculous statistics given the field parameters. And what numbers like that do is allow the Passion to control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the Tampa Breeze Offense, letting Bell control the flow of a game with simple, effective plays that don’t challenge her young arm.
So how can Tampa regain control? Simple, by doing what they have done every other game besides the last one: create turnovers. Before the Philadelphia game Tampa led the league in turnover ratio, with +9 on the season, but they lost the turnover battle against the Passion by making careless mistakes you usually do not see by a team as experienced as Tampa. In order for the Breeze to get back on track, Liz Gorman and the rest of the D-line need to get more pressure on Bell and force her to throw more quickly, which will ultimately allow CB’S Bryn Renda and Ashley Lowe to do what they do best: create turnovers.
But the Breeze need to get back on track offensively as well, which will be a test against a proven Passion-D. QB KK Matheny has an amazing talent in WR Emanda Doscher, but there needs to be more plays that let Doscher create her own offense in Tampa’s playbook. Meaning, a simpler offense with short, effective passes would be a better suit for Tampa against the Passion. The Breeze have a ton of power and speed in Doscher and RB Tiffani Powers, they just need to let the stars be the stars more.
But that is easier said than done against a fast Philadelphia Defense. Led by Jaleesa McCrary and Heather Roy, the Passion has turned an “iffy” defense last year into a pass-stopping juggernaut. The aforementioned Roy has wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks and forced opposing teams into throwing for less than 60 YPG. The Passion are fast, and they are aggressive, which is how they can be beat as well. Teams that are successful, relatively speaking, against the Passion have taken advantage of their aggressiveness with counter-run plays and good timing, so look to see if Tampa allows Philly to impose their will again, or if the Breeze let Philadelphia beat themselves.
Overall, when the final whistle blows we will see who earned control of the Eastern Conference Crown. It is still up in the air as to what team will control the pace, and who can control one’s emotions best. But, ultimately, the team that does these the best will be controlling their own destinies.
Prediction: Tampa 26, Philadelphia 31
