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2004
- 2005 NFL Season
2005 - 2006 NFL Season Free
Football Picks
Stock the fridge with beer, and throw some bratwursts
on the grill, the NFL season is here! Before the games
begin, let Lucky Lester break down whose to loose and
whose in for a win. At the time of this article being
posted the spreads were accurate. If the spread changes
after the posting, I can't help that but my picks will
stay the same.
SUPER
PICKS
Ravens
(-3) @ Browns: Jamal Lewis ran for 500 yards in
two games against the Browns last year, not to mention
295 in one game. Watch Jamal run over a small defensive
line that has done nothing but underachieve. The already
great Raven Defense will be extra juiced with the much
awaited return of Prime Time. With Butch Davis in danger
of loosing his job and new QB Jeff Garcia upset with
the team's cohesiveness, I wouldn't be surprised if
the Browns didn't score a point. Game Date: 09/12/04
13:05 ET
Chiefs
(+3) @ Denver: The odds makers must have more trust
in Jake Plummer than I do. Dick Vermeil's super offense
should give a solid Denver defense more then they can
handle. Priest Holmes is always good in openers and
the Chiefs are perennial quick starters (10-0 last season).
Denver will miss Clinton Portis when they can't rush
past the very average Kansas City defense buoyed by
Gunther Cunningham's new schemes. At three point underdogs
the Chiefs are a safe pick in week one. Game Date:
09/12/04 20:40 ET
Chargers
@ Texans (-5): David Carr has the Texans running
on full throttle. His weapons are lethal with Andre
Johnson and Dominique Davis in their second seasons
as NFL players. Corey Bradford has always been a deep
threat, gaining 20 yards a catch last year. The Chargers
on the other hand have LaDainian Tomlinson, and that's
it. I can't name a wide receiver; they cut Kevin Dyson,
the only one I had ever heard of, and wide receiver
coach James Lofton said his receiving corps number one
job was blocking for LaDainian Tomlinson. Sounds like
a tough year. The Texans are good and San Diego is bad.
This is a no-brainer.
Game Date: 09/12/04 13:05 ET
Falcons
(-3.5) @ 49ers: Bet against the Niners. They are
bad. The Miami Hurricane's have a more potent offense.
At 3.5 point favorites I suggest mortgaging your grandmother's
house on the game.
Game Date: 09/12/04 16:20 ET
Lucky
Lester's Picks For Week One
Colts
(+3) @ Patriots: Lucky's going to buck the trend
here and go with the Colts to break out of their funk
and take it to the Pat's in their own house. Manning
is out to show he's worth the bank he got paid this
off-season and I say he will. Look for a huge game out
of Indianapolis' offense and an end to New England's
daunting 14 game winning streak. Take the colts and
the three points. Game Date: 09/09/04 20:05 ET
Titans
(-3) @ Miami: Look for the Titans to exploit Miami's
nightmarish off-season and win impressively. Tennessee
replaced Eddie George with the much faster and more
explosive Chris Brown, giving the Titans a ground attack
they've lacked the last few years. Co-MVP Steve McNair
will find Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett for big plays
to seal the victory. Game Date: 09/11/04 13:00 ET
Raiders
(+4) @ Steelers: I know the Raiders have lost their
last nine road games, and I know they were last in the
league in rushing defense one year ago, but they've
turned the corner. There's no way new additions Warren
Sapp and Ted Washington will let running backs run with
ease on their watch. Rich Gannon will be back to his
Pro Bowl status of 2002, and he'll find Jerry Porter
for big plays. Al Davis went into the off-season making
sure his Raiders wouldn't embarrass him again this year.
The Raiders will upset Pittsburg in week one.
Game Date: 09/12/04 13:05 ET
Buccaneers
@ Redskins (-1.5): The Buc's are going to realize
how much they're going to miss the likes of Warren Sapp
and John Lynch when they meet Joe Gibbs' new workhorse
Clinton Portis in week 1. Tampa Bay's totally revamped
offensive line has yet to gel. Brad Johnson will feel
the effects and miss his favorite receiver, camp holdout
Keenan McCardell. Giving up only 1.5 points at home
will is a bargain against the still-unsettled Buccaneer
squad.
Game Date: 09/12/04 13:05 ET
Jaguars
(+3) @ Bills: Unfortunately for the Bills and quarterback
Drew Bledsoe the Buffalo offensive line is still a work
in progress. Not a good sign for a quarterback who was
sacked 49 times a year ago. Bledsoe has never been quick
on his feet, i.e. Fat Seventh Grader, and should prove
helpless to escape from the athletic and young Jaguar
defense. Points have been hard to come by in Jaguar
pre-season, but Fred Taylor's return should benefit
the team enormously, and look for Byron Leftwhich to
hook up with stud rookie Reggie Williams early and often.
Game Date: 09/12/04 13:05 ET
Bengals
@ Jets (-4.5): The usually generous Jets defense
(28th against the run last year) will get a much needed
lift when Carson Palmer shows up for his first start
in week one. The Jets will surprise Palmer with their
defensive team speed and rookie Jonathan Vilma will
show why he was a first round selection. The Jets Chad
Pennington will show why he's one of the best young
quarterbacks in the league by wiring it out with superb
accuracy to Santana Moss and new addition Justin McCarrins.
Curtis Martin will be a force again this year, he's
healthy and in as good a shape as ever. Coach Herman
Edwards finally has his teams attention, they should
surprise a lot of people his season.
Game Date: 09/12/04 13:05 ET
Lions
(+3) @ Bears: The young Lions will give an overmatched
Bear defense too much to handle. Young stars are abundant
on this skilled team, starring rookies Roy Williams
and Kevin Jones and second year stud Charles Rogers
who showed an ability to reach the end-zone early last
season. Joey Harrington is primed for a breakout year
and will be encouraged to let the ball fly. Steve Mariucci,
in his second year, will have his young lions roaring
early this season. The Bears are bad. Game Date:
09/12/04 13:05 ET
Cardinals
@ Rams (-11): Ouch! Eleven points is a lot to
lay, but what else can you do? The hapless Cardinals
will showcase Emmitt Smith's Hall of Fame ability, only
five years too late. Dennis Green can't be excited about
the loss of budding superstar Anquan Boldin, nor the
nagging injuries to Larry Fitzgerald and Bryant Johnson.
Marcel Shipp will be one of the team's biggest losses
of the pre-season. All-Pro wide receivers Torry Holt
and Isaac Bruce should torch a sub par Cardinal secondary.
It's going to be easy to feel sorry for Dennis Green
in his first year with Arizona, but we might as well
win money of his woes. This years Draft Bowl will take
place early in the year as Phoenix takes on San Diego
in week 2. Game Date: 09/12/04 13:05 ET
Seahawks
(-2) @ New Orleans: It's put up or shut up for a
Seahawks team that is touted as an early Super Bowl
contender. It's a lot to say for a team that hasn't
won a play-off game since Holmgren began coaching the
Hawks. They were also a dismal 2-6 on the road last
year. But I'm taking the Hawks in this one. This young
team showed their skill in the pre-season and will highlight
hard-nosed running back Shaun Alexander against a Saints
D that is shaky at best. Brooks was hurt often in the
preseason and has yet to establish any rhythm. This
high scoring affair should be entertaining, and the
Seahawks will turn their road woes around.
Game Date: 09/12/04 13:05 ET
Giants
@ Eagles (-9.5): Like the Ram/Charger game, this
spread is a little too large for comfort. But the Giants
offensive line has been hard-pressed to protect the
ever-so-mobile Kurt Warner this pre-season, and I don't
see that changing against the blitz-happy eagles and
defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. The play of new additions
of Javon Kearse and Terrell Owens should convince Tom
Coughlin to go back to NASCAR. Donovan McNabb's accuracy
has improved, and his offense is stronger. Take the
Eagles in an old rivalry that's turned into a new blow
out. Game Date: 09/12/04 16:20 ET
Cowboys
@ Vikings (-4.5): The Vikings had the number
one ranked offense last season. The Cowboys had the
number one ranked defense. Daunte Culpepper has looked
phenomenal in the pre-season, completing nearly 80%
of his passes. The Cowboys on the other hand have had
trouble finding corner backs to start opposite Terrence
Newman. Pete Hunter has seen pre-season balls fly over
his head and into opposing receiver's hands. Randy Moss
is awesome and should be ready to fly bye constant double
teams. With the Cowboys paying too much attention to
Moss, Nate Burleson and Kelly Campbell should find themselves
connecting with Culpepper for big plays. Vinny Testeverde
will feel every bit his age in the menacing confines
of the Metro Dome.
Game Date: 09/12/04 16:20 ET
Packers
(+3) @ Panthers: Brett Favre has declared this year
a Super Bowl or bust for his Packers. Brett's always
been a Monday Night Hero. Carolina has stayed intact
throughout their skill positions but has gutted their
offensive line. Four starters are at new positions.
The run-happy Panthers will find them self needing more
time to gel, take the Pack and the points.
Game Date: 09/13/04 21:10 ET
Well
folks there you have it, my picks for week one. Make
sure you come back to check out Lucky Lester's picks
for week two of what should turn out to be an excellent
football season.
WAGERING
SMART MAKES WATCHING NFL GAMES MORE FUN
Good
Luck with your NFL Football Wagering!
Lucky Lester
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