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Some
terrible things happened since last Saturday. I won't
even begin to mention the non-football related stuff,
as I am sure you don't want to hear about Grandma again!
As far as football is concerned, well it was a tough
week to say the least with unLucky Lester going 4-8.
Like
the Packers start to this year; I too am in a slump
that I never thought possible! But hopefully, like The
Pack, I can pull myself up from the curb and jump-start
my season with a Super Sunday for the first week of
November. Here's to the hopes of a predictable Sunday.
Time to suck it up and bolster my now 55-53-5
record for the season.
SUPER
PICKS
Texans(+6.5)
@ Broncos - The Texans have only proven they can play
with the best teams in the NFL, nearly beating the Vikings,
and spanking the Jaguars a week ago. The Broncos have
taken two losses in a row, and have only managed to
cover a couple times this year. With these two things
ringing in my ears, I can't even imagine why Denver
is favored by nearly a touchdown. What is it? The air
in Mile High makes it impossible for away teams? Or
maybe all the close games the Texans have played, plus
their winning record are just flukes? I think not. David
Carr has done exactly what I predicted this year, and
shown why he was a number one draft pick. Andre Johnson
has been fantastic as Carr's number one guy, and Dominic
Davis is healthy for the first time in weeks. I've been
wrong lately, and maybe the Broncos will find a way
to pull this one off, but lets get real, 6.5-point favorites?
That's absurd.
Game Date: 11/07/04 16:15 ET
Patriots(-2)
@ Rams - The Rams showed two weeks ago that they don't
belong on the field with top teams. They lost to the
Dolphins for God's sake. The inconsistency and inexcusable
mistakes that seem to embody the Rams team make it impossible
for me to take them here. The Patriots are still one
of the best teams in the league. They still have a quarterback
that is a proven leader and an amazingly accurate passer.
They also have one of the best coaches, if not the best
coach in football. Belichick won't let the end of his
teams winning streak affect their play against an inferior
Rams team this Sunday. The Rams are coming off a bye
week, having two weeks to prepare for New England, but
I don't see that deciding the fate of the Patriots.
Game Date: 11/07/04 16:15 ET
Jets(-3)
@ Bills - Okay, so the Bills finally scored more than
a single offensive touchdown against a team that wasn't
Miami. So what? The Bills only beat the Cardinals. Sure,
sure, I was wrong about that game. But I am saying right
now, like a much more renowned person before me, that
I guarantee a Jet victory on Sunday. Yes, yes, you've
heard it before, but there is no way the Bills…
the terrible Bills, should cover a measly three point
spread against the powerful Jets. Curtis Martin has
been better than anyone thought, and the dismantling
of a strong Miami defense last Monday Night is enough
to convince me that this Jets squad is for real. The
Bills stand as merely a speed bump in New York's road
to the post-season. Don't let one week fool you, the
Bills are just as good as their record. Game Date:
11/07/04 13:00 ET
Chiefs(+1)
@ Buccaneers - Priest Holmes is playing the best I've
seen him play, and he's been the best running back in
the league for the last two or three years. Even Ray
Lewis has been quoted saying there isn't a running back
like Priest. If Ray is throwing out compliments to an
offensive player, you know he's got to be great. The
Buc's haven't done anything special, only managing to
beat sub par teams. The Chiefs are back in the playoff
hunt, and I just don't see them taking a step back against
a much lesser Tampa Bay team that has played better
of late. Their defense is always strong, but I don't
see Tampa Bay making it past 7 wins this season. The
Chiefs are back on track and it's going to take more
that an average Tampa Bay team to derail the Kansas
City Train.
Game Date: 11/07/04 13:00 ET
Lucky
Lester's Picks For Week Nine
Eagles
@ Steelers(even) - I have to go with the Steelers
here. They finally made my prediction of the end of
New England's win streak come true, and I can only bet
they'll do the same thing to an undefeated Eagles team.
The Steeler D is much better than advertised, just ask
Tom Brady. Joey Porter is back to his old self, sacking
Brady three times in week 8, while causing two fumbles.
Duce Staley will do his best to thump an Eagle team
that showed no appreciation for his abilities this off-season,
as well as last year. Duce has done a lot for a Pittsburgh
team that has as much firepower on offense as they've
ever had. Hines Ward is a great receiver, and the strong
arm of rookie Ben Roethlisberger has energized super
talented Plexico Burress. With Duce in the backfield
and Jerome Bettis behind him, the Steelers should sock
it to an Eagle defensive line that has trouble stopping
the run. The Eagles are good, but with Roethlisberger
getting a chance to end two different undefeated records
in consecutive weeks as a rookie, it only seems proper
to take the Steelers.
Game Date: 11/07/04 13:00 ET
Redskins
@ Lions(-3) - I've decided that +3 is something
odds makers give to an away team that in their minds,
is equal to the home team. In this case, they either
are crazy or, they know something I don't. The Lions
for starters, are better at home and maybe even more
importantly, are better than the Redskins straight-up.
The Redskins have one thing going for them on offense
and that's Clinton Portis. The problem is even he can't
do well because the rest of the offense is so bad. The
Lions might not be able to stop Portis from scoring,
but what they can do is stop the rest of the Redskins.
Roy Williams is supposedly suiting up for this game.
If he does the Lions chances get a lot better. I can't
take the Redskins until they prove to me they can move
the ball in other ways then hoping Portis breaks one.
Game Date: 11/07/04 13:00 ET
Raiders(+7)
@ Panthers - While both of these teams have managed
to disappoint, I can't imagine the Panthers playing
a team poor enough to warrant them giving 7 points.
The Raiders are bad, don't get me wrong, but the Panthers
are equally pathetic. They gave up nearly 200 yards
to Shaun Alexander last week, and that was after Mike
Holmgren announced that Alexander was going to carry
the ball often. He told them what they were going to
do and the Panthers still couldn't slow Alexander down.
Taking the Raiders has made me realize how far the Panthers
have fallen from their Super Bowl runner up performance
less than a year ago. Game Date: 11/07/04 13:00 ET
Cardinals(+3)
@ Miami - The Dolphins are pretty bad. That's it. They
lost another key player to injury. I can't imagine their
confidence has grown in the wake of Junior Seau's season
ending injury. With Ricky Williams trying his damnedest
to work out some way that he doesn't have to pay the
Dolphins back all the money he owes them, the only thing
the Dolphins should be favored to win is a court case.
If you're a Miami fan look at the bright side, at least
the Dolphins will guarantee a number 1,2 or 3 draft
pick. The Cardinals slipped last week, but look to get
back to playing tough defense against one of the worst
offenses the NFL has to offer. Game Date: 11/07/04
13:00 ET
Bears @ Giants(-9) - The Giants dismantled a
decent Lions team last week, and the Bears skipped past
possibly the leagues worst team, the 49ers. The Giants
are much better than a Bears team led by Craig Krenzel.
Just look at the spread and you could figure that out.
What you might not know is that Tiki Barber has been
amazing this year, running all over any opponent the
Giants have faced. Another small fact you might not
know, the Bears gave up 170+ yards to Clinton Portis
earlier this year. Tiki will plow his way into the end
zone with ease. The Bears will be forced to scramble,
throwing too much , especially with Krenzel at the helm.
It will be to easy for the Giants to run, and when Tiki
has been given the green light this year, good things
have happened for New York.
Game Date: 11/07/04 16:05 ET
Seahawks(-7)
@ 49ers - Ken Dorsey is behind the helm again for a
Niners team that should be begging for Jeff Garcia to
come back. The Niners offense hasn't looked this bad
since... since... well since the West Coast was invented.
Dennis Erickson was offered this job as a joke to see
how bad the 49er front office could make him look. He's
tried valiantly but lets be honest, this is a lose,
lose situation. They lose all the time, and it looks
like it's at least a little bit his fault. The Seahawks
haven't been the team I thought they'd be, but even
at their slumping stage, a touchdown should be easy
to make up against a porous Niner D. Game Date: 11/07/04
16:05 ET
Saints
@ Chargers(-6.5) - If I was told that I would
have been taking this bet before the season started,
I would have laughed in whoever's crazy face those ridiculous
words had spilled from. But, the NFL is a crazy place
and this game contains two of the most unbelievable
teams the league has. The Chargers are 4-3 and actually
looking pretty good under the leadership of Drew Brees
and LaDainian Tomlinson. Keenan McCardell brings a much-needed
lift at the receiver position instantly taking pressure
off the sensational Antonio Gates. The Saints, on the
other hand, have only amazed me week after week with
how inept they are. They aren't the worse team in the
league but with their talent level I'd think they'd
be near the top of their league. Yet they manage to
lose week after week. Like I said, both teams surprise
me equally. The Saints have shown they can compete offensively
with any team. The Chargers have shown they can just
flat out compete with anybody, on both sides of the
ball. At -6.5 it's a tough bet, but it looks better
than the Saints at +6.5.
Game Date: 11/07/04 16:05 ET
Cowboys
@ Bengals(even) - I like the Bengals at home
giving no points to a Cowboy squad that is searching
to find an identity. On offense, the Cowboys cannot
effectively run the ball and has been decimated by injuries
at wide receiver. Defensively, they are a far cry from
last years top rated unit. The Bengals are inconsistent
but should prevail against this depleted Cowboy bunch.
Game Date: 11/07/04 13:00 ET
Browns
@ Ravens(-6) - The Ravens got their asses handed
to them in week one when they wondered into Cleveland
expecting to dominate the Browns. But the Browns proved
to be more than the Ravens had expected. Jamal Lewis,
who rushed for 500 yards in two games last year, got
stymied by a defense that was ready for him. Well, the
way I see it, Jamal has a lot of yards to gain to get
500. I imagine he'll get a big chunk of them in week
nine, as he comes off his 2 game suspension. The Ravens
missed their offensive leader and he will look to make
it up to them in a big performance at home on Sunday.
The Browns are coming off a bye week after barely getting
beat by the Eagles two weeks ago. The Ravens got beat
15-10 by the Eagles last week. Jamal Lewis will prove
to be the difference in this game, augmented by the
Ravens playing at home. My bet is with Ray Lewis this
week. Game Date: 11/07/04 20:35 ET
Vikings
@ Colts(-6) - I'd take the over in this game.
But, if I had to take a winner I'd take Peyton and his
Colts. The Vikings have struggled without Randy Moss
and it looks like Moss might sit this week. Even if
he doesn't, the Colts have more to lose if they fail
to beat Minnesota this Monday Night. The Colts find
themselves in third place in their division after a
week 8 loss to the Chiefs where their defense looked
horrendous. Tony Dungy should really get after his defensive
squad this week, after they flat out embarrassed him
last week. Dungy, known for his defensive brilliance,
has found it tough to build a defensive stopper in Indianapolis.
This week the Colts will do the unthinkable and hold
Daunte Culpepper and his Vikings below season averages,
while their offense scores at will against a pretty
poor defense in their own right. Take the Colts here
because they have more to lose. Game Date: 11/08/04
21:05 ET
WAGERING
SMART MAKES WATCHING NFL GAMES MORE FUN
Good
Luck with your NFL Football Wagering!
Lucky Lester
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