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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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