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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
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Good
Luck with your NFL Football Wagering!
Lucky Lester
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