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.
Week
9 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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