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Get ready for another crazy season of NFL football!
Week 1 is only days away, and already medical
miracles are taking place. For instance, Nic Saban and
the Dolphins prayed for Ben Roethlisberger to sit out
Thursday's opener in Pittsburg, and almost immediately
Ben was scheduled for his first tummy-tuck. Amazing
the way things work out. Read on to see if I stay with
Pittsburgh or jump ship and head towards Miami. Thursday's
game along with every other game of opening week analyzed
and picked below. Are you ready for a little
Sunday Magic?
Miami (+4) at Pittsburgh: I like the Dolphins
this season, and with Big Ben Roethlisberger out with
a tummy tuck, I have to take the Dolphins right now
before the lines change drastically… Okay I'm back.
Charlie B-i-atch doesn't have what it takes to outgun
Daunte Culpepper and the rest of those rascally sea
mammals. Ronnie Brown didn't look impressive in the
preseason, but he is a damn good runner, so I expect
him to have a big game against the big bad steel show.
Game Date: 09/07/06 20:30 ET
Atlanta
at Carolina (-4.5): Though I do think Atlanta
has improved on the defensive side of the ball, I just
don't see the improvement against the run. On the other
hand I do think the Panthers have improved offensively.
DeShaun Foster, when healthy, is an improvement over
Steven Davis. Steve Smith can't be covered. I guess
the overriding factor that sends me Carolina's way,
is the match-ups short term history. Last season Atlanta
lost 3 games by more than 8 points. Only 3. Two of those
games were against the Panthers. The combined score
of the two games? 68-17. Yikes. Game Date: 09/10/06
13:00 ET
New
Orleans at Cleveland (-2.5): This game is only
exciting because Reggie Bush makes his opening day debut
in Cleveland. Other than that, neither of these teams
should do much in the standings. All being accounted
for, Cleveland's rushing attack should find wide open
spaces against the Saints' porous linebacking unit,
even with their struggling O-Line. Reggie Bush should
make a nice play or two, but with Braylon Edwards back
in the swing of things, Charlie "Brown" Frye
has 3 nice offensive weapons for his disposal; Edwards,
Kellen Winslow, and Reuben Droughns. I have to take
the Brownies in a Super Bowl 55 preview.
Game Date: 09/10/06 13:00 ET
Seattle
(-3.5) at Detroit: I don't know what the rest of
the world thinks Mike Martz can do to influence a game,
but there is no way the Lions beat the Hawks. No way.
In that case, I have to put my ass on the line and say
the Hawks win by 2 touchdowns or more. That's right,
the NFC's best team should destroy one of the worst
squads in a blowout in Motown. Kevin Jones should find
it tough to get going against the speedy Hawk D, while
Jon Kitna gets hammered early and often by his old-old-old
team.
Game Date: 09/10/06 13:00 ET
Philadelphia
(-3.5) at Houston: Personally I think the Eagles
will compete for the NFC crown while the Texans will
find themselves in the bottom half of the AFC once again.
The Texans will be better, don't get me wrong, but they
won't be competing with teams like the Eagles. Donovan
McNabb looks more accurate than ever before, and the
addition of Donte Stallworth could push the Eagles over
the edge and into the playoffs. Watch Brian Westbrook
shine in this game. Game Date: 09/10/06 13:00 ET
Cincinnati
(+4.5) at Kansas City: Can Larry Johnson, a beast
of a back, take out the Bengals all by himself? I'm
putting my money on no. The Bengals have a much stronger
passing attack, a better defense, and explosion on special
teams. The Chiefs have LJ and Tony Gonzalez, and that's
where I'd draw the line. The Chiefs have playoffs in
their near future, but with Cincinnati doing all they
can to protect Carson, expect a methodically strong
offensive performance out of the Bengals. 4 and ½
is just too much for me to go any other way. Game
Date: 09/10/06 13:00 ET
Buffalo
(+9.5) at New England: Tom Brady and crew should
pull this game out, but don't expect a final spread
of more than a touchdown. Seven of the ten Patriot wins
came by 10 points or less. With the Patriots unimproved
from a year ago, and the Bills headed in the right direction,
an upset here wouldn't surprise me. That being said,
I'll take the 9.5 points and those pesky Bills whose
defense should be much improved with the return of Takeo
Spikes. Game Date: 09/10/06 13:00 ET
Denver
(-3) at St. Louis: I really wanted to take the Rams
in this one, but the numbers say Denver gets the nod.
It's only 3 points, a situation where I always take
the team I expect to win. I think the Rams could be
right around .500 this season, but Denver always starts
hot. They did lose to the Dolphins in last years' opener,
but they've won the opener in 3 of coach Shanahan's
last 4 seasons. In those 4 seasons, Denver has started
5-1 thrice, and 4-2 once. I have to take a team that
historically starts hot against a Rams team that hasn't
started better than 2-2 since 2001.
Game Date: 09/10/06 13:00 ET
Baltimore
(+3.5) at Tampa Bay: The Ravens picked up Steve
McNair in place of Kyle Boller (now their #2 QB) so
I have to throw out last year's offensive stats. Ray
Lewis and Ed Reed are back on a scary defense, so last
year's defensive numbers won't do justice to this game
either. The bottom line is I'd take the 3.5 point underdog
every time these two teams played. McNair can really
manage a low scoring game, and Tampa struggles to put
up points against tough run defenses. This game should
be very even, with a field goal separating the winner
from the loser. Look for the upset in Tampa. Game
Date: 09/10/06 13:00 ET
N.Y. Jets (+3) at Tennessee: Ugh. This game has
the makings of an early season #1 pick bowl. Sure, its
nearly impossible to tell which team will get the chance
to pick the best college player in the land, but I'll
be stunned if one or both of these classy organizations
doesn't find themselves with a top 3 pick in next year's
draft. Vince Young will look a lot better throwing pig
rockets to Calvin Johnson anyway. In this game I have
to take the Jets. They have the best chance to win now.
Chad Pennington is a good signal caller when healthy,
and if he is indeed healthy, his passer/receiver relationship
with Coles should push his Jets to 1-0 on the season.
After that I've got no guarantees NY. Game Date:
09/10/06 13:00 ET
San
Francisco at Arizona (-7): While San Francisco's
lack of off-season movage all but promises their return
to the bottom of the league, the Cardinals spent big
and expect a winning record as well as grand returns
in week 1. I'm with them on one expectation. Week 1
should be a breeze. Frank Gore will try to keep his
Niners close, but his running ability alone won't do
the trick as Edge, Kurt, Larry, and Anquan will prove
too explosive for the young 49ers defense. Arizona won
each of it's two games against the Niners last season,
both times by 7 points or more.
Game Date: 09/10/06 16:15 ET
Chicago
(-3) at Green Bay: It's insane to think the Packers
even stand a chance in this game. Rexxy Grosman started
to put it together by the end of the preseason, and
Lovie Smith did the smart thing by naming Thomas Jones
the starter in Chicago's backfield. Brett Favre doesn't
have it like he used to, and even if he did, his offensive
line isn't sturdy enough to keep him alive. The last
thing the Packers need is to play one of the NFL's strongest
defenses in Week 1. I'll be stunned if the Pack remains
in the game by half time. Game Date: 09/10/06 16:15
ET
Dallas
at Jacksonville (-2): If it were up to me I would
stay away from this game. But, since I leave no game
unplucked, I'll roll with the Jaguars in this one, if
only to be different. The Boys are a hot pick for week
1, but don't count out the Jags. Dallas is 1-3 in opening
games since 2002, while the Jags always play well on
Day 1. Byron Leftwich hasn't looked like a stud this
preseason, but he's got all the tools. Jimmy Smith's
absence will hurt, but the young trio in Jax will be
fine as all three have youth and explosiveness. With
Fred Taylor back and healthy, I'll pick TO to lose his
first game as a Cowboy. Fat Slow Drew will almost assuredly
get concussed by Marcus Stroud or John Henderson, so
we'll see what Tony Romo can do early. Dallas's D isn't
as good as everyone thinks, just wait and see. Game
Date: 09/10/06 16:15 ET
Indianapolis
(-3) at N.Y. Giants: In the battle of the evil NFL
spokesmen brothers, I'll go with older and better, Peyton.
Think about it. Peyton's team is better, his receivers
are better, and he's just flat out better than Eli.
Plus, is there one big brother out there who could see
themselves losing to their younger brother on the gridiron?
Precisely. This one goes to the Colts, even on the road
in New York. Peyton doesn't seem to mind playing there.
This is the regular season here, not the playoffs, Peyton
is good to go. Game Date: 09/10/06 20:15 ET
Minnesota
at Washington (-4): I hate this game. With Clinton
Portis out and T.J. Duckett in, who knows what will
happen. Mark Brunell has looked, well, 40 years old
throughout the preseason, but those old guys never seem
to light it up in meaningless games, so I'll overlook
his poor outings for this one. The Redskins spent big
this off season, which should allow them to sneak one
out at home against the Vikings. It'll be the first
time in the history of the NFL where the combined age
of both QB's (Brad Johnson and Mark) will exceed 100
years… (White lie) Game Date: 09/11/06 19:00
ET
San
Diego (-2.5) at Oakland: San Diego isn't known for
fast starts, and with a first year QB, its hard to claim
things will be different for the Bolts. But they are
playing Oakland. We're talking about a team that traded
their #2 receiver for a draft pick, picked up Jeff George,
cut Jeff George, and sang a handful of Disney tunes
on the plane ride home from Seattle all in the same
week. Gong show. Aaron Brooks should find some passing
yards and some touchdowns, but don't expect the Raiders'
sorry ass defense to hold LaDainian Tomlinson for one
freaking series. That would be too much to ask. Closing
week 1 with a burst, SD should roll the Raiders.
Game
Date: 09/11/06 22:15 ET
WAGERING
SMART MAKES WATCHING NFL GAMES MORE FUN
Good
Luck with your NFL Football Betting!
Lucky Lester - Free
Football Picks
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