Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 17

The Rubix Cube of Picks!
This is just about the most difficult week to pick a game. I mean, sure, the Bronco’s at +11 is a great line… if the Bronco’s are playing their starters. But you have to look at it like this, will the Chargers be starting all their players now that they’re out of the hunt? Awe, the question is there in all but a few games. Then you have the Reggie Bush Saga. Can the Texans really justify winning? It’s tough to figure out on your own, so I’m here to donate some free advice to the rest of the betting community. Interested? Read on!

Denver (+11) At San Diego – I’m going to go with the Broncos in this one, based on the idea that neither team is dying to win this game. After a couple of quarters I don’t see the Chargers relying heavily on the oft-damaged body of Ladainian Tomlinson. Each team will give plenty of opportunities to back-up players, and that being so, the Broncos have the advantage at +11. Jake Plummer will play a few, maybe the first half of series, but the Broncos are winners, and they’ll stay closer than 11. Game Date: 12/31/05 16:35 ET

NY Giants (-7.5) At Oakland – The New York Football Giants choked their way into the playoffs by being lambasted by the Washington Redskins last week. It all came down to who needed it most, and apparently the Giants didn’t. This week the Giants play the Raiders, and to be honest, the Raiders are quite possibly the most pathetic team in football. The Giants would like this game to assure at least one game in New York. That’s important to Eli, Jeremy Shockey, and Tiki Barbar. If Oakland is playing a team on a missions, they’re screwed. So… They’re SCREWED! Game Date: 12/31/05 20:05 ET

Arizona (+7) At Indianapolis – The Cardinals have a ‘wing it deep’ motto with Josh McCowen at the helm. With Indianapolis in need of nothing, the Cardinals will take advantage with Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Tony Dungy might be back on the field for this one, but the Colts don’t seem to win games that mean nothing (0-9 the last 9 games that have no playoff indications). Take the Cardinals and the 7 point buffer zone. Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Baltimore (-3) At Cleveland – The Ravens have played like a real live NFL Football team the last two weeks. It’s really quite amazing. Kyle Boller has tempted Baltimore fans into cheering for him, while playing well enough to get Brian Billick another year coaching the Ravens. Will it continue? I have to believe it will. The Browns haven’t played well of late, and Jamal Lewis has run with a little bit of his old fervor. Jamal loves to run against the Browns. Don’t expect 295 yards out of him, but expect another good game out of the Ravens. Ed Reed is filthy! Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Carolina (-4) At Atlanta – The Panthers need to win this game to assure themselves a spot in the post season. It’ll be a tough one, but the Panthers, after playing like a pile of rabbit pellets against the Cowboys last week, will be up for the Falcon challenge. Expect Deshaun Foster to annihilate the piss poor Falcon run defense on way to a Panther victory. Steve Smith will be extra motivated to produce after he had 18 yards while getting kicked out of the game last week. Steve’s the kind of guy to get some payback.
Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Chicago (+4.5) At Minnesota – The Bears have the 2nd spot in the NFC playoffs wrapped up, but don’t take that as a reason the Bears will sit their starters. Some guys will get rest, but Rex Grossman has only played in two football games this year, he’ll get plenty of reps for the Bears to win. And when he comes out, Kyle Orton will get on the field. You have to believe the Bears would have beaten the Vikings with Kyle calling plays too. Lovie Smith isn’t the type of coach that gives away a victory because the game has no playoff consequences. He’ll have his Bears ready to go. Take the better team with the points. Game Date: 01/01/06 16:20 ET

Buffalo (-1) At NY Jets – The Bills are better than the lowly Jets. New York has a solid defense, but their offence makes any defense look heroic. The Bills have played well after getting shit kicked by the Patriots three weeks back. A 9 point loss to the Broncos and a win over the Begnals has given the Bills life. Some life would do the Jets good, but that isn’t expected to happen until they pick Matt Leinart in the 2006 NFL Draft (pure speculation). Take the Bills in this meaningless show of NFL football. Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Cincinnati At Kansas City (-7) – The Chiefs are looking solid, and they have to win this game to keep their playoff homes alive. The Steelers have to lose to the Lions, but the Chiefs can’t do anything about that, expect them to take care of their side of the deal. The Bengals won’t play their starters for the entire game, but even if they did, the Chiefs have more to lose in this game. Larry Johnson always runs like a man possessed. If I’ve learned anything the past two weeks, it’s been that the team with the most on the line almost always plays with more passion. Passion equals victory.
Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Miami At New England (-6) – The Patriots aren’t a team that sits their starters. Bill Bellichick likes to win football games, and with a chance to move up a spot in the AFC, expect him to do just that. Miami has played well lately, but they aren’t in the Patriots league. Well they are in their league, just not, well you understand. They aren’t as good for God’s sake! Take the Patriots with only a touchdown needed to cover. Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Detroit At Pittsburgh (-14.5) – The Lions are bad (See every one of their games after their first win over the Panthers). With a loss on Sunday and a Houston Texan victory over the 49ers, the Saints will vault into the #1 spot in the NFL Draft. Can they possibly play the Steelers tough? Nothing to win. Everything to lose by winning. A stupid owner. A crappy team. The Steelers have to win to guarantee themselves a playoff spot. Joey Duck is starting. The 1908 Ford Model T gets the same gas mileage as the 2005 Ford Explorer. Ford’s are built in Detroit. Detroit sucks! Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

New Orleans At Tampa Bay (-14) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing the worst team in football and they need to win the game to guarantee playoffs. Hmmmm… this is a no-brainer. I think I would have taken the Saints at -20. Look for Cadillac Williams to have a first half eruption, then sit the rest of the game to rest himself for the playoffs. The Bucs should dominate this match-up.
Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Houston At San Francisco (+2) – The Niners can’t possibly finish the season with the number 1 pick in the draft. It seriously can’t happen. They’d have to lose to the Texans, the Packers would have to beat the Seahawks, the Jets would have to beat the Bills, the Saints would have to beat the Buccaneers, and that’s the only possible way Reggie ends up a Niner. On the other hand, the Texans just have to lose to guarantee themselves the #1 pick in the 2006 Draft. So, I’ll take the team who has the better chance to get Reggie by losing. I actually think if the Texans win, the entire coaching staff in Texas will be removed. (This will be the first time a coach got fired for winning)
Game Date: 01/01/06 16:10 ET

Tennessee At Jacksonville (-3.5) – The Titans won’t have Steve ‘Air’ McNair for this contest, and the Jaguars will be testing out Byron Leftwich’s ankle, or giving their starting quarterback as of now, David Garrard, all the snaps. Either way, the Jaguars are in this one to win it. The Titans don’t really stand a chance, considering they’re bad. Look for all of the Jaguar running backs to gain considerable yards on rout to yet another Jacksonville victory. Hooray!
Game Date: 01/01/06 16:10 ET

Seattle (+4) At Green Bay – The Seahawks second stringers are twice as good as the Packer starters. Shaun Alexander is searching hard for his 28th touchdown of the year. When he gets it in the first quarter of this game, he’ll be the record holder for the most touchdowns in a season, taking the title from Priest Holmes. Look for the Seahawks to control the ball against the worst Packer team in recent history. Game Date: 01/01/06 13:05 ET

Washington (-7) At Philadelphia – The Redskins need to beat the Eagles to get into the playoffs. The Eagles are the biggest disappointment of 2005. The second is Terrell, who just happens to be an Eagle. Take the Redskins to upend the Eagles by a considerable amount. I don’t know if any team is playing better than the Redskins right now. Definitely not he Eagles. Game Date: 01/01/06 16:20 ET

St. Louis (+12.5) At Dallas – By the time this game is played, the Cowboys will already be removed from playoff contention. Just to see what they got in Drew Henson, the rookie will get the majority of snaps for the Cowgirls. It’s going to be real nice seeing the Cowboys out of the playoffs. Look for Steven Jackson and Julius Jones to have a runoff. The cowboys will win, but not by more than 10. Drew Bledsoe is slow and un athletic. Bill Parcells will quit after te season. Jerry Jones, in response, will get another face lift, tying him for the record with Michael Jackson. Whoop, there it is!
Game Date: 01/01/06 20:40 ET

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Good Luck with your NFL Football Betting!
Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

2005 Week 16 NFL Pick Review

Mr. Ferguson let me down!
7-8-1
It’s tough when Jesus lets you down on Christmas. Not only was Chris Ferguson wrong, but he took me down with him. In the end, I was accosted by animals all throughout the family loving Christmas weekend!

LOSERS

Buffalo @ Cincinnati (-13.5) – The crafty Bengal was the first to let me down as the mammoth Bill rammed me over and over until I couldn’t feel it any longer. To put it simply I felt like Jenna Jameson after a bout with Mr. Ron and his overworked friend Pedro. This one hurt!

San Diego (+1.5) @ Kansas City – Like I said, “Larry Johnson will shine in this game.” That’s that. Larry’s shine out shone “The best back in the league,” Ladainian Tomlinson. It pains me to suggest it, but if Larry started all year would he take the yardage in a season record? His 8 game stats suggest he’d be close. The Chargers let me down again, ending there playoff homes. There wasn’t an animal that hurt me in this one, but the Chiefs did a dandy job filling in.

Tennessee (+6) @ Miami – “I was thinking Miami, but when I went to the fridge I came back thinking Tennessee.” (Me) This just shows, always trust your gut, unless you fill it up with a bunch of three day old eggnog and some two week old chocolate pie. The Titans didn’t stand a chance after Steve McNair went down. The Dolphin was my enemy in this match, the crafty water mammal splashed me with his flipper then nudged me rather rudely right in the junk.

Dallas @ Carolina (-5) – Bledsoe was sacked 8 times, but the Panthers couldn’t pull it together and find Steve Smith for the game winning touchdown. What’s that? No one could find Smith? Oh, that’s because he got booted from the game because he grabbed the referee and shook his ass like the zebra-bitch that he is. That should be the rule. You fuck up a call you get shook like a bitch. Roll on Steve! Win this week and you’re in, that’s good enough for me. Shat on by a Panther. The animal abuse continues.

NY Giants (+3) @ Washington – Mark Brunell went down and I thought I had this one in the bag. I was wrong. Patrick Ramsey actually looked pretty good, but it was the Redskin defense that came out and smacked Eli Manning like the little pain in the ass brother that he is. Tiki Barbar didn’t get enough touches, but the Giants clinched a playoff birth anyway. Crazy Giants, those animals always come out and… okay, not animals, I know. They killed me nonetheless.

Philadelphia (+1) @ Arizona – This was a match of the birds, so I knew I was in for a treat. The Eagles stormed out of the gates like the Eagles of old and finished like the new loser Philly squad that they are. Ryan Moats broke my balls with 0 fantasy points and Josh McCowen came in and sniped the Cardinals a victory. This is something Kurt Warner had a very tough time doing all year. Coincidence? Yes. Birds will peck you to pieces, don’t be fooled by their soft feathers. They may eat like a tall, skinny, pube head, but they are to be feared!

New England @ NY Jets (+5) – “This time Jesus and I disagree. I don’t think the Patriots have anything to play for, in which case they’ll sit Tom Brady in turn giving away all chances of winning, even against the lowly Jets.” I was dead wrong and Mr. Chris Ferguson was right. That didn’t happen all weekend, just in this one case where I bet against the card shark. The Patriots scattered the ball around and the Jets never had a chance from the get go. Stinky nuts!

Minnesota (+3) @ Baltimore – Well if you weren’t tricked by Boller’s good game last week, then you were tricked again by the Boller-meister this week. That sneaky Californian! Boller might work out after all. Who knows, the Ravens might even resign Jamal Lewis after he ran some signs of life. All I know is, Ravens are dirty. They’ll eat garbage off the streets and steal your money right out of your pockets if you don’t move fast enough. I was slow. They jacked me up like Tom Jackson!

WINNERS

Pittsburgh (-7) @ Cleveland – “If the Steelers win out, they’ll find themselves in the playoffs. The Browns have played well of late, but there is no way they get in the way of the Steel Show making it to the post season. They just aren’t that kind of team. They’ll sneak by the Raiders. They’ll beat the Titans. They won’t upset the Steelers. Big Ben struggled to produce last week, but with the way his defense played he didn’t need to throw touchdowns. This week, Ben will attempt to get his cannon up to speed right before the playoffs.” (Me) Unfortunately for the Chiefs, I think the Steelers are ready. Ben looked good, completing passes to 6 different receivers without committing a turnover. Hines Ward looked good, and Willie Parker, Vernon Haynes, and Jerome Bettis all rushed for a score. Both Pitt and New England look good right about now.

Jacksonville (-6) @ Houston – “Throw out all history and all the previous games this season. The Jaguars need to win this game to assure their place in the playoffs. Sure, they played more like pussy cats than Jaguars last week against the 49ers, but that was last week. The Jags will dominate the Texans, just as the Houston should hope. Expect Fred Taylor to shine in a game he’ll be relied on to move the ball. David Garrard will find Jimmy Smith, Reggie Williams, and Ernest Wilford for a couple scores as the Jaguars pummel the Texans. Don’t be confused by a couple out-of-character games last week. These two teams will return to their old selves.” (Me) When you’re right on like this you have to boast. Garrard looked solid, and Wilford, Williams, and Smith combined for 238 yards and a touchdown. Fred Taylor carried the load to the tune of 22 carries for a 101 yards and a touchdown. LaBrandon Toefield had 3 touchdowns on 4 carries. Good ratio.

Detroit (+3) @ New Orleans – This game was just as bad as it looked. The only touchdown in the game was scored by a 6’5″ 365lb monster of a defensive tackle, Shaun Rogers. John Carney had four field goals, but Jason Hanson had two in the 4th quarter to sink the Saints’ ship. That’s all I have to say. The game was gross!

San Francisco (+9) @ St. Louis – “The 49ers are getting too many points to bet against them this week in St. Louis. Plus, they’re playing against St. Louis. St. Louis is responsible for half of the 49ers’ victories this year.” (Me) Make that 66%. How pathetic is that? Feels good to be a horned goat right about now doesn’t it? Little do the Niners know, but just like Jesus said, both of these teams lost on Sunday. The Rams lost the game and the Niners lost the chance of taking home Reggie Bush on draft day. Even with a loss to the Texans next week, there will be a team with a lesser strength of schedule with three wins. Idiots!

Indianapolis @ Seattle (-7) – Hold the Hawks. Seattle would win in a heads up game even if the Colts cared about the outcome of the game. Alexander’s going to be a Colt headache. (Ferguson) Like Chris said, this one was easy for the Hawks. A headache indeed; Shaun got his three touchdowns, now all he needs is one more to become the all time leader. Sweet Shaun! Take it to the bank. Then, take your own self to the bank and cash that new touchdown maker machine check.

Chicago (-6.5) @ Green Bay – “The Bears are a good football team. I made it on the bandwagon last week, and Jesus is on it with me this week. Hold this hand! These Bears might even win a playoff game with Rex on board. Ferguson is right. Rex Grossman gives the Bears a piece of the puzzle they have been playing without all year.” Rex can get the ball to off season signee, Mushin Muhammad and speedster Bernard Berrien. Kyle just didn’t have the experience to do so. Chicago’s defense is much better than the Ravens. How does that sound Brett? Brett Favre might go his fourth straight game without a touchdown pass. ” (Me) What can I say? I’m Brilliant Guiness style. Rex completed passes down field, and though he didn’t have a great game, he makes it possible for Thomas Jones to get better looks. Lets put it this way, if it’s 3rd and 5, the Bears can now choose to pass or run. Brett had a dandy, 300 yards, nice, how ’bout them 4 picks without a touchdown? Not so nice.

Oakland @ Denver (-13) – “Mike Anderson will eclipse 1000 yards in this game, making him the one billionth different back to gain a grand in Shanahan’s offense. Take the Broncos in what has the making of a shellacking.” (Me) The game only came down to a 19 point differential, but the Broncos were a million times better than the Raiders. Big Mike broke the grand mark, and the Bronco’s celebrated by clinching home field throughout the playoffs until they play the Colts (if that should happen).

PUSH

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay (-3) – Push’s suck. It means you were just wrong enough not to win a dime and just right enough to say… “Ah, it was that close.” The damn Buccaneers couldn’t slay the three point spread, but Matt Bryant got my money back. Not bad against those horrible predator birds. They’re dangerous.
Good Luck with your NFL Football Betting!
Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 16

Gotta Go With Jesus on Christmas!16 promises to be a good one. There are playoff hopefuls, playoff doubtfuls, and downright bad teams that don’t stand a whoring chance. This is where the questions arise; which teams are going to hold ’em and which teams are going to fold ’em? What’s more important now is what I’m going to do. I’ve got professional poker star, Jesus Ferguson, in my fridge and he’s got some secrets for you. How can you turn down a guy named Jesus on Christmas Week? Even if he is a compulsive gambler.

Buffalo @ Cincinnati (-13.5) – The Bengals have clinched their division, but that doesn’t mean they’re resting their starters. Cincinnati can still finish the season with the 2 spot in the AFC Playoffs. That would mean every team aside from the Colts would have to come to Cinci to take down the Bengals. They like that idea. The Bengals can easily win out. They will destroy the Bills this week in Cinci and they could be playing a Kansas City team that has no chance to make the post season in Week 17. Jesus said he’d hold the Bengals. In fact, Jesus says come playoff time, the Bengals pose the biggest threat to the Colts. Then again, he’s just a card player.
Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

Pittsburgh (-7) @ Cleveland – If the Steelers win out, they’ll find themselves in the playoffs. The Browns have played well of late, but there is no way they get in the way of the Steel Show making it to the post season. They just aren’t that kind of team. They’ll sneak by the Raiders. They’ll beat the Titans. They won’t upset the Steelers. Big Ben struggled to produce last week, but with the way his defense played he didn’t need to throw touchdowns. This week, Ben will attempt to get his cannon up to speed right before the playoffs. Take the Steelers in a little game of smash mouth pig skin. Does any team play as tough as Pittsburgh? Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

San Diego (+1.5) @ Kansas City – The Chargers are trying to wheel and deal their way into the playoffs, but they’ll need a big upset by someone else to get them in. That’s right. The Chargers could finish 11-5 and out of the AFC playoff picture. If that be the case, (and Jesus thinks it will be), the Chargers will be the only team watching the playoffs who beat the Patriots and the Colts. The Chargers have played in some tough games, but that just seems downright screwy. Larry Johnson will shine in this game. The Chargers have “the best back in the league”, so Larry will be at his best to change that title. As the last couple weeks have gone for the Chiefs, Larry’s big game won’t be enough to clear up the AFC playoff picture. Drew Brees will be the difference in this game, assuring a big pay day for him this off season. Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

Tennessee (+6) @ Miami – I was thinking Miami, but when I went to the fridge I came back thinking Tennessee. This is my (Jesus’) thought process; Tennessee is 4-10, and the Dolphins are 7-7. The Titans play pretty well against average teams, and the Dolphins are definitely average. Gus Frerotte might not play, which means Sage Rosenfels is the starter. When Sage is the starter, good things don’t happen in Miami. Four of the Dolphins’ seven wins have been by less than 5 points. Tennessee is getting 6 points and coming off a good game against the best team in the NFC. Steve McNair can still wing it. In a tight one, I’ve been convinced, fold the Dolphins.
Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

Jacksonville (-6) @ Houston – Jesus says, “Hold the Jags.” Who’s to argue? The Texans have been playing much better of late, and the Jaguars always have a tough time putting the Texans away. These things won’t matter on Saturday. Throw out all history and all the previous games this season. The Jaguars need to win this game to assure their place in the playoffs. Sure, they played more like pussy cats than Jaguars last week against the 49ers, but that was last week. The Jags will dominate the Texans, just as the Houston should hope. Expect Fred Taylor to shine in a game he’ll be relied on to move the ball. David Garrard will find Jimmy Smith, Reggie Williams, and Ernest Wilford for a couple scores as the Jaguars pummel the Texans. Don’t be confused by a couple out-of-character games last week. These two teams will return to their old selves.
Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

Detroit (+3) @ New Orleans – I’m taking the Lions because, well, Jesus told me I had to do it. I was like, “Should I hold ’em or fold ’em Lions dog?” and he tells me “Hold ’em!” I was a little surprised, so I asked why. He gave me that look like not many people ask him why, then said, “Joey Harrington is auditioning for his next team. You’ve got to hold the Lions against the down-and-out Saints.” Then I was thinking Jesus’ got a good point. Joey gets the start this week in – wherever the Saints are playing this week. Joey will almost assuredly be allowed to look for a new team come this off season. Joey has two games to prove he could make it in this league. Next year will be Drew Brees time for Joey. Will anyone take a flyer on Joey Duck? The same goes for Charles Rogers. Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

Dallas @ Carolina (-5) – The Panthers control the fate of so many, including themselves. If they take down the Cowboys, not only will they find themselves in the playoffs, but they’ll eliminate the Cowgirls as well. Carolina has a better defense than Washington, and look what the Skins did to Dallas. Julius Peppers will look like a world class sprinter chasing after Drew Bledsoe this weekend. Drew might not take 9 sacks in this contest. Shit, he might not make it that deep into the game. The way the Cowboys have been blocking combined with the way Drew moves, has the Panthers foaming at the mouth for this weekend’s game. Desahun Foster is a big, fast back. He’ll be given plenty of opportunities to end Dallas’ playoff dreams. Steve Smith will be unguardable, as he has been all year. Look for the Panthers to lambaste the Cowboys in Carolina. Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

NY Giants (+3) @ Washington – The New York football Giants match up well against the Redskins. New York allows Tiki Barber to carry much of the load. Washington has really struggled to stop the run lately. Even in last weeks dousing of Dallas, the Cowboys still had good rushing totals. Tiki Barber rushed for 220 last week. I don’t expect a repeat performance of that magnitude, but I do expect another giant week out of the little guy. Eli Manning might impress this week with the Redskins paying proper attention to Tiki. Amani Toomer could find more than his share of passes. The same goes for Jeremy Shockey. New York’s defense stops the straight ahead run pretty well, and that’s what Washington does on the ground. Don’t think for a second that Mark Brunell will toss 4 touchdowns like he did last week. Washington has played their way back into the mix, but this game belongs to the Giants. Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay (-3) – The Falcons looked absolutely terrible last week against the mighty Chicago Bears. Nobody looked as bad as Mike Vick. Brian Urlacher hit him hard early, and after that Vick couldn’t get anything done. I don’t question Mike’s winning percentage, but is it possible that he’s the problem in Atlanta? He’s one of the most dynamic players to ever play the position, but he doesn’t have the throwing ability that guys like Donovan, Daunte, Randall, or even Kordell Stewart. That’s right, even Kordell threw better in his heyday. Vick will have another chance to prove me wrong this week against the Buc’s, but I’ve got the NUTS, and something tells me that Atlanta will fold ’em this year. Tampa Bay controls their own playoff destiny. They’ve got the better team in this contest. Cadillac Williams should find plenty of rushing room against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. Williams has the power to run outside and the toughness to get the tough yards. Atlanta always struggles against running backs with that kind of skill set. Don’t expect that to change any time soon.
Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

San Francisco (+9) @ St. Louis – Jesus says “Fold both these teams.” I’ve got to agree, neither team is much of a winning hand. But, like cards, in the sporting business you don’t have to have a winner to win. The 49ers are getting too many points to bet against them this week in St. Louis. Plus, they’re playing against St. Louis. St. Louis is responsible for half of the 49ers’ victories this year. Half of San Fran’s 12 losses have come by 8 points or less. Most of their big losses have come to much better teams than the Rams. Look for the Niners to play close throughout, while magically losing at the end. (Ala Kris Brown’s missed field goal two weeks ago) The Rams don’t have the quarterbacking to get the job done. The Niners have played tough all year, they’ll continue that trend. Game Date: 12/24/05 13:05 ET

Philadelphia (+1) @ Arizona – Here’s a couple of Championship contenders. Jesus asked me if he could hold the Eagles for next year. I told him he couldn’t. He decided to hold ’em this week anyway. I agree. The real question is, which team is a bigger disappointment? The Eagles were picked to run away with the NFC crown. And it’s not like they were on that path before McNabb went down for the year. The Cardinals were everyone’s sleeping pick to take the NFC West Division crown. Apparently, they missed the memo. Philly still has Andy Reid, and Reid still has one of the most explosive defenses in football. If any team in the NFL has the corners and safeties to match-up against Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, Philly does. With Kurt Warner done for the season, the hopes of getting those two playmakers the ball has greatly diminished. Expect the Eagles to do just enough to win their second straight game. That would be a winning streak. That would be Philadelphia’s second winning streak of the year. Who would have thought? Jesus shows me a printed piece of paper dated before the start of the season claiming the Eagles miss the playoffs and says, he would have thought. This guy’s good!
Game Date: 12/24/05 16:10 ET

Indianapolis @ Seattle (-7) – “Hold the Hawks. Seattle would win in a heads up game even if the Colts cared about the outcome of the game. Alexander’s going to be a Colt headache.” (Ferguson) I don’t know if I agree with Fergy on the idea that the Hawks would beat the Colts anyway, but I can’t argue that the outcome of this game will land in favor of Seattle. If Seattle wins this week they clinch home-field throughout the playoffs. That’s big for Seattle. If Shaun Alexander scores three more touchdowns this year he’ll take home the all time single season touchdown record. That’s big for Seattle and Shaun. In a game that means nothing for the Colts, I can’t expect more than a quarter out of Peyton Manning and even less from Edge. The same goes for Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Look for the Hawks to put a pretty good smack down on the best team in football’s second string. Game Date: 12/24/05 16:15 ET

Oakland @ Denver (-13) – The Broncos are still playing for a couple of home games in the playoffs. It’s between Cincinnati and Denver, and both teams are 11-3. This week should be an easy task for the Broncs. If Oakland hadn’t lost all hope before Week 15, they sure have now. A couple big miscues led to a game winning field goal by Phil Dawson last week in the game against Cleveland. The Raiders just can’t do anything right. Denver isn’t as good as people think, but they are a tower of greatness and success when placed next to Oakland. Kerry Collins is still a pile of crap and Randy Moss hasn’t done much to prove his worth. Lamont Jordan is having a solid year, but Denver’s defense is playing equally as good. They’ll have the upper hand on Saturday. Mike Anderson will eclipse 1000 yards in this game, making him the one billionth different back to gain a grand in Shanahan’s offense. Take the Broncos in what has the making of a shellacking.
Game Date: 12/24/05 16:20 ET

Chicago (-6.5) @ Green Bay – The Bears are a good football team. I made it on the bandwagon last week, and Jesus is on it with me this week. “Hold this hand! These Bears might even win a playoff game with Rex on board.” Ferguson is right. Rex Grossman gives the Bears a piece of the puzzle they have been playing without all year. Rex can get the ball to off season signee, Mushin Muhammad and speedster Bernard Berrien. Kyle just didn’t have the experience to do so. Chicago’s defense is much better than the Ravens. How does that sound Brett? Brett Favre might go his fourth straight game without a touchdown pass. Without Samkon Gado in the backfield, a shutout in Green Bay sounds like a very good possibility. Give it up to Lovie Smith. He handles everything with class and makes the right decisions for his football team. Good thing he doesn’t listen to Joe Theisman. Bad thing I have to hear that idiot talk. He must have said, “I would leave Kyle Orton in,” ten times during the Bears – Falcons game last Sunday night. Then Rex came in and played well. Theisman was still chattering away. Would someone fire that asshole?
Game Date: 12/25/05 17:05 ET

Minnesota (+3) @ Baltimore – When I asked Jesus what he’d do with the Vikings, he said, he’d hold ’em at least one more week. That makes perfect sense to me, hell, it makes dollars. The Vikings are better than the Ravens. Don’t be tricked by Boller’s big game and Jamal Lewis’ 100 yard performance on Monday Night. Boller threw a couple of passes, that if played right, would have been interceptions instead of touchdowns. Boller still doesn’t have the velocity to make most NFL throws. Jamal is still running tentative. Baltimore has played better the last few weeks, but Minnesota still has a chance. That alone should lead them over the Ravens. The Viking defense is one of the league’s best at getting takeaways. Baltimore will help them out in that area, Jesus and I are sure of it. Brad Johnson has had a Cinderella-type year, he’ll continue the comeback with a win in Baltimore. Game Date: 12/25/05 20:40 ET

New England @ NY Jets (+5) -This time Jesus and I disagree. I don’t think the Patriots have anything to play for, in which case they’ll sit Tom Brady in turn giving away all chances of winning, even against the lowly Jets. Ferguson thinks that Tom Brady’s presence on the sideline is enough to lead his team to victory. My good buddy, and advisor, Jesus, has made some very good arguments thus far, and he might have a point. But I write articles and he plays cards, and I’m taking the Jets. Bollinger is playing better lately, and the Patriot second stringers aren’t much to be scared of. Little Doug Flutie will be out getting reps. That’s always good TV.
Game Date: 12/26/04 21:10 ET

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Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

2005 Week 15 NFL Pick Review

Defeated… AGAIN!
Ugh! In a sequence of events that almost seemed destined to happen, I plowed through Week 15’s games to the beat of 7-9. What does that do to my overall record? It puts me even with the football gods. After 15 fun-filled weeks I’ve staggered un knowingly into the great bottomless void of .500. I expect to climb out of this place, but first, let me tell you how I got stuck here after all.

Winners

Denver (-9.5) at Buffalo – “The Bills are a terrible sack of rotting cow-manure. Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell should form an admirable duo in this one. Jake won’t make mistakes and the Broncos will play much better than they did last week.” (Me) The bills are better when Kelly Holcomb runs the team, but not good enough. Jake Plummer played mistake free football, while Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell combined for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Who knew?

Carolina (-8.5) at New Orleans – “The Saints’ season was over months ago, just like the outcome of this game. I would be surprised if the Saints get within 20 points of the Panthers. Carolina has too much on the line, and they’ve been looking forward to this rematch since their opening day loss to New Orleans.” (Me) So I’m a little surprised, the Saints only lost by 17. Either way, the Panthers are just that much better than the Saints. Steve Smith is a legitimate MVP candidate. He showed his skills by rushing for 20 yards and a TD and receiving for 85 and another score. He’s the best player on the field when the Panthers play. Deshaun Foster will have to pick up the slack if the Panthers expect to move deep into the playoffs, he only had 75 yards on 21 carries.

Cincinnati (-8) at Detroit – “The Bengals will bounce back from their most pathetic offensive performance of the season last week against the Browns. Watch Carson Palmer come back in fine fashion, making a late season push for the MVP award.” (Me) This was an easy choice. The Lions suck Chef’s chocolate salty balls and the Bengals are one of the leagues top 5 teams. Carson threw for three scores and Rudi rushed for two more. The Cincinnati defense intercepted Detroit’s savior, Jeff Garcia, three times. The Bengals are a damn good football team.

Cleveland (+3) at Oakland – A late face mask penalty by the Raiders’ defensive end Derrick Burgess allowed Phil Dawson to kick a game winning field goal as time expired. And the didn’t even have to spend a first round pick on him. The Raiders round one kicker was 0-2 on the day. Nice. The Raiders ruined a great performance by Lamont Jordan (172 total yards). But that’s what the Raiders do.

Pittsburgh (-3.5) at Minnesota – “The Vikings will find their streak ended by the Steelers, just as the Bears did. Both teams need this victory to stay in the playoff hunt, but the Steel show will out play the Vikings on Sunday. Their will be no room to run, and Brad Johnson won’t find the same success through the air. The Steelers don’t commit turnovers, so it will be hard for the Vikings to capitalize.” (Me) The Steelers committed only one turnover compared to three Viking mishaps. Brad Johnson barely completed half his passes for 143 measly yards and two interceptions. Michael Bennett led the Vikings with 43 yards on the ground. The Steelers made me look good, but Hines Ward killed my fantasy team with 11 whole yards.

San Diego (+8.5) at Indianapolis – “Unfortunately for the Colts, a pissed off Charger team will tromp into Indianapolis with their playoff lives at stake, and come out with a huge upset. A couple big plays on defense will surprise Peyton and the Colts.” (Me) The Chargers win, I called it. San Diego played like they had more to lose, and it paid off. There were huge plays by the Charger defense all day long. Manning was knocked around more in this game than his entire career and Edgerrin James couldn’t find room to run. The Chargers have some work to do, but they’ve got a chance.

Atlanta at Chicago (-3) – “The Bears lost last week, and all of a sudden their bandwagon lost a ton of weight. Well, now it has enough room for my big ass. The Bears will shut down Mike Vick and pound Thomas Jones into an Atlanta defensive front that couldn’t stop a gang of Care-Bears. The Falcons don’t match up well against the Bears, and that doesn’t bode well for Falcon playoff aspirations.” (Me) I was right about the outcome, but wrong about Kyle Orton doing just enough for the Bears. He did nothing. ANd so Lovie “The Genius” Smith put Rex Grossman in. Rex performed a little CPR on his squad of grizzlies as the Bears smashed the Falcons in their tracks.

Losers

Tampa Bay (+3) at New England – “Everyone seems to have hopped back on the Patriot bandwagon, but it’s going to take a lot more than a win over buffalo to get me on the rusty old thing.” (Me) Did a wagon just pass by here? What’s that you say? I can catch it in five minutes at the corner of 5th and Chestnut? I’m there! Tampa Bay’s the better team… HA! What was I thinking?

Kansas City (+3) at N.Y. Giants – Tiki Barbar was even more phenomenal than Larry Johnson’s 167 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Tiki ran for 220 and caught for 29. Ridiculous. Eli Manning continued his diarrhea fest, but the Chiefs didn’t have an answer for Tiki. The Giants defense stopped the Chiefs when they had to, all but ending any Kansas City playoff hopes.

Arizona (-1) at Houston – What in the hell were the Texans doing? Do they hold a tiebreaker or something? Do they know something we don’t? Maybe they know it’s better for their team not to take Reggie Bush. Even then, trading the pick would be the best option. Houston better come up with something these last 2 weeks. A Reggie bowl in Week 17 between the Texans and the Niners should be a feast of horror. Would you try to win that game? This game shows me how bad it’s gotten in Arizona. They can’t even beat teams that want to lose. The Cardinals were actually winning the game when Kurt Warner was lost for the season. It’s tough to predict injuries.

N.Y. Jets at Miami (-9) – I knew this game was going to be a tough one. Nine point favorites for the Dolphins is scary. Still, the Fins rolled off two straight scores to start the game, giving me a big fat smile. My smile quickly turned upside down when the Jets fought back with 17 of their own. Two more for the Fins put me up 7 and all I needed was a field goal with 10 minutes to go. I got one all right. Mike Nugent kicked it. And my dreams were smashed like Jacko’s nose.

Philadelphia at St. Louis (-3) – This was a tough game… to watch. Both teams just can’t field a varsity squad. Steven Jackson got hurt, helping my fantasy championship dreams demolish. THe same thing happened to the Rams’ chance to win. The Eagles won by a point even with 3 interceptions by Mike McMahon. Ryan Moats had another big game for the Eagles.

Seattle (-7.5) at Tennessee – After starting the game with 2 quick touchdowns, the Seahawks lined up for a field goal to put the Titans away early. Tennessee blocked the kick. Momentum switched sides in a flash. The Titans scored 24 straight points to put the Titans up by 10 late in the 3rd quarter. Momentum grabbed hold of the Hawks as Joe Jurevicius grabbed a Hasselbeck touchdown pass. Darrell Jackson made his return felt as he lunged for the final score of the game, putting the Hawks up by 4. That wasn’t enough for me though. Seattle didn’t get close again, and field goal wouldn’t have done it for me anyway.

San Francisco at Jacksonville (-16) – Jacksonville made this one much closer than it needed to be. This was probably the most disgusting game of the day. Neither team did anything to win the game, so the Jaguars just took it by default. A late field goal by Josh Scobee won it for the Jags. I missed the spread by 15 points. Not too shabby.

Dallas (+2.5) at Washington – I’ve never been happier to be wrong. The Cowboys were absolutely pathetic. (A late touchdown catch by Jason Whitten lost my fantasy playoff game for me – But at least I’ll have some buddies in Dallas watching the playoffs with me) Mark Brunell threw 4 touchdown passes, 3 to Chris Cooley, and Clinton Portis rushed for 112 yards. Drew Bledsoe looked like his feet were cuffed together as he was sacked 9 times by a dominant Redskin defense. Julius Jones rushed for 80 yards on 12 carries, but the Redskins took the Cowboys’ rushing attack away early. Dallas at 8-6 is nice!

Green Bay (+3.5) at Baltimore – Gado was hurt in the first quarter and with him went any chances the Packers had. Brett Favre just doesn’t have it right now, and he may never have it again. Brett threw one ball in the middle of three Raven defenders. There wasn’t a Packer player to be seen in the bunch. Brett threw 2 picks and no touchdowns. This is Brett’s worst 3 game streak in his career. The Packers lost by 45, making this game the largest point differential in Monday Night history. On the bright side, Kyle Boller tricked the Ravens into believing he could be a good quarterback as he had the best game of his life. Jamal Lewis turned back the clock, rushing for a buck-o-five with one score. The Packers fought their way back into the Reggie Bush Sweepstakes!
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Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 15

Defeated14’s monster spread differential vexed old Lucky Lester. As you can see by my Atlanta Hawkish record, (5-9-2) it was more of a three legged race to 95 than a sprint to 100 wins. At the end of Week 15 my record slid in at 95-93-3. I’ve had better days, but the best are still to come. Another 16-0 record would work quite nice. I won the lottery this week, 3$ prize, I’m letting it ride on the Chiefs to win. This week will solve much of the playoff dilemma, just wait and see. One certain undefeated team should end all the talk of a perfect season. Wins over losses, ready, break!

Tampa Bay (+3) at New England – The Buccaneers are the better team here. Everyone seems to have hopped back on the Patriot bandwagon, but it’s going to take a lot more than a win over buffalo to get me on the rusty old thing. Tampa Bay owns one of the leagues best defenses along with an offense that is run-heavy. New England will find it difficult to stop Carnell Williams, and even the young Chris Simms should find room in the Patriot secondary. Look for Tampa Bay to assist a couple wayward sports-riders off the Patriotic Bandwagon.
Game Date: 12/17/05 13:30 ET

Kansas City (+3) at N.Y. Giants – The Chiefs really dominated the Cowgirls through much of the Kansas City / Dallas match-up a week ago. Then, with 16 seconds left, the Chiefs had all but lost to the Boys. Lightening struck, a 15 yard out, a 40 yard pass to Donte Hall, and whammy, all the Chiefs needed to do was kick a 40 yard field goal to send the game into overtime. Wide right. Not Jay Feeley wide right, we’re talking Kris Brown wide right. It was terrible. The Chiefs can’t lose this game. It would all but guarantee their seat on the couch come playoff time. The Giants really don’t have room to lose either, but they aren’t as good as Kansas City, so they’ll lose. Eli Manning has shown he’s not ready to be an NFL star quite yet, and the Giant defense has shown it’s age. Look for Larry Johnson to dominate yet again. Game Date: 12/17/05 17:00 ET

Denver (-9.5) at Buffalo – The Bills are a terrible sack of rotting cow-manure. They struggle on offense, and because they’re so bad at keeping the ball, their defense struggles as well. JP Losman is young, and already people are giving up on him. This is his first year as a starter. Give the kid a break. Look at Drew Brees, it took him 4 years to contribute. The Bills aren’t ready. Their best offensive weapon, Willis McGahee, is hurting, and their best defensive player has been out since Week 4. Buffalo has nothing to play for. Denver comes into town looking to keep their division lead and possible a couple home games come post-season play. Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell should form an admirable duo in this one. Jake won’t make mistakes and the Broncos will play much better than they did last week. Game Date: 12/17/05 20:30 ET

Arizona (-1) at Houston – With the way Kris Brown kicked that field goal at the end of last weeks game, I truly can’t justify betting on the Texans to win a football game. It’s apparent that they either A- aren’t trying to win, or B- are trying very, very hard to lose. Okay, there is a C- the Texans are cursed by the the prince of darkness and they will never win another football game as long as humans rule the earth. You decide. I’ll decide this one, the Cardinals win in a game that means about as much as a regular season Major League Baseball game. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin blow up. (Figuratively)
Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

Carolina (-8.5) at New Orleans – The Panthers are levels above Atlanta. The Saints were destroyed by the Falcons on Monday Night Football. How in the hell can I justify taking the Saints in a game that isn’t even during prime time? I can’t. The Saints’ season was over months ago, just like the outcome of this game. I would be surprised if the Saints get within 20 points of the Panthers. Carolina has too much on the line, and they’ve been looking forward to this rematch since their opening day loss to New Orleans.
Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

N.Y. Jets at Miami (-9) – The Jets showed they could win a football game last week against… wait, they just beat the Raiders, that’s all. How bad is Oakland? Miami has won 3 in a row since Nick Saban told the world that wins didn’t matter for his football team. Fooled me. Miami beat the Chargers in San Diego last week. Who are they kidding? If New England loses out, (Almost impossible because NE plays the Jets) and the Dolphins win out, (possible), the Dolphins would go to the playoffs and the Patriots would sit home. Needless to say, this game means a lot for the Fins. Nick Saban will lead his team to their biggest victory since they upended the Dolphins in Week 1.
Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

Philadelphia at St. Louis (-3) – The Eagles played tight with the Giants, but not even a stellar first-start performance by Ryan Moats could propel the Eagles to victory. This week, the Rams will outgun the Eagles in St. Louis. Torry Holt will have a big game, he’s always wide open. Steven Jackson will bounce back from 3 consecutive weeks where he pooped the bed, to lead the Rams to victory with 25+ carries. Moats will find room to run once again, but Mike McMahon won’t do enough for the Eagles to win.
Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

Pittsburgh (-3.5) at Minnesota – The Steelers ended the Chicago streak last week with a gutty and flawless performance by their second year signal caller, Big Ben Roethlisberger. Hines Ward fought a big fight on his way to the endzone for the Steelers’ first touchdown and Jerome Bettis rumbled and bumbled for their second. Pittsburgh’s defense wouldn’t allow Kyle Orton to get anything going through the air, and they did a nice job shutting down the Bear rushing attack. This week will be a little bit of the same in Minnesota. The Vikings will find their streak ended by the Steelers, just as the Bears did. Both teams need this victory to stay in the playoff hunt, but the Steel show will out play the Vikings on Sunday. Their will be no room to run, and Brad Johnson won’t find the same success through the air. The Steelers don’t commit turnovers, so it will be hard for the Vikings to capitalize. Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

San Diego (+8.5) at Indianapolis – The Chargers need this victory about a million times more than the Colts do. If anything, a loss for the Colts here might actually help their Super Bowl chances. A loss would put an end to any speculation on resting players, an undefeated season, what should Tony do, and all that other junk. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Colts should go for the gusto, nothing is more powerful than a perfect season Super Bowl Champion. Think about it. Everyone knows about the Ô72 Dolphins, but can you name the last 5 Super Bowl Winners? Okay, the Patriots have won three, but everyone only knows that because they won three. The other two? Exactly. Unfortunately for the Colts, a pissed off Charger team will tromp into Indianapolis with their playoff lives at stake, and come out with a huge upset. LT will show up on Sunday as the best player in the NFL, and a couple big plays on defense will surprise Peyton and the Colts. Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

Seattle (-7.5) at Tennessee – The Seahawks won’t overlook the Titans just because they play the AFC’s top team in Week 16. Mike Holmgren knows the Titans can play tough football, and he also knows that the best thing the Seahawks could do is put this game out of reach by half time like they did last week against the Niners. The Titans don’t have the firepower to hang with the Hawks, and they know it. Plus, next week might be just as meaningless for the Hawks as it should be for the Colts. Look for Shaun Alexander to score 3 times in the first half before he’s pulled for a spot on the sideline begging Holmgren to put him back in so he can run for the record books. Is it just me or does Mike enjoy watching Shaun squirm about?
Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

San Francisco at Jacksonville (-16) – The 49ers are a very bad football team with a very bad running game and a rookie quarterback who is years away from making an NFL impact. Did I mention their defense hasn’t managed to prevent Urcle from scoring? The Jaguars might not be as good without Byron in the lineup, but David Garrard has all it takes to put a lump on the Niners. He can run much better than Byron, and the Jaguars will use that to their advantage. All games from here on out are must wins for Jacksonville. The AFC is crazy. Game Date: 12/18/05 13:05 ET

Cincinnati (-8) at Detroit – The Bengals will bounce back from their most pathetic offensive performance of the season last week against the Browns. The thing that speaks volumes about the Bengals is that even in their off week they managed to come out victorious. This week Cincinnati goes to Detroit to play the red-hot Lions. Their faces are red with embarrassment, and their asses are hot from getting kicked around by every team in the league. Nothing will put an end to Detroit’s misery this season, not even that crazy fat lady from the movie Misery. Watch Carson Palmer come back in fine fashion, making a late season push for the MVP award.
Game Date: 12/18/05 16:10 ET

Cleveland (+3) at Oakland – The Browns haven’t played too shabby of late. The Raiders are worse than the Duke Blue Devil football team. I don’t think it’s right to give Tui one start and then write him off for good, but Andrew Walter is a young gun slinger who just happens to be waiting for a chance to shine. Could he do for the Raiders what Charlie ÒBrownÓ Frye has done for the the Browns? Randy Moss sure hopes so, anyone who can get him the ball would be real nice, especially for my fantasy football team. Reuben Droughns will take advantage of a tired and depleted Raider defense on Sunday. Look for the Browns to come out with much more firepower as they take down the Raiders at home. Game Date: 12/18/05 16:10 ET

Dallas (+2.5) at Washington – The Cowboys are better than the Redskins. Ouch. It hurts to say it, but the Cowboys should win this game. I’ll take a loss in the bank account to watch the Girls lose to the Skins on Sunday. The problem is I don’t see it happening. Drew Bledsoe, yes, my least favorite quarterback since Ryan Leaf, has been playing some fine football lately. I hope to God that ends sunday, mind you, but signs point to that not happening. Expect the Skins to put up a late fight, but the season sweep of their biggest rival is out of the question. The Cowboys will still find the playoffs tough sledding, but with a win here they’ll stay in the hunt.
Game Date: 12/18/05 16:20 ET

Atlanta at Chicago (-3) – The Bears lost last week, and all of a sudden their bandwagon lost a ton of weight. Well, now it has enough room for my big ass. The Bears will shut down Mike Vick and pound Thomas Jones into an Atlanta defensive front that couldn’t stop a gang of Care-Bears. The Falcons don’t match up well against the Bears, and that doesn’t bode well for Falcon playoff aspirations. Mike Vick will be at home watching this years post-season for the first time since he was hurt. Kyle Orton will do just enough for the Bears to slay the Dirty Birds. Game Date: 12/18/05 20:40 ET

Green Bay (+3.5) at Baltimore – The Packers aren’t a good football team. In fact, they’re down right pitiful. The Pack is fighting for wins that don’t mean a thing and Brett Favre is starting, getting needlessly pounded, and throwing oodles of interceptions while rookie quarterback Aaron Rodgers is waiting for his chance to show the Packers who they picked in the first round. They won’t sit Brett, though, in which case they’ll have just enough to take down the Ravens in Baltimore. But it will be Samkon Gado who leads the Packers to victory, not the old man with the gray beard. Mike Sherman has seen his last days in Green Bay, why not make them wins?
Game Date: 12/19/05 21:10 ET
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2005 Week 14 NFL Pick Review

Following Perfection: Is Always Difficult
5-9-2

It looks like I need to go back to Winnie Cooper’s doorstep. After one of the best two week runs in recent history, (28-4) I took a Kris Brown dive into a 5-9-2 week. I was worried about the hugemungous lines looking to trip me up, and as it turns out I had reason to worry. Surprises were out in full force, upsets went banana’s, the Colts went to 13-0. Take a quick look at my week 13 Review and find out why I went wrong.

LOSERS

Tampa Bay @ Carolina (-5.5) – Deshaun Foster didn’t do much, and Jake Delhomme did even less as the Panthers got demolished. The score wasn’t as telling as the actual game. Chris Simms wasn’t amazing, but Cadillac Williams rolled like an Escalade through the Panthers’ defense. The Buccaneer defense is back to the dominant team they were years ago with Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks and the gang. Look out for the Buc!

Chicago (+6) @ Pittsburgh – “Don’t count out Big Ben though, even with the injury, he’s in his third game back, expect him to play mistake free.” (Me) This was a tough game for me, but it looks like I should have went with my own advice. Ben was flawless as the Steelers took it to the beloved Bear defense. Willie Parker ran tough, and then Jerome Bettis came in and plowed through the snow into the end zone. The Steelers gave me loss number two.

Oakland (-3) @ NY Jets – “The Raiders are horrendous. Kerry Collins sucks, and anyone who thinks it’s all Norv Turner’s fault is probably as drunk as Kerry looks on a daily basis. Does anyone else in football look like they’ve battled the booze more than Kerry? Randy Moss looks as sedated running routes as he does after an off-season run in with the Magic Dragon, and Lamont Jordan doesn’t get the opportunity to get out of the backfield. And that’s only the offense. Yikes. Luckily for the Raiders and their fans, they play the Jets this weekend.” (Me) I guess it’s not so lucky for the Raiders and their fans. When they lose to a team like the Jets everyone finally realizes how bad it’s become in Oakland. Norv’s job is over.

Houston @ Tennessee (-6.5) – Well, Houston continued to do what they needed to do to lose themselves into the Reggie Bush sweepstakes. All along I have thought the Texans’ were doing a great job of pretending to try and win games while continuing to lose. This week that was not the case. Kris Brown, one of the leagues most accurate kickers, had a 31 yard chance to tie the game. The ball was snapped perfectly, the hold flawless, the kick… about as wide left as you could kick it without hitting the independent party. Amazing. Should they have done it? Yes. Should they have made it look like that? C’mon, kick it low, get it blocked, something. Anything but that joke of an attempt.

Cleveland @ Cincinnati (-12) -Charlie Brown (Frye) has been the greatest thing to happen to Cleveland since the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. The kid is playing great, making many wonder why he didn’t get his shot to run the team earlier. It’s a shame that Braylon Edwards is out for the year, those two would be fun to watch. The Bengals couldn’t put the Brownies away. Cleveland led most of the game until Carson Palmer found TJ H. for his lone touchdown pass of the day. A game winning field goal for Shayne Graham won the game… for the Bengals, not for the Lucky Lester. Carson Palmer looked bad for the first time this year.

NY Giants (-8.5) @ Philadelphia – The Eagles did everything they could to win this game. But, their offense just didn’t have enough fire power to gun their way to victory. Eli Manning played like a pile of horse shite. If it wasn’t for Tiki torching the Eagles, the Giants would have fallen from the playoff picture. I can’t imagine the Giants playing well enough down the stretch to find themselves in the playoffs. They’re just not that good. Now I know.

Miami @ San Diego (-13) – “The Dolphins did two things last week. They showed me how absolutely terrible they can be and they showed their resilience.” (Me) It pains me to give myself advice and fail to listen to it. The Dolphins play tough football day in a day out. That speaks volumes for Nick Saban. In a game that meant the world to the Chargers, I just didn’t see a loss about to happen. Miami didn’t come to San Diego just to let the Chargers walk in to the playoffs. Now the Chargers will have to win out to make the c ut. Don’t look now San Diego but you’re flying to Indianapolis on Sunday. I hear they’re pretty good.

Baltimore @ Denver (-14) – I lost my 5th Jenna Spread-em game (over 6 points) of the week when Denver couldn’t find room to score against the Ravens. They still won, they just didn’t lead me to victory. That’s like getting punched in the face and kicked in the balls. I bet on Denver, they won, I lost. It hurts me more than it hurts you, I’m sure of it.

Detroit @ Green Bay (-6) – Both of these teams suck. They both sucked on Sunday Night football too. So at least they are both honest. Samkon Gado, and two decent defenses were the only bright spots on the field. If you haven’t heard the Samkon Gado story, listen closely. The kid could be a doctor, but he wanted to give the NFL a shot. He started 2 games in college at some little school. He’s started more games in the NFL, as a rookie, than he started in his entire college career. Stud.

WINNERS

New Orleans @ Atlanta (-10) – The Falcons made me a Monday Night winner for the 3rd straight week. It was an easy victory as the Saints rolled over after they pulled to within four on a last second touchdown drive at the end of the half. Usually that gives a team momentum. Not the Saints, they’re out to prove they never have momentum. They’ve convinced me. Note to self: Never Bet On The Saints!!!

New England (-4) @ Buffalo – “If Eric Moulds is indeed suspended, as reports have published, Belichick will find it easy to key in on Lee Evans. Look for the Patriots to blitz Losman early and often on their way to a Sunday victory.” (Me) Eric Moulds was suspended. Belichick locked in on Lee Evans and blitzed the hell out of Losman. Outcome? 35-3. Nice work to all involved.

St. Louis @ Minnesota (-7) – The Vikings defense dominated everything the Rams threw at them, and ran at them for that matter. Steven Jackson was held under 70 yards, and Harvard Boy couldn’t get anything done against Minnesota’s recently tough secondary. Will the Viking defense carry their offense into the playoffs? Talk about a roll reversal.

Washington (-3.5) @ Cardinals – “Kurt Warner will have another week where his picks outnumber his touchdowns, and Clinton Portis will have his second strong week in a row. Chris Cooley and Santana Moss will have big games.” (Me) Kurt only matched his single touchdown with a single interception, but he did lose a fumble, so I’ll give me that prediction. Clinton rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown, while Santana Moss and Chris Cooley led the Redskins in receiving. You’ve got to love those half point victories.

San Francisco @ Seattle (-16) – “Seattle doesn’t have time to waste too much energy on the 49ers. Instead of allowing the inferior Niners to hang around all game long like they did a few weeks ago, they’ll come out with a mission to have the starters out at half-time. The Seattle Defense will forcefully slam Alex Smith into multiple turnovers like they did to Mike McMahon last week in Philadelphia.” 41-3… Last two games; 83-3. Shaun got his 100 yards and the Seahawks had this one in the bag by half time. This one felt good.

PUSH

Indianapolis (-8) @ Jacksonville – This was a little bit painful. The Jags didn’t really have a chance, but then they got an onside kick and momentum jumped on board. I thought the Jags were going to pull it off when David Garrard converted the two point conversion. Then Peyton Manning came on the field and completed a 3rd and 7 to finish off the game. He’s too damn good! The Jaguars came back just in the nick of time to push me around.

Kansas City (+3) @ Dallas – This game broke my balls. As you all know, (If you are a weekly reader) I hate a couple things in football. Jerry Jones, Drew Bledsoe, and the Cowboys. Watching Dallas win behind a brilliant game by Drew Bledsoe was just like getting kicked in the balls. Kansas City gave their kicker a 40 yard opportunity to send the game into overtime. He failed. The Chiefs might have fallen right out of the playoffs because of it. Tynes pushed it wide right as I got pushed to a tie.
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Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 14

Some say it was Lucky… They’re right. It was Lucky who picked 16 games correctly. It was Lucky who followed up his 12-4 Week 12 with a 16-0 week 13. It was Lucky who went to the local “club” and celebrated with friends (Bubbles, Jazmine, Nikki, Tracy, and CJ). I was a football pick’em god last week. This week there shall only be more of the same. Perfection finds only a few, Jessica Beil, Jessica Alba, the 1972 Dolphins, and me. How will I follow my perfect week? you ask. I’m going for the gusto. follow along as I sing my song.Tampa Bay @ Carolina (-5.5) – The last four weeks the Bucs have played average teams and ended up 3-1. In those wins, they’ve just barely won, taking three games by a combined 11 points. This week the Carolina Panthers invite the Buccaneers to town, and they aren’t as friendly as the Redskins, Saints, and Falcons. Carolina’s defense is something Chris Simms won’t get used to. He’ll get harassed often, finishing the game with multiple turnovers. Deshaun Foster is the all around running back Carolina needed to become on of the NFC’s best teams, he’ll be the deciding force in a Panther win on Sunday.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

New England (-4) @ Buffalo – The Buffalo Bills showed me they can’t win football games when they lost to the Dolphins last week. They’ll still be sick from the last second loss that removed them from any hopes of playoff contention. JP Losman won’t find all the open spaces in the New England secondary, he just doesn’t have it yet. If Eric Moulds is indeed suspended, as reports have published, Belichick will find it easy to key in on Lee Evans. Look for the Patriots to blitz Losman early and often on their way to a Sunday victory.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

St. Louis @ Minnesota (-7) – The Vi-Kings are inching closer and closer to a spot in the playoffs. Are you kidding me? If you would have told me that 6 weeks ago, I would have pooped in your soup. Now, I’m on the train, or ship if you will. Reports out of Minnesota are that ex-panther bathroom loving cheerleaders are welcome to find business in Minnesota. The weather isn’t as nice, but boats are better than bathroom stalls in bars. Koren Robinson showed last week that he can be a number one receiver. Now if he can just “Say nope to dope” everything would be grand. Look for Brad Johnson to take full advantage of a spotty Ram secondary. The Viking defense will play well again. Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Chicago (+6) @ Pittsburgh – I’m not sure who will win this big game, but I’d bet it’s not by more than 3 points. The Bears have one of the greatest defense the league has seen in some time. That is the great spread equalizer. Six points is hard to come-by when finding enough yardage to get into field goal range is like pulling impacted wisdom teeth (which sucks). Kyle Orton isn’t allowed to make many mistakes, which means the tough Steeler defense will get a healthy dose of Thomas Jones and company. Don’t count out Big Ben though, even with the injury, he’s in his third game back, expect him to play mistake free. Take the points! Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Oakland (-3) @ NY Jets – The Raiders are horrendous. Kerry Collins sucks, and anyone who thinks it’s all Norv Turner’s fault is probably as drunk as Kerry looks on a daily basis. Does anyone else in football look like they’ve battled the booze more than Kerry? Randy Moss looks as sedated running routes as he does after an off-season run in with the Magic Dragon, and Lamont Jordan doesn’t get the opportunity to get out of the backfield. And that’s only the offense. Yikes. Luckily for the Raiders and their fans, they play the Jets this weekend. The T-e-r-r-i-b-l-e Jets. New York doesn’t have a quarterback that is ready to play on Sunday, and the rest of their team isn’t good enough to make up for that fact. This isn’t a game I’d like to see, but I’m as sure as shit the Jets will lose their 8th consecutive game.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Indianapolis (-8) @ Jacksonville – The Colts are lucky they don’t have to go into Jacksonville and face the Jaguars with Byron Leftwich at the helm. This is a huge game for David Garrard, but I’m not sure he can handle all the pressure. The Colts don’t overlook teams, that’s why they’re so great. Jacksonville usually plays the Colts tough, and I think they’ll do exactly that, but to expect the Jags to get within 10 points of the best team in football without their starting quarterback is too much. The Jaguars will play a tight first half, but in the end, a 2 touchdown victory taking the Colts to 13-0 is fully expected. Next weeks game against the Chargers will be the Colts’ first loss of the season. Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Houston @ Tennessee (-6.5) – The Texans aren’t as terrible as 1-11, they’re more like a 3-8 team with enough luck to lose their way into the #1 draft spot. Lucky! Either way, 1 win, 3 wins, they still suck. The Titans play well against the garbage of the league, and they’ll do it again on Sunday. Steve McNair practiced on Wednesday, and he’ll most likely start on Sunday. Chris Brown should be around 100% and Drew Bennett is dying for a breakout game. Look for Houston to continue down the Reggie Bush path.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Cleveland @ Cincinnati (-12) -When the Browns play an opponent with a winning record they are 1-3. IN those 3 losses they’ve never lost by less than 12 points. In Week 1 the Bengals took the Browns apart in Cleveland, 27-13. Expect a bigger lashing this week in Cinci. Carson Palmer has been as accurate as ever, and the players around him seem to thrive with him on the field. Chad Johnson hasn’t blown up in any of the past few games, so expect him to pick on Cleveland on Sunday. Charlie Frye will start his second professional game, but don’t expect him to go another game without a turnover. The Bengals have a knack for forcing turnovers, leading the league in takeaway / giveaway ratio. Take the Bengals in an easy one.
Game Date: 12/11/05 13:00 ET

Washington (-3.5) @ Cardinals – The Redskins aren’t a dominant football team, but they’re much better than the Cardinals. Washington’s defense has struggled of late, but expect them to blitz Kurt Warner until he cries mercy. The Cards don’t have the offensive line to stop the Skins’ blitzing linebackers. Kurt Warner will have another week where his picks outnumber his touchdowns, and Clinton Portis will have his second strong week in a row. Chris Cooley and Santana Moss will have big games with Mark Brunell finding plenty of time to let it fly. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:05 ET

NY Giants (-8.5) @ Philadelphia – If the Eagles didn’t show the world how bad it’s gotten in Philly, they’ll be issuing a repeat performance on Sunday against the Giants. With Brian Westbrook down and out, the Eagles have seemingly lost all hope, if any was left after Donovan’s injury. Andy Reid is inline to pick up a game changing receiver in the draft. These loses might be more of a blessing than the Eagles originally expected. The Giants aren’t quite as good as the Seahawks, but Eli Manning should do enough to finish off the Eagles by the end of the 3rd quarter. Look for the Eagles to continue their downward tumble. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:05 ET

San Francisco @ Seattle (-16) – Seattle doesn’t have time to waste too much energy on the 49ers. Instead of allowing the inferior Niners to hang around all game long like they did a few weeks ago, they’ll come out with a mission to have the starters out at half-time. Look for Shaun Alexander to get his two touchdowns, and Matt Hasselbeck will try to get back on line with returning star wide receiver Darrell Jackson. The Seattle Defense will forcefully slam Alex Smith into multiple turnovers like they did to Mike McMahon last week in Philadelphia. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:05 ET

Miami @ San Diego (-13) – The Dolphins did two things last week. They showed me how absolutely terrible they can be and they showed their resilience. Don’t be confused, they never once showed that they were good. The Chargers are quite possibly the second best team in football. They won’t allow the Dolphins to play with them, just because their resilient. Ladainian Tomlinson was held without a touchdown last week against Oakland. That won’t happen again. With Zach Thomas out of the lineup, LT will take full advantage of Miami’s youth in their linebacking corps. This is San Diego’s easiest game left on the schedule. It’s a must win. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:15 ET

Baltimore @ Denver (-14) – The Ravens are a bad team. Kyle Boller hasn’t grown into an NFL quarterback. The Raven linemen and running backs seem to be digressing. And probably most surprisingly, Baltimore’s defense has been anything but great this year. I don’t hide the fact that Denver isn’t one of my favorite teams, but they’re at least two touchdowns better than the Ravens, especially in Mile High. Jake Plummer made snakelike mistakes last week, and it cost Denver the game. He won’t make the same mistakes this week. Handoffs will be a larger part of the Bronco offensive game plan. Look for Tatum Bell to breakout with his first big game in the last few weeks.
Game Date: 12/11/05 16:15 ET

Kansas City (+3) @ Dallas – The Chiefs are the better team here. I said it. Dallas hasn’t played well in must-win games, (see last weeks debacle). This is a must-win for both teams, but especially the Chiefs. If Dallas loses, they fall to 7-6 with 3 very winnable games to go, Washington, Carolina (whom might have their spot wrapped up by then), and St. Louis. If the Chiefs lose, the consequences could be much worse. Kansas City finishes the season against New York, San Diego, and Cincinnati. Ouch. And in the AFC 10 wins might not get you into the post-season. Take the better team with more to lose to upset the Cowgirls in Dallas. Game Date: 12/11/05 16:15 ET

Detroit @ Green Bay (-6) – The Lions are tumbling into the Jets’ realm of extinction. Stay tuned to Sunday Night Football if you want to watch the trend continue with a loss to the pathetic Packers. Brett Favre has played sub-Brett, he lost his top receiver to start the season, he’s handing the ball off to his 3rd sting running back, and his offensive line is sieved-like at best. The Packer defense has been surprisingly stingy, but they can’t do it alone. You’d think all of this would add up to a loss. The you realize they’re playing the Lions. I know they’re led by none other than Jeff Garcia, and they have loads of talent on both sides of the ball, but they are horrendous. Everything’s bad about Detroit these days. Watch Brett bounce back from a couple bad weeks in a row, to have one of his best of the season. Don’t expect jack from the Lions.
Game Date: 12/11/05 20:35 ET

New Orleans @ Atlanta (-10) – This is a real powerful Monday Night showdown. New Orleans hasn’t won since Clinton was in office, and Atlanta is methodically dropping out of the playoff picture as they find themselves last in their division, having lost 3 of their last 4, including a tumble to Green Bay in Atlanta. Fortunately the Falcons play the Saints. Mike Vick always plays well against his cousin’s team, and Aaron Brooks hasn’t played well all year. This doesn’t bode well for New Orleans, and it really doesn’t bode well for those of you hoping for a decent Monday Night game. Look for New Orleans to die while Atlanta breaks out the defibrillator pads in attempt to jump start their season. Gubernational! Game Date: 12/12/04 21:10 ET
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Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

2005 Week 13 NFL Pick Review

I’d Like to thank Winnie Cooper
A PERFECT SEASON?

Or just a perfect week? The Colts might go 16-0, but the real story is, I already did. I must say, when you go 16-0, looking back on your own article feels like one hell of a pat yourself on the back fest. I give all my credit to Winnie, who just happened to be that little extra stroke of luck I needed to break out with the best single week record of all time. Yes, I went undefeated with a perfect 16-0 record in Week 13. Some would say “genius,” some would say “Lucky,” hell you can say whatever you want, the bottom line is Lucky Lester was the god of Week 13.

Atlanta at Carolina (-3) – “If Stephen Davis was still starting, I would take the Falcons, because there is no way he can pound the Falcons outside the tackles. In an intelligent move, the Panther brass has decided to start Deshaun Foster for the second straight week. Atlanta loses when teams can run the ball against them. This game will be no different.” (Me) Deshaun Foster started and didn’t disappoint. He ran for 131 yards and caught 3 passes for 50 yards. He scored two touchdowns leading the Panthers to my first of many. 1-0.

Buffalo (+4) at Miami – I knew I had the game in hand, and I was pretty sure the Buff were going to pull out a much needed victory in Miami. One of two ain’t bad. The Bills gave up easy completions by Sage Rosenfels, and Chris Chambers jumped up in the end zone, grabbed a touchdown pass from Sage, and fell down with the victory. One for me, one for the Dolphins. 2-0.

Cincinnati (+3) at Pittsburgh – “This showdown in Pittsburgh will be the weeks best game, but don’t expect the home team to come out on top. One more week for Ben Roethlisberger to find his touch, then the Steelers will start winning again.” (Me) The Bengals came through in fine fashion, taking down the Steelers in Pittsburgh 38-31 in one of the weeks best games. Carson Palmer was stellar, and the Bengal defense continued to find ways to get takeaways, causing Big Ben to throw 3 interceptions. 3-0.

Dallas at N.Y. Giants (-3) – “Drew Bledsoe is too slow to get away from the Giant pass rush that stymied one of the best offensive lines in football last week in Seattle. I never thought I’d say this, but the Giants defense will be too tough for the Cowboys to pull off the upset.” (Me) It hurts, oh it hurts, it hurst so bad to be this good. Drew Bledsoe looked like a VW Bug idling away from a Ferrari as the Giant defense ran a clinic on Bill Parcells Cowgirls. 4-0.

Green Bay at Chicago (-7) – “For the billionth time this year, Brett Favre’s interceptions will outnumber his touchdown tosses. Thomas Jones will pound the Packers defensive front into submission early.” (Me) Thomas Jones had 93 yards on the ground, and Brett Favre threw 2 interceptions an 0 touchdowns. My Uncle John chastised me for telling the world Brett would double up his TD’s with picks. He’s old, bitter, and old. Thanks for proving my genius Brett. 5-0.

Houston (+8) at Baltimore – The Texans lost, but really won. Yes, it is possible to do, especially when you have the worst record in football and Reggie Bush will be showing up at the ’06 draft. Houston has proven that they can play good football, they just haven’t come out on the lucky end of Sunday. The Texans played well within the 8 points they were getting, and managed to lose again. A win win. One win for me, one win for their draft. 6-0.

Jacksonville (-3) at Cleveland – The Jaguars started off slow, giving up two touchdown passes by Charlie Frye to Braylon Edwards. Then, they tightened the clamps. After the first two scores, the Jaguars never allowed the Browns to get close to the end zone again. The Jag D held Droughns to less than 3 yards a carry, and didn’t allow a single point in the second half. Garrard threw 2 TD’s, and the Jags ran the ball 36 times. Ah, it feels good. 7-0.

Minnesota (-3) at Detroit – The Vikings dominated the hapless Lions, even with Detroit’s savior, Jeff Garcia, back at the helm. Garcia completed less than half his passes, throwing for 0 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Nice. The Lions went another week without a 100 yard rusher. Nice. Minnesota discovered Koren Robinson to the drum of 148 yards receiving. Pep liked the look of that from the owner’s box. The score was much closer than the game, but this was as close as I got to defeat. Whew. 8-0.

Tampa Bay (-4) at New Orleans – Okay, I admit, the Saints played closer to the Bucs than I imagined. Cadillac almost hit 100, but it was Chris Simms and Joey Galloway hooking up for the games only touchdown. Aaron Brooks sealed my 9th win with his 4th interception on the day, this one going to Rhonde Barber who pulled down 3 on Sunday. New Orleans is a bad football team. Never doubt that.
9-0.

Tennessee at Indianapolis (-16) – “The Colts won’t slip up against the Titans. There is no way Peyton, Coach Dungy, and the Defense will overlook this match-up. The Titans don’t have a powerful offensive line. That will be exploited on Sunday in Indianapolis.” (Me) The Colts sacked Steve McNair thrice (forcing a fumble), and dropped Billy Volek once after they knocked McNair out of the game. Exploited? Yes the Titan’s offensive line way. The Colts didn’t overlook Tennessee as they skipped to 12-0, still on pace to go undefeated. Speaking of undefeated, this game took me to 10-0.

Arizona (-3) at San Francisco – “The Cardinals have really struggled, but they’ve found offensive fire power with Kurt Warner throwing powder-puff balls to Larry Fitz and Anquan Boldin.” (Me) Warner had 354 yards through the air as Larry Fitz and Anquan Boldin combined for 19 catches, 285 yards, and a score. Can I call it or can I call it? Alex Smith made the Cardinals defense look decent, as he was picked 3 times, and sacked thrice on the day. I stared off the afternoon with another W. 11-0.

Washington (-3) at St. Louis – “The Rams won’t get lucky for the second straight week… Not with LaVar Arrington making sure luck gets it’s ass pounded into the ground. There is no way the Redskins give up all those rushing yards two weeks in a row, is there? My bet is staying away from the Rams. Clinton Portis will have his best game of the year yardage-wise and Mark Brunell will find Santana Moss for old-times sake.” I’m telling you it hurst, oh, it hurts to be this good. I don’t have a glass ball or anything, I’m just pure genius. No gimmicks. Just genius. Got it? Clinton Portis missed his best day of the year by 6 yards. Brunell found Moss three times, while Chris Cooley got the touchdown. Oh, and the Redskins defense gave up less than 50 yards on the ground. I matched the Colts at 12-0.

Denver at Kansas City (+1.5) – “The Chiefs have more on the line at home against Denver, so they’ll play to win. Larry Johnson will rush for more yards than Denver has given up to any other back all year. And Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell will both fail to reach the 100 yard plateau. Just trust me on this one, the Chiefs need this game and Angry Larry will pull them past the Broncos.” First and foremost, the Chiefs won, taking me to 13-0. Second, Larry Johnson rushed for more yards against the Denver D, than any other player this year. And last and possibly least, Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson didn’t even combine for 100 total rushing yards. Genius. 13-0.

N.Y. Jets at New England (-10) -This game sucked. The Patriots won 16-3. It was 6-3 at the half. Nothing happened in this game, so there’s nothing to report. I won again, that’s always nice. 14-0.

Oakland at San Diego (-11) – The Raiders couldn’t hang with the Chargers. Shit, they couldn’t even compete for longer than a half. Down ten going into the 3rd quarter, the Raiders looked like they had already given up. And they have. Just as I predicted, the Raiders were one of the more pathetic teams on Sunday. LT had a decent but not spectacular game, as the Chargers weren’t forced to exhert any effort after the first quarter or two. It’s good to get a good rest in from time to time. 15-0.

Seattle (-4) at Philadelphia – “The Hawks will win easily.” (Me) Going into Monday Night I was sure I had my perfect week locked up. This was my easiest pick of the week. Usually Mondays are tough for me, but not this Monday. Shaun Alexander was shut down pretty well, he only had two touchdowns, but the Seattle Defense had 3 on way to shutting out the flightless Eagles. Perfection is sweet, enjoy it if you can, it’s always nice when your 13 game parlay pays out 100,000$, isn’t it? For 10 bucks a week it seems worth it, eh?

AT LAST! PERFECTION!

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Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

Week 14 College Football Picks Review

In the Shadow of Perfection
My third winning week in as many tries wasn’t as flashy as the last two, but I’ll take 5-4 in an off week. Central Florida wen’t down, and Virginia Tech and LSU found themselves at the short end of the BCS whooping stick after losses to FSU and Gerogia. Texas and USC prevailed in a huge way on way to one of the greatest championship games of all time, Rose Bowl. Georgia and West Virginia won their way to a Sugar Bowl Match-up, as Notre Dame and Ohio State sat anxiously watching if they’d both get in, they did, they’ll play eachother in the Fiesta Bowl. FSU snuck in to the BCS by taking Virginia Tech out of the whole picture. They’ll play Penn state in the Orange Bowl. As for week 14 of the regular season. I was 5-4, this is how I did it. (5-4 isn’t bad, but if you want to see something spectacular, check out my NFL week 13 Review.)
LOSERS

Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Tech (-14) – The Hokies let FSU steal their rightful spot in a BCS Bowl game. Tech knows they should be playing Penn State in the Orange Bowl. FSU knows it. Fortunately the BCS and the ACC made a deal, the ACC champ gets an automatic bid. FSU crumbled Tech’s hopes of a single loss season while simultaniously removing the Hokies from a big bowl pay day. That sneaky Bobby Bowden.

Louisville Cardinals (-15) @ Connecticut Huskies – (Louisville 30 – Connecticut 20)The Huskies managed 6 4th quarter points while the Cardinals sat on the pg skin, attempting to speed up a victory that was already theirs. Schucks Auto Supply. Those Cards have suckered me over and over this year.

Colorado Buffaloes (+28) @ Texas Longhorns – (Colorado 3 – Texas 70) I was wrong. The Texas Longhorns came out to prove a point. And they did exactly that. This Rose Bowl will be one of the greatest match-ups of all time. Neither team played a trying schedule, though both squads won their way into a perfect regular season. The Buffs were no challege for the Longhorns, and Texas didn’t seem to be looking ahead, they didn’t need to, they already knew where they were going with a victory.

Tulsa Golden Hurricanes @ Central Florida Golden Nights (-1) – (Tulsa 44 – CF 27) Tulsa upset Central Florida, ending George O’Leary’s great comeback season. After an 0-11 season a year ago, O’Leary really coached the Nights well. Tulas didn’t care much about that though. They absolutely destroyed CF in the second half.

WINNERS

LSU @ Georgia (+1.5) – (LSU 14 – Georgia 34) In a game that was more of a blowout than a thriller, the Bulldogs still found themselves on top when the 4th quarter was over. DJ Shockely carried his Bulldogs, but the Gerogia defense was a force as well. A BCS Bowl for the Bulldogs is a nice reward for giving the LSU Tigers their second loss of the season.

UCLA Bruins @ USC Trojans (-20) – (UCLA 19 – USC 66) “Something tells me that UCLA starting linebackers wonÕt be telling everyone that Maurice Drew is a better running back than Reggie Bush after the game on Saturday. Do you really need to?” (Me) Wasn’t this destined to happen? Bush had over 200 yards in the first half. He’s amazing. The Trojans walked to an undefeated regular season.

West Virginia (-10) @ South Florida – (WVU 28 – SF 13) West Virignia won easily on Saturday, assuring the Moutaineers’ spot in the Sugar Bowl. The WVU defense allowed only one touchdown, and it came in a meaningless 4th quarter.

San Diego State Aztecs @ Hawaii Warriors (-3) – Hawaii took down the Aztecs in a shootout where the teams combined to score 87 points. As it seems, you don’t go into a shootout against the Warriors in Hawaii. The Warriors took their last game by 11, bringing me to 4-4 on the day.

Navy Midshipmen (-6) @ Army Cadets – “I usually always take the underdogs in these rivalry battles, but the Midshipmen are that much better than Army. Close losses to Stanford, Maryland, Rutgers, and Notre Dame have taken the Midshipmen to 6-4, but theyÕre a much better team because of their tough schedule. Navy should blow the Cadets out of the water in this military mismatch.” (Me) I was right on the Ca-Dot with this one, Navy was clearly the stronger team in this years rivalry, and it showed.

Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 13

Winnie CooperIn names sake alone, Winnie Cooper shall will me to win. In your heart and mine, Winnie will always have a place, and with a name like Winnie, who else would better fit an article predicting winners such as this one. You must read on, I have the Texans winning for God’s sake. They’re 1-10 on the year, so if my prediction screams true they’ll double up on Sunday. Hold your tits and toes, this is going to be one wild ride.

Atlanta at Carolina (-3) – The Carolina Panthers have really struggled running the football this year. If Stephen Davis was still starting, I would take the Falcons, because there is no way he can pound the Falcons outside the tackles. In an intelligent move, the Panther brass has decided to start Deshaun Foster for the second straight week. Atlanta loses when teams can run the ball against them. This game will be no different. Sunday is huge for both teams, and Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith will find open spaces after the Falcons are forced to gear their defense to stop the run. Take the Panthers at home. Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Buffalo (+4) at Miami – The little bird int the window says Miami 17, Buffalo 7, but I hate birds. If Buffalo wins out they could take the Patriot’s playoff spot, well technically anyway. Winning out starts this weekend in Miami. Many people expected more from the Buff, will they prove themselves this week against the weak Miami Dolphins? Ricky Williams had his best game of the year last week, and he’ll continue to get his fair share of carries down the stretch. This is an advertisement session for Nick Saban. He’s selling Ricky as a solid back. And he’s exactly that, but Ronnie Brown has the ability to be great which limits Ricky’s time in Miami. Look for Buffalo to slow Ricky just enough to take the Fins down in Miami.
Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Cincinnati (+3) at Pittsburgh – The Steelers were embarrassed on Monday Night Football, so they should be ready and rearing to dismantle the Bengals at home on Sunday. Unfortunately for them, the Bengals are one of the top 5 teams in football and they’re always ready to play. This showdown in Pittsburgh will be the weeks best game, but don’t expect the home team to come out on top. One more week for Ben Roethlisberger to find his touch, then the Steelers will start winning again. Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Dallas at N.Y. Giants (-3) – The Cowgirls will fumble their way to second place in the NFC East as the Giants vault themselves to the top of the pack. Look for this battle of 7-4 squads to come down to the wire with the Dallas defense failing to stop Eli Manning at the end of the game. A touchdown late will put the New York Football Giants up for good. Drew Bledsoe is too slow to get away from the Giant pass rush that stymied one of the best offensive lines in football last week in Seattle. I never thought I’d say this, but the Giants defense will be too tough for the Cowboys to pull off the upset.
Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Green Bay at Chicago (-7) – The Bears are good. Don’t be confused because their offense isn’t a high-powered, well-oiled, gas-hogging machine. The Chicago Bear defense is back in full force. Who’s touting Brian Urlacher as the most overrated player in the league now? Precisely. The Packers won’t do just enough to cover the spread in this one. For the billionth time this year, Brett Favre’s interceptions will outnumber his touchdown tosses. Thomas Jones will pound the Packers defensive front into submission early.
Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Houston (+8) at Baltimore – I don’t know what I’m doing here. Truly the Texans are a horrendous 1-10, and well on their way to the first pick in the 2006 draft. But they’ve played much better of late, really, they have. There is no question in my mind they fell victim to black magic against St. Louis last week, and they’ve played teams tough all year. David Carr looks much more comfortable in the past few games, paving the way for the Texan’s second victory of the season. The Raven defense might be the biggest disappointment of the year, in fact, Baltimore might give the Jets a run for the leagues biggest disappointment. On Sunday they’ll stake their claim for the top spot with a loss to the bottom of the league. I still think the Texans would be 5-6 if they were in the NFC North.
Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Jacksonville (-3) at Cleveland – David Gerrard isn’t as great as many people are expecting him to be. There’s a reason why he’s backing Byron Leftwich up. But David will be good enough to hand the ball off to Fred Taylor and Greg Jones upwards of 40 times. His legs will be good enough to make plays when his first read isn’t open and the Jaguar defense will step up in the absence of their starting signal caller. The Jaguars didn’t get this far (8-3) to lose it all because Leftwich broke his ankle. Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Minnesota (-3) at Detroit – The Vikings are winning football games left an right. A win this week would make it 5 straight for Brad Johnson and the Vikes. The Bears are running away with the division but with three very winnable games left on the schedule, the Vikings could find themselves in the playoffs at 9-7. I know, it’s unbelievable and highly unlikely, but look at Drew Bledsoe, probably the 15th best quarterback in the league and he is the 6th leading passer of all time. Crazy shit happens. Look for the Vikings to get their 5th straight against the Lions. Sorry, Detroit, Jeff Garcia doesn’t make all the difference. If I hear, ÒIf Jeff didn’t get hurtÓ one more time I’m going to make sure that person dies a painful death. Think hours and hours of ÒI’m a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie WorldÓ by Aqua on repeat.
Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Tampa Bay (-4) at New Orleans – The Saints have no right to play close to the Bucs. New Orleans’ defense is better than people think, but to say they’re good is a flat out lie. The Bucs are solid on both sides of the ball. I know the Saints have nothing to play for, and usually they win these meaningless games, but this is even a tough year for the Òonly win when it hurts youÓ Saints. Cadillac Williams will rush for just around 150 yards as he carries the Bucs to 8-4.
Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Tennessee at Indianapolis (-16) – The Colts won’t slip up against the Titans. There is no way Peyton, Coach Dungy, and the Defense will overlook this match-up. The Titans don’t have a powerful offensive line. That will be exploited on Sunday in Indianapolis. Edgerrin James will find loads of room to run, as he always does. James almost doubles the amount of 5-9 yard runs of any other back in the league. He’s a sure thing. If the Colts go undefeated this year, he’ll be the difference. Game Date: 12/04/05 13:05 ET

Arizona (-3) at San Francisco – The Cardinals have really struggled, but they’ve found offensive fire power with Kurt Warner throwing powder-puff balls to Larry Fitz and Anquan Boldin. Those two receivers form one of the leagues top receiving units. If the Cards could only get a running game going. Dennis Green is coaching for his job here, but what he really needs is enough losses to draft a top signal caller. This week won’t help as Arizona will walk into San Francisco and trounce the 49ers. Three words: Alex Smith starting. This is exactly what the 49ers need to do. Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Oakland, it’s time for your stubborn donkeys to do the same. It’s time to see what the youth can do.
Game Date: 12/04/05 16:10 ET

Washington (-3) at St. Louis – The Rams won’t get lucky for the second straight week… wait, they’ve been luck since I could spell football. So what if that was only a couple years ago. They can’t get lucky against the Redskins. Not with LaVar Arrington making sure luck gets it’s ass pounded into the ground. There is no way the Redskins give up all those rushing yards two weeks in a row, is there? My bet is staying away from the Rams. One of these days, this luck crap will run down their leg, you’ll see. That day will be Sunday. Clinton Portis will have his best game of the year yardage-wise and Mark Brunell will find Santana Moss for old-times sake.
Game Date: 12/04/05 16:10 ET

Denver at Kansas City (+1.5) – The Broncos are 9-2. Amazing. Who would have thought, after losing to the Miami Dolphins on opening day the Broncs would win 9 of the next 10 on route to the second best record in football. Not I. I didn’t even think the Broncos would have a 1000 yard rusher on the year. Well, I’m sticking to my guns. The Chiefs have more on the line at home against Denver, so they’ll play to win. Larry Johnson will rush for more yards than Denver has given up to any other back all year. And Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell will both fail to reach the 100 yard plateau… in this game. Just trust me on this one, the Chiefs need this game and Angry Larry will pull them past the Broncos. Game Date: 12/04/05 16:20 ET

N.Y. Jets at New England (-10) -The New York Jets will lose their 10th game of the year, streaking their losses to 7 in a row. It’s been a tough year for Jet faithful, and I don’t know if it’s getting better anytime soon. Fortunately for the Jets, they’re still in the Reggie Bush lottery. Another big loss on Sunday could put them in a tie for first place in that league. The Jets still have one of the best secondarys in football, so look for the Patriots to pound all day long against New York’s front seven. Tom Brady will have a solid bounce back game.
Game Date: 12/04/05 16:20 ET

Oakland at San Diego (-11) – The Raiders have struggled to do just about everything. The defense, which was stout to start the season, has really tailed off of late, causing Kerry Collins to panic like that guy swatting the bee away in that Milwaukee’s Best commercial. And like that commercial, Collins should be crushed by a giant can of beer. God knows that’s his dream. Look at him. Collins needs to get his back foot chopped off so he can’t throw off it, then maybe the Raiders would have a chance. But, probably not. Ladainian Tomlinson will look like a scary combination of Tecmo Bowl’s version of Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson, leaving the rest of the writers to agree with Coach Schottenheimer’ s Week 12 assessment.
Game Date: 12/04/05 20:40 ET

Seattle (-4) at Philadelphia – The Hawks will win easily. How Seattle managed to win last week is beyond me. Terrible calls went against them, then more terrible calls went against them, then their offense played like garbage, and they still managed to pull out before anything bad happened. 9-2. That’s solid. The Eagles aren’t playing for much on Monday. The Hawks will be playing for home field throughout the playoffs. Watch Seattle dismantle the Eagles. Shaun Alexander loves to play in prime-time. He’ll run all over the Eagles defense.
Game Date: 12/05/05 21:10 ET
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