Week 8 NFL Pick Review – 2006

I just can’t pull off two good ones in a row. Following up a winner last week, the Halloween tricksters weren’t on my side. I needed a Monday Night blitz by the purple defense in Minnesota to collect a whopping 4 wins. Records of 3-10-1 just aren’t acceptable. Back to the drawing boards for me, but first, check how I fumbled more than the 49ers on Sunday. Double digits in the L column get you fired… One more week?

Arizona (+4) at Green Bay – LOSER! The Cardinals were horrible again, and now I can see why the Titans rolled with Vince Young. After a great start to his Arizona career, Leinart has looked human during the last two weeks. Human for Matt means jobless for Dennis Green? It sure means another loss for me.

Atlanta at Cincinnati (-4) – LOSER! The Bengals played tough, but never had the spread in hand as Atlanta pressed on. Mike Vick might not be overrated anymore, making Atlanta one of the scariest teams in football. The Bengals bungled and I lost one early.

Baltimore (+2.5) at New Orleans – WINNER! The Ravens made me a winner early, as this was the first game I was watching to start the day. I thought to my self, now this is going to be a good day. I didn’t knock on wood, didn’t rub a rabbits foot, just went to the bathroom and had an omelet. Read on to see how that turned out.

Houston (+3) at Tennessee – LOSER! The Texans played really poorly until Sage Rosenfels came in for David Carr… But it wasn’t enough as the Titans held on late to win by 4. Lost by one. A loss is a loss.

Jacksonville (+8) at Philadelphia – WINNER! With no passing game, the Jags still ousted the Eagles. Jacksonville showed their stout defense and a very productive running game against an Eagles team that never seemed to come out of the locker room. Lucky me.

Seattle (+7) at Kansas City – PUSH! Yeah! A push. TO be honest, I knew I was in trouble when the Chiefs completed their 2 point conversion to go up 7… I pushed.

San Francisco (+17) at Chicago – LOSER! Unfortunately their were two halves to this game. The first one I didn’t care much for, the 2nd one would have made me a winner. The 49ers had a touchdown and a field goal in the 4th to finish the 2nd half with a 10-0 lead. However, the first half netted the Niners 0 and the Bears 41…. Add those two together. Did I cover? Ah… No.

Tampa Bay (+10.5) at N.Y. Giants – LOSER! Another close one broke my heart. Eli and the Giants O was held in check for much of the game, as little Manning could only muster 154 yards passing. Tiki only had 68 yards on 26 carries. But the bigger story was the Bucs inability to do anything. The Rook, Bruce Gradkowski, completed just over 35% of his passes. That won’t get you many wins, that’s for sure. Giants win, Lucky loses.

St. Louis (+10) at San Diego – LOSER! The Rams just couldn’t stop LT. The cat had over 200 total yards, 183 rushing, and managed 3 scores on the day. Bulger passed for 32, but it wasn’t enough as the Ram defense couldn’t hold. I lost again.

Indianapolis (+3) at Denver – WINNER! Indy made it interesting, but they couldn’t be denied as even the league’s best defense didn’t have an answer for Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne. The three hooked up 10 times for 3 touchdowns and a bus-load of yards to get me a much needed W.

N.Y. Jets (+2) at Cleveland – LOSER! The Jets couldn’t stop the Browns famed rushing attack. Famed? Oh, I’m sorry, Cleveland had the worst rushing attack in football coming into Week 8. On the other hand, New York had the worst rushing defense. Apparently bad offense beats bad defense. Makes sense.

Pittsburgh (-9) at Oakland – LOSER! I can’t believe the Raiders won again. I really don’t have an explanation for this game, besides the fact that Ben Roethlisberger sucked for nearly the entire contest. What is with this guy. He couldn’t lost the first couple years, and now he’s an interception machine.

Dallas at Carolina (-4.5) – LOSER! In the midst of a tough, painful, foot in the mouth week, not only did I lose my 9th Sunday game of the day, but the Cowboys just happened to come out of Carolina with a victory. It looked good for me early, but too many turnovers and absolutely no production from the Panthers’ offense got me numero nine.

New England at Minnesota (+3) – Could I have been more wrong? I’d like to own up now. The Patriots aren’t overrated, the Vikings defense is. Or even better yet, the Vikings could very well stop any other team in the league, while the Patriots are the only dominant force that can completely annihilate such a club. Honestly, Tom Brady is amazing, he makes everything look easy, and ice water seems to run through his veins.

What a terrible week for UN-Lucky Lester…. Next week is guaranteed to be better.

Week 9 College Football Picks Review: 2006

Even Steven. My Best Bets didn’t pan out, and I wasn’t happy as I pushed my way up hill all day long. On the other hand, I made the best of a tough Saturday by picking 5 winners. To make a mediocre Saturday sunny, the USC Trojans were had by the Oregon State Beavers. 5-5…

Clemson Tigers (-4) @ Virginia Tech: LOSER! Clemson just took a huge poop in the bed. What they were afraid of is beyond me. Tech isn’t a very good ball club, but they sure had their way with the Tigers, and my pick, on Thursday Night Football.

Oklahoma Sooners (+2) @ Missouri Tigers: WINNER! The Sooners took it to the Tigers, just as I had suspected and planned. It was nice to get a big win early, after starting Thursday with a loss.

North Carolina State Wolfpack (E) @ Virginia Cavaliers: LOSER! NC State didn’t come to play. Watching this game made me sick a little bit. It’s just about impossible to predict which NC State team is going to come out on a nightly basis. This time I was on the wrong end of a Wolfpack loss.

Northern Illinois Huskies (+16.5) @ Iowa Hawkeyes: Northern Illinois was down early, but they did enough to cover, fighting back like they did. With a strong running game and a stout defense, NIU is in every game.

Northwestern Wildcats (+33) @ Michigan Wolverines: WINNER! The Wildcats were on track to pull the upset of the day. However, the Wolverines showed why they plan on going udefeated, stepping up toward the end and taking down Northwestern. But, NW scored plenty for me to pull out ahead, so I’m all smiles in this one.

Vanderbilt Commodores (-9) @ Duke Blue Devils: WINNER! Duke is a joke, and Vanderbilt just helped me point that out with a nice lopsided win on Saturday. I wonder what would happen if Mike Ditka played for the Commo’s in this one. They probably would have won 100 to 0. Crazy.

Bowling Green Falcons (-19) @ Temple Owls: LOSER! Temple collected their first win in the last 21 games. Nice work Bowling Green, make me look like a dumby and help the Owls snap a 20 game winless streak. It’s as if the Falcons were put on this earth to punish me for picking on hapless programs like the Owls. Who can root for a team named after the most useless sport we have anyway?

Illinois Fighting Illini (+22) @ Wisconsin Badgers: WINNER! The Illini almost clubbed themselves a furry badger on Saturday. Juice Williams (best name in college football) couldn’t complete many passes late as the Illini lost their chance to upset the Badgers in Wisconsin. I sure appreciated the effort though, as I came out with another win.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-8.5) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: LOSER! The Deacons had to pull out a lucky one late. It wasn’t Lucky enough though, as Good Ol’ Lucky hit the skids losing by a point and a half. This was a huge let down game for the Deacons, and I feel like a homer for letting that by me. It won’t happen again.

Miami Hurricanes @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-5): WINNER! The Hurricanes love to find a way to disappoint the bettors out their. This time, they didn’t get me. The Jackets pulled out a dandy late, as Miami found another way to lose on Saturday. Miami never gave themselves a shot to win the game, as they fumbled the punt return with under a minute left and the Jackets came out on top.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (-5.5) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys: LOSER! A let down by the Cornhuskers put me in a hole, as the Cowboys slapped me twice over the weekend. Once it was the youngsters on Saturday, and once it was those pros on Sunday Night, but I’ll get to that later.

2006 Fantasy Football Review – Week 8

This Week’s Top Team: “The way I see it, this is the fastest way to 140 fantasy points.” Well, I got 145 points, thank you L- T&J…

QB: Matt Leinart: God I’m stupid. I don’t know what I was on writing this pick… 8 fantasy points for Matt and he played like a pile of poop.

RB: Larry Johnson: 155 yards rushing, 27 receiving yards, and 4 total touchdowns. Go ahead and notch that up as 41 fantasy points. Championship!

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson: Not to be outdone by the other top running back in the NFL, LT produced just as many points as LJ. 240 combined yards, and 3 touchdowns.

WR: Terrell Owens: TO had a nice game, 107 yards and a 2pt conversion for a 12 point game at WR. Not too shabby, just not game-breaking by any means.

WR: Anquan Boldin: Boldin’s 40 yards didn’t impress me. Wish I would have taken Reggie Wayne at this spot? 4 points is not good.

TE: Kellen Winslow: Kellen had 13 fantasy points, which, coming from a tight end other than Antonio Gates is a success.

K: Jeff Wilkins: Jeff Wilkins had a field goal and 3 PATS for a fat 6 points.

D: Pittsburgh: Pitt plays Oakland. 20 points! 6 sacks and an interception. The Steelers, however, lost like a bunch of chumps anyway.

LUCKY’S Week 2 SLEEPERS

Rexxy Grossman: 252 yards and 3 touchdowns, this week Rexxy was definitely bringing sexy back to the bears offensive attack. A

Travis Henry: Do I smell Travis’ second straight 150 yard+ week in a row? You bet your ass I did…. However, with my senses as off as they were this weekend, what I thought was a flowery aroma ended up wreaking of dog poop. 29 yards, 2 points. F

Tatum Bell: Apparently, Tatum Bell has turf toe in both feet. I have a feeling, Mike Shanahan gave Tatum smaller shoes so he’d struggle, and his horse Mike could take the job. Whatever happened, the Bronco’s running game blew up, but Tatum only acquired 2 points this Sunday. F

Reggie Williams: Where oh where has the Reggie gone? He’s disappeared into the type of production that had deemed him a bust for the first two years of his career. Enigma, or QB challenged wide receiver? Either way, 1 fantasy point makes me look bad. F

Keyshawn Johnson: Rolling right along with my “very bad to listen to Lucky” weekend, Keysh could only manage 1 fantasy point after catching one pass, on way to helping his Panthers get whomped by the Cowboys. F

Heath Miller: 2 catches this time, but still only 10 yards, giving me yet another pass catcher with 1 point. Crapper. F

Saints DST: I’m not even going to look up the point total, I watched the game, and I can tell you right now that the Saints didn’t do jack shit on defense, and they gave me 3 points. I’ll take yet another F, what the hell?

LUCKY’S Week 8 WUSSIES

Steve McNair and Brad Johnson: McNair had a stellar day, while Johnson had just about the worst day of his entire career. So I guess I’ll take a C here.

Cadillac Williams: Caddy did very little, just as I had suspected. 5 points from a starting running back is wussy-ish, no doubt about that. 20 rushing 34 receiving, sounds like a Reggie Bush kind of effort. A

Marvin Harrison: Marvin took one for the team on Sunday Night. Harrison demanded Champ Bailey in coverage, leaving Reggie Wayne matched up against a youngster on the other side. Harrison struggled to get 3 fantasy points, while Reggie Wayne had 3 TD’s. A

Algae Crumpler: Crump had another big day in the ATL, taking the rock 4 times out of Vick’s hands for 72 yards and a score. 13 points from a tight end is dinomite. So I’ll roll an F here.

All in all, boy am I glad this week is over.

Free Football Picks 06-07 Week 8

It’s been made clear to me by some of my readers that it’d be helpful if I gave up some of my Top Bets of the week. I like giving my thoughts on each game, and I’ll keep doing that, but if I like my chances a little more on certain games, I’m going to put a (*) in my write up. Hope that helps. A week after finishing in the green with an 8-5 record, I’m coming right back at my goal to get another perfect week. Follow along as we’re back to 14 games this week. Just one more for me to win.Arizona (+4) at Green Bay – (*) I know Green Bay has won a couple lately, and Arizona is down in the dumps, fired their offensive coordinator, has a rookie at QB, and might not have Larry Fitz for the 3rd straight week, but I’ll take the Cardinals to win in Green Bay. Like Isaiah Thomas once said, “It’s crazy enough, it just might work.” Okay, so I have better reasoning than that, but if I’m ever getting paid millions of dollars to sign overpriced babies, I might think along the same lines as Ike. The Packers haven’t given up less than 23 points all season long, while even with all the turnovers from their offense, Arizona has been pretty stingy on defense. Chicago didn’t have an offensive touchdown. This will be Edge’s best game of the season. 100+ yards? You heard it here. With a new offensive look from Dennis Green, I expect a better plan on O. It looks weird now, but the Cards are a safe bet here.

Atlanta at Cincinnati (-4) – The Falcons have looked pretty good offensively, but as Mike Vick has shown, he’s anything but consistent. Hell, 4 touchdowns last week makes him a numerical lock for none this week. No, but honestly, Marvin Lewis will have a nice plan to detain the Mighty Falcon, and Chad Johnson and company will have a nice outing against a lack luster pass defense from Atlanta. By the way, it’s nice to see Chad back running his mouth in Cinci!

Baltimore (+2.5) at New Orleans – (*) As much as it’d be great to see New Orleans finish the season undefeated at home, I think that dream will end this week against the Ravens. New O has a nice shot at hitting the playoffs, but their defensive difficiencies will catch up with them sooner or later. The Ravens don’t have much punch on offense, and I don’t trust Brian Billick to do much better than Jim Fassell, but I have a feeling Baltimore will get their running game together against the Saints. If and when that happens, Baltimore could trot or with a win rather easily.

Houston (+3) at Tennessee – (*) The Texans are getting better, and they are better than their record. Coach Kubiak is a very smart man, and a great running teacher. With David Carr starting to find his timing and accuracy, I think we’re going to start seeing a lot more of the Texans who beat the Jaguars last week, and a lot less of the Texans that got the number one pick last season. I like the Titans young club, but I don’t know how much a bye week is going to help them. If anything, it cut their streak short of 2 straight solid football games.

Jacksonville (+8) at Philadelphia – The Jaguars are a very good football team, still on their way to the playoffs. 7 points is too many. Philly hasn’t held down a score all season, sans the 49ers, and even in that game I was frightened for my spread. Jacksonville had a head gasket blow last week against the Texans, and their the type of team that comes back stronger after a loss like that. I think the Eagles will pull this out by a point or 3, but that’s why I have to roll with the Jags and that touchdown on their side.

Seattle (+7) at Kansas City – (*) It’s nice to see everyone giving up on Seattle now that Matt is out with a bum knee. Look for Seneca Wallace to impress the football world with a solid performance against the Chiefs. I don’t think the Hawks will pack it in like everyone else is trying to say. Maurice Morris needs to play better, and he will. Wallace will use his feet a little more this week, and with a week of taking all the reps under his belt, he’ll run the team more efficiently. Wallace is talented, but even more importantly, so are the Seahawks. Don’t forget that.

San Francisco (+17) at Chicago -The 49ers will give the Bears a run in this one. I think Chicago is much better than they showed two weeks ago in Arizona, but not nearly as good as they were against Seattle. You know, the game before everyone and their mother wanted to call them the best team in football. The 49ers get two starters on their offensive line back this week. They’ll pound Frank Gore all day, or until he fumbles. Don’t expect him to lose the rock. I’m not supporting a 49er upset, but 17 points is a lot, too much to handicap the Bears.

Tampa Bay (+10.5) at N.Y. Giants – I like the Buc’s defense. I’ve liked them for a few years, and I like them this season. The Giants beat the Cowboys, so what, Dallas hasn’t looked good. Tampa struggled early, but they’re starting to pull it together. Their rushing attack is solid with Caddy, and their rookie QB makes just enough plays to give them a chance to win. That means they’ll be closer than 10. That half point makes me feel that much better. Expect a let down from New York after a big win last Monday Night.

St. Louis (+10) at San Diego – The Chargers showed last week that they can be passed on. Last year was the same thing. Against the run, San Diego is as good as it gets, but through the air, they are susceptible to a solid passing attack. Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Steven Jackson… Anything starting to click? Yes, the Rams have All Pro talent in the passing game. The Chargers are the better team, but St. Louis is a tough match-up for the Chargers. 10 points is too many. The Rams 5-1 ATS record makes me feel all cushy inside as well.

Indianapolis (+3) at Denver – The Colts as an underdog. Yep, in almost every regular season situation I’ll take them Indy boys. But this should be one hell of a test for the run-struggling Colts. They’re missing Edge nearly as much as James misses them. Rhodes averaged 2 yards a carry last week, allowing me to ponder Addai’s growing roll in the Colts offense. I think this will be his week. Against a defense that is sure to donate more time to stopping Peyton, Wayne, and Harrison, Joseph will get his shot to take advantage. Nothing has been said about the Broncos’ ailing defensive line. After this game, that topic will be more talked about.

N.Y. Jets (+2) at Cleveland – Offensive coordinator issues, like the Browns OC quit after last weeks terrible performance against the Broncos, have me steering clear from taking the Browns. The Jets aren’t nearly as bad as I thought they were going to be, and the Browns just haven’t been able to put it together. I like what the Browns are going to be, but New York should take this game in Cleveland.

Pittsburgh (-9) at Oakland – I just can’t take the Raiders. They got their win, they still wreak of a solo win season, and unlike the other three teams that needed to fire their Offensive mind, the Raiders are sticking with their guy. The story on the street is, Ben might not play. Charlie Batch has played well enough to oust the Raiders by a touchdown and a field goal. Walter and the Black and Silver will get sacked and smashed all game long. Oh, and mark my words, Ben will play if he’s even close to full speed.

Dallas at Carolina (-4.5) – If Dallas doesn’t know what to do with Plaxico Burress, I can’t even imagine how dumbfounding practice is going to be all week as they prepare for Steve Smith to come in and single handily beat them in Carolina. The Panthers haven’t really impressed me all year, but I’m sticking to my guns with them. Defensively, they are very, very good. Offensively, they haven’t clicked yet. Expect that to happen at home this week in Dallas. Another loss in Big D would make things a lot more fun anyway.

New England at Minnesota (+3) – (*) Minnesota just flat out covers spreads. 5-1 ATS this season, and I know they had a nice record last year as well. The Vikings are tough, way tougher than a 3 point underdog at home to an overrated Patriot team, I’ll tell you that. It wouldn’t surprise me if Minnesota came out and shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots, while rushing to run the clock. This one will be close, but Minnesota should win this game.

2006 Fantasy Football Week 9 theRUNDOWN

This Week’s Top Team: I rolled past 140 riding the backs of the L’s (T&J) in Week 8, so make no mistake, I see 150 in my sites with decent performances from the rest of the crew.

QB: Peyton Manning: This should be quite a competition between the two guys that were battling it out for my top spot at the Q this week. But I have to take Peyton, if only because Tom Brady doesn’t have to win football games without a rushing attack. Peyton will hurl the piggy for over 300 yards on Sunday.

RB: Larry Johnson: It’d be idiotic if I went away from Larry this week, especially against one of the most generous run defenses in football. The Rams won’t have an answer for Larry, but they won’t be the first.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson: While Julius Jones would be a decent pick here, walking away from LT would be just as ridiculous as leaving LJ on the bench this week. I’m trying to score as many fantasy points as possible, LT’s got to be on that list.

WR: Terrell Owens: The TO – Romo relationship is working just fine in the Big D. Dallas played well in the 2nd half of the Panther game last week, and they got a big win. This week, the Boys roll into Washington, where they often struggle, but TO will boost them right into victory.

WR: Marvin Harrison: After Reggie Wayne’s huge week 8, I’ll take his wideout mate, Marvin, in the match-up with the Patriots. This game will be seen everywhere, and Marvin always produces in these situations. Peyton will use Reggie as a decoy, and Marvin will roam freely amongst the Pat secondary.

TE: Algae Crumpler: Mike Vick finally learned to pass the rock with a little consistency, which makes the normally productive Crumpler even more attractive to the fantasy community. I’ll take Crumps against a Detroit defense that hasn’t stopped anyone since Week 1 of the season.

K: Jeff Wilkins: You betcha, Jeff didn’t do wonders for me last week, but I’ll ride my pale horse into battle against the friendly Kansas City defense. The Rams will drive early and often, giving Wilkins plenty of opportunity to get down to business.

D: Bears: The Bears are the best defense in football. This week they get to stone Miami. Should be fun to watch if you like that sick Mel Gibson stuff.

LUCKY’S Week 9 SLEEPERS

Rexxy Grossman: I’m tossing Rex in there as a sleeper because, well, he’s pretty much guaranteed to dismantle one of the worst secondaries in all of football. And last time he was supposed to do that, he had 6 turnovers. So that makes him a little bit of a sleeper, right?

Tony Romo: The Redskins defense is not good at all, which is really confusing, because they were really good last year and didn’t lose much. Crazy business. Anyway, Romo will have plenty of opportunity to slang the rock to his receivers in single coverage, because the Redskins will have to pay much attention to the Dallas run game which shreds opposing defenses.

Laurence Maroney: LoMo should have a big game against the Colts defense that can’t stop opposing offenses. Maroney has shown he’s one of the most explosive running backs in the league, and he should get his chance to shine in the spotlight, even if Dillon continues to get his touches. CD is a nice pick as a sleeper too, he’s run well all season long.

Jerious Norwood: Is it just me or do Laurence Maroney and Norwood live the same life? Maroney gets more touches, but both guys seem like future All Pros, both guys have tested All Pro Vets in front of them, yet both absolutely dominate in the limited carries that they get. Against Detroit, look for Norwood to break a couple biggies.

Antonio Bryant: I think the 49ers are in for trouble this week against the Vikings, but that won’t halt Bryant from a big game. The Patriots found holes in the Vikings defense that Coach Nolan will also attempt to locate. That should benefit Antonio.

Lee Evans: Lee could be a monster against the Packers. Green Bay will score, and if the Bills get down early, that means Evans will be the man that tries to carry them back. The Packers have been decent lately, against the pass, but Evans is a truly special young receiver. With a week off, the Bills must have found a way to get him the ball more.

Ben Watson: Last week everyone got the ball against Minnesota, but Reche was featured. This week, Ben Watson will be needed, his game breaking ability against a sub par defensive front, and hurting safeties. Watson is a match-up nightmare for the Colts, Bill Bellichick knows how to take advantage of things like that.

Jaguars DST: The Jags defense knows they have to step it up with their offense’s struggles. They’ll put the heat on Vince Young and the Titans rushing attack.

LUCKY’S Week 1 WUSSIES

Ben Roethlisberger: The Broncos (after getting exposed by the Colts) aren’t what Ben needed to get back to his old self. A mistake against these pissed of Coloradoians could be bad news for Ben and the Steelers.

Rudi Johnson: Rudi wants more carries? I don’t know if he wants that this week. God knows it’s just going to smash his ypc average. The Ravens don’t joke around.

Hines Ward: Last time Hines saw this list, he had a career game. Just based on that I should find another guy to put here, but what do I look like? A chump? No, I’ll put whomever I think is going to struggle here. I love Hines, but matched up with Champ Bailey isn’t the best thing for 86.

Randy McMichael: Bears. Joey Harrington. 1-7…. You got anything else to throw on this fire?

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 9 – 2006

After my first losing week in some time (3 straight 7-3 or better weeks in a row prior to last weeks 4-6) I’m ready to climb back on the horse, or galloping parade of horses that got me here. With a nice season and a winning record on my mind, read my week’s picks to see how I’ll climb back from a down week. This week I’m putting a (*) next to my top 5 bets of the week, hope this helps you cash in on game day.

Clemson Tigers (-4) @ Virginia Tech: (*) When it comes right down to it, the Hokies just aren’t as good as the Tigers. Tech has been known to have a solid program, but their struggles late in the season are well documented over the years. Clemson has one (single point) loss on the season. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Tigers are the best team in the ACC. This is a tough road test, but Clemson should end the game up a touchdown or two in Virginia.

Oklahoma Sooners (+2) @ Missouri Tigers: (*) With everyone riding the Tigers’ 7-1 record all the way to the bank, Oklahoma will do their best to tip bandwagon. Even without Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma is the more talented program here. As an underdog, they’re money. If you can name one solid school Missouri has taken down, I might think about rethinking this bet. Since you can’t, and it wouldn’t really matter if you did, I’m taking the Sooners all the way in this one.

North Carolina State Wolfpack (E) @ Virginia Cavaliers: (*) I just haven’t seen Virginia do much to justify them wining this game. I think they are decent at best, where NC State has the talent to go bowling if they can get it together. North Carolina, Duke, and Wyoming. Those are where the 3 Cavalier wins have come from. Those 3 teams are 5-17 combined. 4 of those wins coming from Wyoming. Right, like I said, who have the Cavs beat? NC State took down Boston College and FSU. NC State should walk over Virginia.

Northern Illinois Huskies (+16.5) @ Iowa Hawkeyes: All in all, I see no reason the Huskies can’t upset the Hawkeyes in Iowa. These are the things NIU has going for them: Drew Tate won’t start or play for the Hawkeyes, so the Huskies 117th ranked pass defense won’t be under constant attack – Senior running back, Garrett Wolfe, leads the country in rushing – And they get more than two touchdowns to play with. Those are three things that have me leaning on the Huskies on the road.

Northwestern Wildcats (+33) @ Michigan Wolverines: Not once this year have the Wolverines won a game by more than 26 points. So is 33 pushing it against a Wildcats team that has played tough lately, and is known for gritty play against tougher competition? Yeah, you bet it is. Last weeks’ 38-41 loss to Michigan State had to be crushing for the Wildcats, but I still don’t expect a huge margin of victory from Michigan.

Vanderbilt Commodores (-9) @ Duke Blue Devils: Do you guys think you saw something from Duke when they nearly took down Miami last week? Please, if you actually think that had anything to do with Duke’s solid play, hold your breath. Duke is terrible, no win terrible, can’t wait ’till basketball season terrible. Expect nothing more but an easy double digit win out of those Commos.

Bowling Green Falcons (-19) @ Temple Owls: It has occurred to me that Bowling Green hasn’t beaten any team by more than 11 points this season, and those teams weren’t very good, either. However, this is the first time they have played the Owls this season, hence it will be the first time they win by more than 3 touchdowns. Last season BG won 70-7 in this game. Yeah, no joke, or big joke, either way, 70-7. Temple has 1, maybe two losses by less than 20. I like my chances with the better of the bad.

Illinois Fighting Illini (+22) @ Wisconsin Badgers: (*) Once again, Illinois has lost one game by more than 17 points this season. Wisconsin is much better than I imagined, but Illinois knows how to keep it close, and they’ll do it again on Saturday. After walking over Purdue, Wisconsin’s let down is almost sure to happen. Take Illinois!

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-8.5) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: Don’t be persuaded to take the terrible tar foots just because Duke nearly took out Wake earlier this season. Wake is much, much, much better than North Carolina. This is one game I think Vegas sill definitely lose some money on. 80% of the peeps are rolling with the Deacons, and for damn good reason. Every once in a while Li’l Davey will slay Goliath, just don’t expect that from a Tar Heel team that can’t wait to go watch the cute little cheer leaders bounce around during college basketball games where their school is actually good.

Miami Hurricanes @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-5): GT are you with me? Oh yeah! The Hurricanes have calmed down a little bit lately, losing their Hurricane title and turning into a heavy rain cloud. 5 whole points isn’t enough to keep me on Miami’s root list. The Canes are headed downhill in a hurry, while Calvin Johnson and the Jackets are sure to come out attacking a relatively weak Miami squad.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (-5.5) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys: (*) OK State just doesn’t have the tenacity to go toe to toe with Nebraska. Although they lost last week against the Longhorns, the Corns showed me they can ball, something OK hasn’t shown me in quite some time. Oklahoma State hasn’t beaten anyone, and frankly, the teams they’ve lost to aren’t that good either. In what should be a killing at the hands of the Huskers, expect an easy cover in Oklahoma.

Week 7 NFL Pick Review – 2006

IT wasn’t all bad on Sunday. A couple key teams fell late, but all in all, I came into Monday Night Football guaranteed another winning record after a tough one in Week 6. How did everything pan out? Read more of my Week 7 Review…

Carolina (+3.5) at Cincinnati: WINNER! It’s only fair to give a little credit to the Bengals, they pulled out a nice late victory over a very good Panther team. However, I mentioned money in the bank when Carolina is an underdog. They didn’t cover by much, but a win is a win, and I got one here.

Detroit at N.Y. Jets (-3.5): WINNER! This game was closer than expected, but the outcome remained the same. The Lions put up a nice effort, and they’re on the right track, maybe to the playoffs next season? I’m crazy. However, I was right again, as the Jets got their 4th and gave me my 2nd win of the week.

Green Bay (+5) at Miami: WINNER! Like I said earlier in the week, “Don’t be stunned by the 2nd Packer win of the season, and just another loss in a long line of failures out of Miami.” I hope you weren’t stunned as the Packers did away with the Dolphins, and I won again.

Jacksonville (-9.5) at Houston: LOSER! Was Mike Peterson that important to eh success of the Jags? Or did Jacksonville just blow it against Houston? I guess we’ll see soon enough. The bottom line is, if I had to pick one winner this week, I would have taken the Jags over the Texans? And survivor pickers everywhere moaned and groaned over this score, I guarantee it. My first loss was a full blown cold stone stunner.

New England (-5) at Buffalo: WINNER! After a nice start to the season, not record wise but play wise, the Bills are falling down in the dumps. JP Losman looks like poop, and the Buffalo defense can’t manage a stop when it matters. New England’s record grows as they win another against their divisional foes.

Philadelphia (-5) at Tampa Bay: LOSER! Tampa Bay is better than their record insists, and I can’t imagine their young quarterback losing his starting job any time soon. I knew I was in trouble during this game when McNabb threw his second pick of the game. However, I thought the Eagles would still pull one out. A 62 yard field goal downed Philly and Tampa Bay pulled out a big one at home.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta (+2.5): WINNER! How ’bout them Falcons. Mike Vick looked like a great quarterback against a very good Steeler defense. Ben Roethlisberger looked good too, but he got concussed late in the game and didn’t return. Thank goodness I just traded him in my dynasty league. Anyhow, Atlanta used their rushing attack in overtime, marching down the field into field goal range and handing the game to Morten Anderson. Mort did the deed and Atlanta won at home.

San Diego Chargers (-5) at Kansas City Chiefs: LOSER! Phillip Rivers struggled early, putting the Chargers in just a big enough hole to eventually fall in the end. Rivers came back strong, but the normally stout Chargers D couldn’t stop Larry Johnson, and Damon Huard looked good again as Kansas City got right back into the playoff race.

Denver (-4.5) at Cleveland: WINNER! I wasn’t impressed with Jake Plummer, but Tatum Bell has shown me he’s for real. Jay Cutler has to be coming soon to a theatre near you. Even with Jake, the Broncos covered by 5.5, taking down the Browns in Cleveland. The Browns have NO rushing attack. Without one, they’ll continue to struggle.

Arizona (-3) at Oakland: LOSER! Matt Leinart finally looked like a rookie, Edge continued to struggle, and Dennis Green secretly wished he didn’t fire his Offensive Coordinator after last Monday’s game. All in all, Oakland stunned me by getting a win this season. Now Randy and the Raiders can rest, they met their potential with a big win at home.

Minnesota (+7) at Seattle: WINNER! Hasselbeck went down with the game tied, and the Vikings stepped up with the smell of blood in the air. Seattle just doesn’t have IT. Whether they lost it after getting screwed in the Super Bowl, or when Shaun went down, or when Matt got injured, they just don’t have IT. If they can hold on in this tough situation, they might find IT. The Vikings looked good as they gave me my 7th win on the day, assuring me a winning week.

Washington (+10) at Indianapolis: LOSER! I liked my bet early, but the Colts came back late to absolutely dominate the Redskins. Peyton Manning is good, and Mark Brunell just isn’t good enough. That’s my analysis on that one. The Redskins lost again, putting themselves in a nearly impossible position if they still plan on making the playoffs.

N.Y. Giants (+3.5) at Dallas: Tony Romo will help the Cowboys win football games, something Drew Bledsoe can no longer do. However, that will start to show next week. Tonight, the Giants slapped the Boys right in the face. Upsetting the Cowboys in Dallas to give me a giant smile and my 8th win of the week.

The Difference between Merri and Berry

“The Difference Between Merri and Barry”

What a crazy week in football. The Eagles lost on a 62 yard field goal by Matt Bryant, a kicker that got MF’d by the announcers more than a handful of times during the broadcast. I guess a 62 yard field goal has a wonderful way of making a bunch of overpaid, useless sacks of “pretend” football geniuses, just shut up. But what does this mean for the Eagles? Whichever team wins on Monday Night Football, textCowboys or Giants, 1st place is theirs to be had. And how about Donovan McNabb puking under the center right before a second half timeout? Nice. Will my Eagles roll on the comeback trail?

First off, let me admit, Shawn Merriman is one of my favorite players in all of sports, but now that he’s failed the league’s steroid tests, what makes him any different than Barry Bonds? Let me tell you what; Baseball is a game of numbers, not wins and losses, but batting average, HR’s, RBI, SB’s, and other ridiculous things that don’t always translate to championships. So, an apparent steroid user looks worse to the public in baseball, because his “stats” look bloated, and therefore he gets a bad wrap. Barry, (and I’m assuming that he is indeed guilty), is part of a game in which physical strength isn’t nearly as important as it is in football. So, honestly, I think it’s a larger crime for a football player to test positive. In a sport where your ability to run, hit, jump, and smash opponents faces into the ground, steroids play a larger roll than in baseball, where you have to hit a little ball over a big fence. But no one will generalize Shawn’s career as the great player who used ‘Roids, no, not like Barry. Shawn won’t break any records, so stats won’t define his career. He’s not on a stage all by himself, he’s part of the team. When we look back at his career, we’ll see him as a great football player, and rarely will anyone even remember his 4 game suspension in 2006. We’re already forgiving him as I write this article. I hope he stays clean after this, but to me, he’s a guy who cheated to get ahead, and got caught. He’s in no way better than Mr. Bonds, he just plays a different sport. I’m not one to criticize Barry, because 90% of us would do the same thing, and the same goes for Shawn. And I’ll still watch Bonds hit balls out of Giant’s Park, and I’ll definitely stay tuned to see what Shawn does the first week back from suspension, but as far as I’m concerned there’s not much difference between Barry and Merri. Two superior athletes that would have been great without a “little extra help” and the only thing that separates them is the miles of California Coastline and a different shaped ball.

Congratulations to the Oakland Raiders, God knows I didn’t think I’d have to say those words until the draft, but apparently the Cardinals found a way to amaze me once again. ON that note, how bad has Edgerrin James been in Arizona. I’m not willing to give him all of the blame, because he’s getting drilled as soon as he touches the ball, but right now he’s not getting anything done for the Cardinals. And on that note, how does the firing of Arizona’s offensive coordinator look right now? 3 field goals against the Raiders defense, and another loss on the good ol’ record. Yeah, maybe not such a good decision Denny! And this decision could be the beginning of the end for Coach Green.

The Tigers, behind the seemingly unhittable Kenny Rogers, took Game 2 of the World Series last night in Detroit. After that stellar performance, look for the Tigers to perform like Champs. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Tigers won the next 3 on way to becoming the World Series Champs. But once again, was their some cheating going on? Did Kenny Rogers have a “special substance” on the ball? You betcha, and to be honest, I didn’t give a damn. I’d rather athletes get back to spit balls and pine tarred bats than hitting the needle twice a day. Bottom line, he washed off his hand, and came out and didn’t give up another hit until the 8th inning. Wash this.

Applauding one of Lucky’s favoirtes, it was nice to see Chad Johnson make a huge play for the Bengals to beat the Panthers on Sunday. But is it just me or does Chad move a little slower lately? Chad knows what to do when the time comes however. Like Deion Sanders always says, “When a play comes, make it! A play don’t care who makes it. A pay isn’t picky. When it comes, make it!”
CHAMPIONSHIP!

Week 8 College Football Picks Review: 2006

I didn’t get 8 wins in Week 8, in fact I only tallied half that many in my first down week this month. I’ll come back swinging next week, but as far as Saturday was concerned, this is how I got three black-eyes… 4-6-1

Iowa Hawkeyes (+14) @ Michigan Wolverines: Those bloody Wolverines stold this game from me when they scored 10 4th quarter points to push this game. That’s what I get for changing the channel thinking I had this game in the bag.

SC Fighting Gamecocks @ Vanderbilt Commodores (+3.5): Vanderbilt couldn’t even get their feet off the ground before SC was whipping them good. For the first time this year, the Commodores were dominated from start to finish. Luckily I took them. Ugh.

North Carolina State Wolfpack @ Maryland Terrapins (-3): The Terps covered even though they gave up 2 4th quarter touchdowns. What can I say? College football is interesting, and that’s never more true than when Maryland is holding a big 4th quarter lead. Their 4th quarter field goal was just enough to give me the win.

West Virginia Mountaineers (-22) @ Connecticut: WV won by 26 points as they ran all over the UCONN Huskies on Friday Night. It’s always nice to walk into the weekend with a win under your belt.

Texas Longhorns (-6.5) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers: A nice 2nd half for the Cornhuskers took me out of the cover running. However, a big mistake late allowed the Horns to claw back for a game winning field goal. It wasn’t enough for me, the Longhorns win and I lose.

Indiana Hoosiers (+31.5) @ Ohio State Buckeyes: Indiana just didn’t have a chance. I thought they’d score a couple times late, and that would have gotten me the W, but OSU was on the ball, hustling until the very last play of the game. Needless to say, I didn’t win this one.

Wisconsin Badgers @ Purdue Boilermakers (+6.5): 24 unanswered points by the Badgers took me down kicking and screaming. I couldn’t believe how easily the Badgers shut down the Boilermakers regularly efficient offense, but that’s exactly what happened. Next week must be the week Wisconsin starts to tumble…

Illinois Fighting Illini (+18) @ Penn State Nittany Lions: PSU ended up taking this game by 14, not enough to cover, and a much bigger final score than it seemed. This game was tight throughout, especially in the 1st half, but Penn’s big second half got them the win.

Miami Hurricanes (-17.5) @ Duke Blue Devils: The Hurricanes were basically covering at the half, up 17-0 on the hapless Blue Devils. In the 3rd quarter the Canes didn’t come out to play, but still had the game covered after only giving up a safety and scoring a field goal. Then their was 4… Quarters that is; In the 4th, Duke rolled out 13 points to cover easily, blowing what I thought was a sure win.

UCLA Bruins (-13.5) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish: UCLA couldn’t pull it out, as the luck of the Irish took them out late in the 4th. You could almost feel it coming. UCLA easily covered though, giving me what I think is my first Notre Dame game win since opening week.

Washington Huskies @ Cal Bears (-22.5): The Bears didn’t look nearly as good as they have all season, while UW looked solid without their fearless leader, Isaiah, at QB. It wasn’t enough to take down the Bears, but UW sent the game into overtime, easily covering and marking my 6th loss of Week 8.

2006 Fantasy Football Review – Week 7

This Week’s Top Team: Wow… tough week for my fantasy squad, I hope you forgot to read Week 7’s articles and did better than I did. I did tally 98 points for my squad.

QB: Brett Favre: Brett was no Peyton, Donovan, or Vick, who all went for over 30 fantasy points, but he did manage 19 points with a 200 yard 2 touchdown performance on Sunday.

RB: Kevin Jones: KJ rolled with 19 fantasy points, scoring one touchdown on 57 yards receiving, also tallying 86 yards on the ground with a 5.7 ypc average. Not bad for a Lion.

RB: Clinton Portis: CP struggled because the Redskins tumbled after half time. His 43 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards got me 6 points. But he didn’t have a TD and rarely saw the field after the 3rd quarter.

WR: Plaxico Burress: Burress only grabbed two balls in Monday Night’s beatdown on the Cowboys, but he made the most of them. He racked up 94 yards and a touchdown on way to 17 points for my fantasy squad. Picking up the slack.

WR: Anquan Boldin: Boldin’s 59 yards didn’t make me smile, but I can’t blame the guy. It’s not like he was dropping passes. However, I can blame myself for picking AB as my top WR of the week. Damn. 5 points.

TE: Randy McMichael: Another nice day from Randy Mac hit me up for 7 points on 77 receiving yards. Not bad, but Randy, get Joey to see you in the end zone for God’s sake.

K: John Kasey: 2 extra points… Damn I can’t wait for Wilkins to get back on my squad.

D: Broncos: Thank goodness for the Broncos. IF it weren’t for a last second touchdown by the Browns, a shut out would have really impressed me. However, they were the 2nd ranked defense this week with 23 fantasy points.

LUCKY’S Week 2 SLEEPERS

Joey Harrington: Joey had 3 picks, but his fantasy stat line was freaking baler. 414 yards and two touchdowns was good for 24 fantasy points, Top 10 in the league. A+

Chester Taylor: Chester had a day. Actually, he didn’t do much until his 95 yard touchdown run, but then again, he had a 95 yard touchdown run, so he didn’t need to do much. His TD gave him 23 fantasy point, ranking him 4th in the RB rankings. A+

Dominic Rhodes: Even Edgerrin James had a better YPC average than Rhodes on Sunday. I wonder what Nic’s yardage totals would look like if he was on the Cards? Same goes for Edge on the Colts. F

Greg Jennings: 1 catch for 14 yards… Ouch… Maurice Clarett almost had that many points. Jennings got hurt, but wow, look at my luck this week. F

Matt Jones: The Great White Hype didn’t play, again. But had he played he wouldn’t have done dick because the Jaguars were terrible on Sunday. F

Ben Watson: Ben had 60 yards, but was held scoreless once again as I only collected 6 points with this sleeper. C

Steelers DST: Ran all over by Atlanta, and Vick of all people had 4 touchdown passes. To say the least, the Steelers had 5 points and didn’t’ work out for me. F

LUCKY’S Week 1 WUSSIES

Brad Johnson: Brad didn’t do much, but then again, he never does. His 12 points were average, but I hope you had a better option on Sunday.

Reuben Droughns: It’s never good when you’re a starting running back and you don’t register on the first page of high scores for RB’s. More than 30 guys had a better day at the RB position. I’d say I made a good call here.

Hines Ward: HAHAHAHA! What an idiot I look like here. Ward would have single handily taken out my fantasy team this week. Hines was no wussie, he was a flat out stud!

Jeremy Shockey: Don’t bet on Jeremy in prime time. Shockey, though its amazing with his ridiculously loud personality, always manages to struggle in the spotlight. His words about Bill Parcells a year ago will have him interviewed and questioned all week. That won’t help him. Don’t expect much from the U’s biggest fan.