Monthly Archives: October 2006

Looking Back – What a Draft!

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Looking Back – What a Draft!

After 6 Weeks of NFL football, I’m ready to rank this years’ (2006) rookie running backs from 1-10 based on how I think their NFL careers will transform.
1- Laurence Maroney
2- Reggie Bush
3- Jerious Norwood
4- Maurice Drew
5- DeAngelo Williams
6- LenDale White
7- Joseph Addai
8- Leon Washington
9- Michael Robinson
10- Jerome Harrison

I really think this is one of the best running back draft classes ever. Maroney, Bush, and Norwood will be pro-bowlers in the next 3 years (What a steal by the Falcons). Drew and Williams have a chance at being better than any of the first 3, and are surefire 1,200 yard backs. White has a chance to score more touchdowns than any player on this list. Addai and Washington are raw, but both run hard, forward, and fast. Michael Robinson is the wild card here, and when he gets a chance to carry the load, he’ll be a bright spot. He’s one of the best instinctual runners under 25 in this league. And Harrison, I see Warrick Dunn every time I look at the guy. An all around solid bunch of runners. Let me know what you think, am I crazy?

As for the rest of the NFL, here are 6 topics I couldn’t let marinate for a minute longer…
1- How much worse can Drew Bledsoe look? He’s set on idle in the pocket, just waiting to get sacked. You want to see how bad it can get? Watch Monday Night Football this week…
2- TO… God I’m sick as hell of those two letters…
3- People who are giving up on Daunte Culpepper’s career need to check their meat flaps at the door, because baby hands will be back firing away. Probably this year…
4- The league’s best signal caller is Tom Brady. With the cast he has, putting up the numbers he’s puttin’, and winning football games. Wow. Just wait until the Pats drop a 1st round pick on Randy Moss next season. Think I’m nuts? They did it with Dillon…
5- The steal of the draft was Bruce Gradkowski. This young QB has all the right tools to become an identical version of Rich Gannon when RG was good. 6th rounder. 194th overall. And the Raiders are starting Andrew Walter…
6- Matt Leinart is going to be damn good. Hell, he’s good right now. With Bruce, Vince, and Cutler, this draft (supposedly weak) could be one of the most amazing drafts most of us will remember. All the RB’s, all the QB’s, and some hard hitting defensive players have made themselves known already. As for the 9 teams who passed on Matt. Houston, Oakland, Detroit, and Buffalo will be the sorriest in 5 years.
That’s it for now. I can tell the future. The bad news is, sometimes even the future lies. The good news… Just switched to Geico. Championship!!!

2006 Fantasy Football Week 8 theRUNDOWN

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This Week’s Top Team: You can’t get better than these fellas in week 7…

QB: Brett Favre: After promising myself never to pick Rex Grossman here again, I’d say Brett Favre is a nice pick here… It’s ridiculous to go with the same guys week in and week out, so rolling the dice with Old Gray Beard as my fantasy stud in Week 7 feels like a winner.

RB: Kevin Jones: This might have the backfire of a Rex Grossman on Monday Night, but how can I go away from the runner facing the Jets? Two words; Ronnie Brown! The Dolphins looked like they couldn’t get the runs if they ate sloppy joes all week, but sure enough Mr. Brown ran all over NY. This week it’s KJ’s turn to run amuck.

RB: Clinton Portis: I’d love to roll with LT every week, but that’s basically cheating, plus I think Clinton’s ready to explode against the Colts. This game will be closer than expected, at least I better hope so, I’m taking the Skins and the points. Portis will score a couple times, as Indy has proven that stopping the run isn’t their bag baby.

WR: Plaxico Burress: Plax will have a chance to get Monday Night Player of the Week when the Giants trot into Dallas this week. Dallas can’t cover for crap, and Eli will need to go up top early and often if he wants to keep the Cowboys run defense honest. A couple big plays on 1st and 2nd down will have Burress racking up some points.

WR: Anquan Boldin: If Boldin can do the Bears like he done, you can count on him doubling that production against the hapless Raiders. Leinart is a smart kid, hence his trust in Quan. Boldin is a borderline Top 5 receiver in the league, actually bunk that, he is Top 5!

TE: Randy McMichael: Yeah, Gates is a great play here, so if you have him, play him. But I’m trying to take some time off from my norm this week, so I’ll take Randy McMichael against the Packers. Green Bay can’t stop jack, and Randy has led the Dolphins in receiving each of Joey Harrington’s two starts. The trend shall continue!

K: John Kasey: Kasey’s crazy leg should be on automatic mode in Cincinnati. The Bengals have a decent defense, but all of Carolina’s offensive weapons should get them down the field. Kasey will capitalize with 3 or 4 field goals on Sunday.

D: Broncos: Who plays Oakland this week? Arizona… Yikes… Hey, I said it, I might as well follow through. I’ll take the Cardinals. The Raiders are brutal, watch, even the Cards will D them up.

LUCKY’S Week 2 SLEEPERS

Joey Harrington: I’ll roll with Joey again. Not just because it’s easy to keep his name up on the board, but the Dolphins are rolling at home against the Packers, quite possibly the only secondary that can compete with theirs for biggest baddest donkeys around. Can he have more TD’s than picks? That is the question.

Chester Taylor: Chester isn’t the stud Minnesota thought they were getting, but he’ll be benefiting from Steve Hutchinson mauling his old teammates on Sunday. You can bet Hutch will get plenty of opportunities to run block against his old squad. Chester will have his best game of the season.

Dominic Rhodes: Rhodsey hasn’t done quite enough to make him a must start, but a week after Travis Henry broke the donkey’s back against Washington, you can bet your balls Peyton will give Rhodes plenty of chances to prove himself at home against the Skins. A couple touchdowns sounds just about right.

Greg Jennings: Have you seen the Dolphins secondary tackling fools left and right? Yeah, me neither. Jennings will benefit from one of the league’s worst secondaries on way to another strong week for the rookie.

Matt Jones: The Great White Hype hasn’t done much to celebrate this season, and basically nothing lately. But this week will be different. The Jaguars always beat the Texans, and with Houston keying in on the Jaguar run game 1st and Reggie Williams 2nd you can bet Byron will take advantage of the 6’6″ target running behind the defense in Houston. Matt will have his first big game of the year.

Ben Watson: Ben has too many skills to stay in fantasy purgatory for the rest of the season. When he breaks out, you can bet I’ll have him on my sleepers list. Buffalo hasn’t done well on the defensive end of the ball lately, and Bill always finds ways to dominate coming off a bye. Big Ben well help the cause.

Steelers DST: Though not the most popular option this week, Pittsburgh has just the right kind of defense to shut down Atlanta. I know the Chiefs O-Line isn’t what it used to be, but LJ only got 26 yards on 15 carries last week. If they can do that to him, Pittsburgh should do just fine against Atlanta’s rushing attack. Shut down the run, shut down Atlanta.

LUCKY’S Week 1 WUSSIES

Brad Johnson: You can bet the Vikings will try to slow the game down as much as possible, because no way they can gun with Hasselbeck and the Hawks. That being said, 36+ rushes won’t surprise me. That means low attempts and low totals for BJ.

Reuben Droughns: Denver will eliminate the rush from the Browns. When Denver gets ahead, they slow everything down. A fast game and playing from behind, matched up with playing against a tough defense should hurt Mr. D’s fantasy stats.

Hines Ward: He’s one of my favorite players of all time, but he should have a rough time against Atlanta’s secondary. DeAngelo Hall will have him on lockdown, not a good sign Hines. Other receivers might benefit from his attention, but Hines should falter in Week 7.

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.

Free Football Picks 06-07 Week 7

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Redemption Week… 9-3-2 followed by 4-9… I’m up one win in two weeks. Not spectacular, but that makes me feel a little better considering the blunder-filled slap in the face I acquired in Week 6! This next week, I’m targeting a 10-3 record with a huge upset here and there, err, in Indianapolis…???Carolina (+3.5) at Cincinnati: Like I said last week, taking the Panthers as an underdog is like money in the bank. And since I’m all about some mo money, I have to put my chips on the Panthers. Carolina has a little momentum, in the form of Steve Smith (4 straight W’s) when Smith plays, and the Bengals are starting to fall to all the distractions that have plagued their club since the off season. Take the Panthers as dogs, always a solid bet.

Detroit at N.Y. Jets (-3.5): Losing Shaun Rogers to steroid use will demoralize a Lion defense that already looked up to Miami. That one key loss will blow up any momentum the Lions carried after their first win last week against the Buff. This game will be a shoot out, no doubt about that, but 10 points more from New York is no stretch.

Green Bay (+5) at Miami: The Packers don’t have much of a running game, but who can cure that health issue better than the Dolphins? As far as the Packer passing attack, I know for a fact that Old Gray Beard can still wing the rock. Greg Jennings has been fantastic in his rookie season, and The Donald should be back for this one as well. 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.

Jacksonville (-9.5) at Houston: The Texans aren’t a popular pick here, and I can see why. Even without their stud linebacker, Mike Peterson, the Jaguars will still act as a wall against the Texans feeble ground game. In the secondary, Jax is better than advertised. A couple big plays here, some nice defensive stops, and you look up at the scoreboard to see the Jaguars up by 24 by the end of the 3rd quarter.

New England (-5) at Buffalo: Those pesky Patriots are up against another easy foe in Week 7. Is it just me or do the Patriots always seem to play bad teams? You have to go all the way back to 2002 to find the Pats losing a game after their bye week. After Sunday, you’ll still have to look that far back. Buffalo has tailed off recently, and although the Pats like to play close games, bye weeks are their babies. Good teams win, great coaches always win after their bye.

Philadelphia (-5) at Tampa Bay: Historically, the Eagles and Donovan McNabb often come back strong the week after a loss. Last year, they lost to Atlanta, the beat the Niners 42-3. They lost to Dallas, the beat San Diego. In ’04, they lost to Pittsburgh then promptly smashed the Cowboys 49-21. McNabb just hates losing, you can see it on his face, and when he just lost a game, he blows up the very next week. It’s not any different this year. Check the week after the Eagles lost to the Giants. Tampa isn’t ready for the Eagles, especially after dealing their top defensive tackle, Booger McFarland.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta (+2.5): The Falcons haven’t played well lately, and finally Big Ben Roethilisberger looks like he’s got everything back on track. Not this time. The Falcons will make big defensive plays, and absolutely shut down the Steeler running game. With too much defensive secondary speed, Atlanta will have all corners covered on way to a close win at home.

San Diego Chargers (-5) at Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs just don’t have the passing game to compete with the Chargers. I love Larry Johnson, hell, I even think he’s a better back than LT, but with SD dominating the poor O-Line in Kansas City, you can bet LJ will have another tough game between the tackles. Phillip Rivers is the real deal. It’s nice to see both he and Brees playing well this season.

Denver (-4.5) at Cleveland: I think Jake Plummer is very limited, and the Broncos (I mean Mike Shanahan) love to sit on a little lead and punish me for betting with them on a big spread. That being said, the Broncos defense could very well be too tough for the Brownies. Clevelands rushing attack is more of a tea party than an attack, and the Broncos are back to bashing heads on defense. Expect a low scoring 17 – 6 game in Cleveland.

Arizona (-3) at Oakland: Matt Leinart and the Cards get their second win of the season this week in Oakland. Arizona is bad, but everyone that has anything to do with even thinking about an egg shaped ball knows the Raiders are worse. Randy Moss, LaMont Jordan, I don’t give a damn. I have just as good a chance to win football games coaching that team as Art “freaking” Shell does. I’ve never seen a more pathetic team. This game should be a dandy! Puke.

Minnesota (+7) at Seattle: The Hawks are the better team, and they should pull a close one out at home against the Vikings, but in what should be a close game, I have to take the Vikings and a touchdown. With Stevey Hutch coming back to Sea Town, you can bet the Vikings can’t wait to run the ball. That will slow down the game, and since the Hawks haven’t done much to stop much recently, it should also produce some points for the Vikings. Brad Johnson won’t get the win, but he’ll keep his squad in it. A very underrated defense from Minnesota will limit the Hawks scoring. Take the points.

Washington (+10) at Indianapolis: Call me crazy, but after losing to the freaking Titans, the Redskins will finally wake up. Defensively, they’re too talented for the Colts to run the ball, and with Shawn Springs coming back, their secondary gets better too. I don’t know if Mark Brunell can still win big games, but he’ll find holes in that Colt defense. Clinton will run rapid, and maybe, just maybe, the Redskins will finish a job very similar to the one the Cardinals failed to complete last Monday Night. I like the Skins with 10 points.

N.Y. Giants (+3.5) at Dallas: I don’t like Dallas, never have, never will. TO is a gong show. This game will be a score fest. Neither defense can promise a stop at any point in the game. But with Stuck in Glue Drew back there for the Boys, you can bet a couple sacks, an interception and a fumble or two will set the Giants that much farther ahead of Dallas. With big turnovers in my mind, I have to expect an upset in Texas this week.

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 8 – 2006

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Welcome for the march for 8 in 8. 8 wins in Week 8! Last week marked the 3rd straight week where I had over twice as many wins as losses. 8-2, 7-3, 7-3… I feel like a champion these days. Thank God for college, because the NFL had me by the bullocks this week. week 8 in college ball will help eliminate a team from Championship contention… which squad will it be? Michigan at home? A scare for the Mountaineers and the Buckeyes? Read on and find out… 11 games for your picking pleasure.

Iowa Hawkeyes (+14) @ Michigan Wolverines: I really think the Hawkeyes will come to play against the Wolverines. I think Iowa is a little overrated, but apparently, the books think they are very overrated. Iowa had a tough one last week, but they’ll come back to pinch the Wolverines. This game will be much closer than expected.

SC Fighting Gamecocks @ Vanderbilt Commodores (+3.5): Why do the Commodores keep getting hated on by everyone? The Commo’s nearly upset Alabama, then were a field goal away from beating Arkansas, lost to MISS by a touchdown, and beat Georgia by 2 on the road. I think they’re worth a bet against Steve Spurrier’s lowly squad of overrated punks. They aren’t punks, but they are getting too much love here. Take the Commo’s to cover.

North Carolina State Wolfpack @ Maryland Terrapins (-3): After an early season tumble, the Wolfpack have played well lately. Wins over Boston College, Florida State, and a close loss to Wake show me they’ve turned over a new leaf since they lost back to back games against Akron and SoMiss. However, Maryland has either won or played close with very good teams. Georgia Tech won by 4 points and West Virginia had to scratch and fight to pull ahead late. The Wolfpack have gathered bettors, but don’t forget about the Terrapins.

West Virginia Mountaineers (-22) @ Connecticut: I really don’t think 22 points will be a problem for Pat White and the gang. Steve Slaton will be pimp slapping kids and taking names when he runs all over the field on Saturday. White will have his legs ready as well. The Mounties learned something last week against Syracuse. If they play poorly, anyone can play with them. If they play up to their talent, they can dominate anyone. Look for them to showcase their skill set on Saturday.

Texas Longhorns (-6.5) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers: I don’t think the Huskers’ have a chance in this one. Texas is too high and recent wins for Nebraska over powerhouses like Kansas, Troy, Iowa State, and Kansas State are a few things that don’t excite me. The Huskers haven’t played against enough talent to get them ready to compete with the Longhorns.

Indiana Hoosiers (+31.5) @ Ohio State Buckeyes: The Hoosiers aren’t going to upset college football’s best team, but they will cover. With a few big playmakers roaming their side of the ball, Indiana will put up enough to hold the spread. The Buckeyes don’t care about utter domination on the scoreboard, if they win out, they go to the big show in January, points be damned. I appreciate that as much as the next guy, so I’ll take advantage here.

Wisconsin Badgers @ Purdue Boilermakers (+6.5): The Boilermakers have held pretty solid all week long at just around (+6) for the game against the Badgers. It’s always nice to know Vegas agrees with you. See, even though 80% of the public has their money on the rodents, the line has barely changed a point. Wisconsin always seems to falter right around this time of the season. Vegas is betting on it, so should you.

Illinois Fighting Illini (+18) @ Penn State Nittany Lions: Illinois hasn’t lost a game by more than 17 since Iowa hosted them on September 23rd. Since then, the Illini beat Michigan State, and finished within 3 points against both Indiana and Ohio. Penn State plays tight with folks. It should happen again this week in Pennsylvania.

Miami Hurricanes (-17.5) @ Duke Blue Devils: This is the best thing that could happen for the Hurricanes in this game. The last thing they need to do is start focusing on how pathetic the Blue Devil football program is. With all the “Down with the U” talk going round and round, the Canes should easily be able to lose focus. This is the only team in college football where losing focus actually helps you dominate them. Duke is 6 games away from reverse perfection. Everyone whose anyone is rooting for them! To do the deed and finish a perfect Ofer….

UCLA Bruins (+13.5) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish: I know what I said about never picking Irish games again, but did you honestly think I would follow through with that? Especially with a prime opportunity like this to bring them down? UCLA is better than they’re getting credit for right now, be careful with your loyalties… In gambling, loyalties are poison.

Washington Huskies @ Cal Bears (-22.5): Without their star offensive player, the Huskies will shed on Saturday. The Bears have really impressed me over the last few weeks, and I imagine this contest won’t be any different. I feel sad for the Huskies loss, they were having a nice season, but honestly, you have to take advantage of situations like this.

Week 6 NFL Pick Review – 2006

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Perfection in imperfection. Damn huge ass spreads got me again. Hopefully I learned a few lessons this week. Immediately after my best week of the season, I step out on a couple limbs and crack, snap, capow, I fall tumbling to near death on a pile of rubble. Luckily, a couple wins bailed me out, but the fall, I mean the week, was one of many bumps and bruises. I’ll be walking funny for a week. This is how the destruction went down… 4-9… Ugh…

Buffalo (-1) at Detroit: Loss. I still can’t believe the Lions beat the Bills. The Packers, sure, but the Bills. Buffalo has really tumbled from earlier in the season when their football play was sharp. From one week to the next, they are just too random. 1 game – 1 loss… Never a good way to start.

Carolina (+3) at Baltimore: Winner. As I predicted, the underdog Panthers won again. If they could be underdogs in every game, they’d be undefeated. Since that’s impossible, they lose too many easy games, and rarely cover for me. But, ah, not this week, the week I needed them to come through the most. This week they were my Championship Squad!

Cincinnati (-5) at Tampa Bay: Loss. I really thought I had this one in the bank, but then again, I’m sure that’s exactly what the Bengals thought too. It’s nice to see the Bucs get a W, but they should thank Cinci. While they dominated most of the game, the Bungles didn’t take advantage of their dominance, while they allowed a late score to Michael Clayton, and just like that, they lost their 2nd straight after beginning the season with 3 wins.

Houston (+14) at Dallas: Loss. I should have been one of the 75% of the people who had the Cowboys in this one. TO had a day in the end zone, and the rest of the Boys looked good against their interstate rival. On the contrary, I looked bad here.

N.Y. Giants (+3) at Atlanta: Winner. I said the Giants were the better team here, and they didn’t let me down. Mike Vick got in the sack, err sacked, 7 times on Sunday. Eli had 2 touchdowns. But like I said, Tiki would be the one to carry the Giants. His 220+ total yards ran the Giants right passed the Falcons.

Philadelphia (-3) at New Orleans: Loss. The Eagles, right now, are making me sick. They’re so much better than they played on Sunday. Defensively, it was a struggle all day for the Eagles. Drew Brees is looking like the best offseason pick up this year, as the Saints did it all to get their 5th win in 6 tries.

Seattle (-3) at St. Louis: Loss. Oh Seattle. Up 6 with just about 2 minutes to go, I was already celebrating. Then Maurice Morris thundered me hard, fumbling the ball, and giving the Rams another chance. They took it. A juggling, bumbling, one handed snag for a long touchdown by Torry Holt broke me down. But the Hawks wouldn’t be had. A quick drive set up a 54 yard game winner by Josh Brown. He hit it. The Hawks won, and me, well, I lost by a point.

Tennessee at Washington (-10): Loss. I’ll take this one. The Titans gave it to the Redskins good. Trying to prove that their losing fight against the Colts was no fluke, Vince Young walked his Titans into the Nation’s capital and downed the heavily favored Redskins. Honestly, I loved every second of this one. Travis Henry blew up. I’ve been saying for years, this kid is a 1,500 yard back. We’ll see if they continue to deal him the rock.

Kansas City (+7.5) at Pittsburgh: Loss. Ben looked good, and the Chiefs, well, they helped Ben look good. I lost this one big. What the hell was I thinking? I guess I thought the Steelers were losing it quick, and the Cheifs had played solid defense of late. Haha. Tricked me good didn’t they. Hopefully you didn’t lose as much money as I did on this game.

Miami at N.Y. Jets (-1.5): Winner. It took a while, but I had a feeling it would be the Jets that pulled me out of the gutter. Well, it wasn’t as much the Jets as it was the Dolphins, but you get the picture. NY won the game, thought it got close late, and I got another much needed victory.

San Diego (-10) at San Francisco: Winner. My 4th win couldn’t have come at a better time. I take that back, it could have come in the morning. But I needed this one. After Rivers, LT, and the rest of the Chargers dismantled the Niners, I had 2 more games to get me to 6 wins – only a game down on the week.

Oakland at Denver (-15): Loss. God al mighty I hated watching this game. I could see that halfway through the 3rd quarter, Mike Shanahan saw an opportunity to log away an easy win while giving me a painful 8th loss on the day. He followed through, and I hated the Broncos even more than I hated them to start the last day of the week. The much needed win here never came, only my 8th loss on the day.

Chicago (-10) at Arizona: Ugh… This is the worst of both worlds. The Bears win, and I have to sit through another week of 2006 and 1985 Chicago Bear comparisons, and I lose my bet by a healthy 9 point margin. Did I mention I was 4-9 this week? Puke. I guarantee a winning week in the form of comeback champions next week.

Week 7 College Football Picks Review: 2006

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For the 2nd week in a row, I busted out 7 wins in 10 attempts. That means I’m 22-8 in the last 3 weeks of college football. Yes. Championship type stuff. I started hot early, had a couple tough ones, and finished with a bang. Check it out and love the outcome as I put up 7 W’s in Week 7.

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Boston College Eagles (+3): WINNER! “The Eagles, with a big win over Clemson, a 4-1 record, and coming off a bye week will surprise a lot of people when they dismantle the Hokies.” (me) What can I say? Some times it’s best to just quote myself. The Eagles soared to an “upset” victory over the Hokies on Thursday Night. 1 game 1 win.

Temple Owls @ Clemson Tigers (-44): WINNER! Those wonderful little Tigers followed through, and I took this game easily. Considering Clemson only scored in the first 3 quarters, the cover was even more impressive. It was nice to have two wins before the weekend arrived.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+4) @ North Carolina State Wolfpack: WINNER! There was no letting down on either side. This was one hell of a football game. The Deacons had points to burn, but they came with it, and busted out of NC State with a victory and a 6-1 record.

Syracuse Orange (+25.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: WINNER! Syracuse finally lost a game by more than 10. However, they didn’t lose a game by more than 24, and on Saturday, that’s what mattered most to Ol’ Lucky. This game was close early, and even in the middle, but down the stretch, the West Virginia rushing attack, both Slaton and Pat White, was too much for the Orange. But I win anyway! Moowah ha ha ha!

South Florida Bulls (-2) @ North Carolina Tarheels: WINNER! This game was easy to call. The Tarheels got stomped on as the Bulls gave NC the horns early and often. I’m looking forward to the basketball season, as are Heel fans everywhere.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (+8.5) @ Wisconsin Badgers: LOSER! I was the tool for taking the Gophers like a fool. Wisconsin had this game wrapped up from the moment they walked onto the field. I don’t know what Minnesota was doing on Saturday, because it definitely wasn’t playing football. My firs loss was a slap in the face.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+2.5) @ Navy Midshipmen: WINNER! Rutgers rode out of their game with Navy, easily holding on to their undefeated record. How does 32-0 sound in a game they weren’t expected to win? Rutgers was the better team in this one. I like the Knights, but the true tests will come against Louisville and West Virginia. Two tough games.

Marshall Thundering Herd (+4) @ Southern Methodist Mustangs: LOSER! Marshall just couldn’t get it down the stretch. After the first half, the Thundering Herd was up 4, and looked like they were ready to pull the upset. But as is often the case, the Mustangs won the second half and the game. Two 4th quarter touchdowns doomed me in, as SMU pulled ahead by 10.

Iowa State Cyclones(+19.5) @ Oklahoma Sooners: LOSER! Iowa State just couldn’t get it done on the Sooners side of the field. As 20 point underdogs, I was sure this game would be close, and I’d get the win. But Oklahoma wasn’t having any of that. ISU could only manage a safety in the 2nd half as they were ousted by 25 points on the road. My 3rd and last loss on Saturday was a tough one.

California Golden Bears (-8) @ Washington State Cougars: WINNER! Cal was just too good early, and that was plenty to put down the Cougs. WSU had their chances, but couldn’t put anything on the board after their 2nd quarter field goal. Cal’s 21 first half points were all they needed for the win and my 7th victory of Week 7. 7 in 7… I hope that trend continues in week 8 if you get my drift.

2006 Fantasy Football Review – Week 6

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This Week’s Top Team: What a week. I went straight Rambo-style racking it up (130) fantasy points on the afternoon.

QB: Rex Grossman: Minus 8 points… My good lord. I can’t believe my quarterback had negative points, freaking 8 of them, and I still scored 130. Amazing.

RB: Clinton Portis: Clinton’s 58 yards rushing weren’t as many as I figured, but his 2 scores, and 17 yards receiving added to the yards slammed me 18 fantasy points on the afternoon.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson: Mr. (L) T – In all his glory, not only brought me loads of points, but an absolutely brilliant victory in my fantasy league. Championships are built on stuff like this. LT smashed around for 4 touchdowns against the 49ers. With 71 rushing and 64 receiving, plus those 4 scores, LT snaked me 37 big fantasy smackers.

WR: Terrell Owens: Only to be outdone by LT in the touchdown book of Week 6, TO snagged 3 touchdowns. Total, he caught 4 balls for 45 yards, but those touchdowns bring in the fantasy points. 22 points for me.

WR: Laveranues Coles: Master Vernes also came to play on Sunday, tallying 105 yards on 5 catches. Did I mention the 2 touchdowns? Ah yes, 2 scores, and one was 58 yards, which gives me a two point bonus. 22 + 2 = 24 fantasy big ones.

TE: Antonio Gates: Mr. Gates is finally coming to play. With another score today, and 78 yards from the TE spot, Gates brought me home 13 fantasy points.

K: Jeff Wilkins: The Hawks allowed nothing but scores, and for the first time, a low scoring game out of my Fantasy Hero brought me tumbling down in my Dynast league. The 4 points here didn’t help either.

D: Broncos: Allowing only 3 points and 244 total yards, with an interception a fumble recovery and 4 sacks, those pesky Broncos rolled in a grand total of 20 fantasy points. Making them the 4th Sunday position with 20 points or more. Yeehaw!

LUCKY’S Week 2 SLEEPERS

Joey Harrington: So, as a stop gap, you have to admit, I was right about Joey. He had 2 picks, but, His 266 yards passing and one touchdown in the air looked a lot better than Andrew Walter’s stats. 12 fantasy points – Gotta get a “B”.

Tatum Bell: Finally, as I predicted, Mr. Bell had a touchdown on Sunday Night, his first of the season. With 83 yards on the ground, and 11 receiving yards, Mr. Bell totaled me 15 fantasy points. I’ll take another “B”.

Julius Jones: Julius had the better yardage total, but the fact that he didn’t score made him a worse play than his backup, Marion Barber. That being said, I still had 10 points from the guy. I’ll take a “C”.

Michael Turner: Flunk me here. All the rushes went to LaDainian, as Turner didn’t see much time on the field. I took an “F”!!!

Lee Evans: Evans had a decent game. 8 receptions for 82 yards got me 8 fantasy points. However, the Bills lost to the freaking Lions, giving me a big fat loss on my bet sheet. “C”.

Jericho Cotchery: 6 damn yards? Damn it all to hell! “F”!!!

Jeremy Stevens: Fantasy Points? What are those? Stevens has no idea. I get an “F”!

Redskins DST: I don’t even care how many points the Skins scored, I’m not even going to check, what I do know is they lost to the Titans. What does that mean? I get another F!!!

LUCKY’S Week 1 WUSSIES

Jake Delhomme: Jakey was no wussy against the Ravens. Baltimore got their 2nd straight loss, and Jakey went for 365 yards and 2 scores. Take away 4 point for two picks, and Jake hit up the 18 point mark in Week 6.

Larry Johnson: Would you say LJ struggled? He scored once, but 26 yards rushing and 6 yards receiving aren’t Larry numbers. 8 fantasy points from a number 1 pick is wussy-royal!

Santana Moss: Moss only had 50 yards receiving, but his 33 rushing yards pushed him out of Wussy status right into the mediocre “I wouldn’t chose to start him but if I did, he didn’t lose me the game” label.

Rudi Johnson: 52 yards on 17 carries, no scores, no receiving yards. The “Toughest guy in the league” had a fantasy wussy day. 2 out of 4 ain’t bad! I’d be a millinaire on the baseball diamond!

Free Football Picks 06-07 Week 6

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My best week of the season came just in time, making amends for my strugglesome week 5. 9-3-2 is a nice record, one I’ll take week in and week out. But I’m not going to settle for nice, I want perfect. Over the next 12 Weeks I’ll be on the ball attempting my 2nd perfect week in as many seasons. Check out my picks for this week, and let me know which ones you like the best. Keep it Championship! In the NFL’s first 13 game week since Houston entered the fray, and the Week of Friday the 13th, this should be one hell of a week.Buffalo (-1) at Detroit: I’ve seen a lot of Sports Books change this spread throughout the week. Detroit started out favored, but now the Lions have turned into the underdog, just where they belong. If I’ve learned anything over the last couple weeks, its that the Lions really know how to lose. I’m sure they’ll stay close in this game, but ultimately, they’re 0-5 for a reason. And where the hell is Mike Williams? I want to see him on the field, throw him some balls, and show me that he can’t play. He’s a playmaker.

Carolina (+3) at Baltimore: The Panthers love to be underdogs. Their record as an underdog in the last 3 seasons is amazingly good. Baltimore will struggle to score against a solid defense for the second week in a row. How poor will McNair have to play to remove blame from Kyle Boller’s shoulders over the past few seasons? Here’s a hint, it’s the coaching staff. Carolina has enough speed and playmaking ability to score on any defense in the league. They’ll show that against one of the leagues’ best in Baltimore.

Cincinnati (-5) at Tampa Bay: The Bengals will blitz Tampa Bay into oblivion. The Bucs have been my most disappointing team of the season, and I don’t see how that’s going to change this week at home against the Bengals. Carson Palmer needs to find Chad Johnson more often; get the ball to your playmakers. After getting throttled Week 4 against the Pats, everyone on the Bengals is ready to take steps in the right direction. Lucky for them they play the Bucs.

Houston (+14) at Dallas: Everyone and their mother has the Cowboys in this one, but don’t be confused, the Texans aren’t the Titans, and you can damn well bet that these two Texas teams will be battling it out down to the wire. Dallas isn’t that good, and Houston isn’t that bad. TO’s antics and Drew Bledsoe’s demise will have Dallas wondering what happened when the Texans nearly take them out.

N.Y. Giants (+3) at Atlanta: The Giants are the better team here. Finally New York is starting to play up to their talent level, and in this game their secondary won’t be tested. The Falcons don’t often do well in highly televised games, which this one definitely will be. Eli Manning will have a nice game against the Falcons, but ultimately, it will be Tiki Barber who steps up in Week 6.

Philadelphia (-3) at New Orleans: The Eagles, right now, are my pick to show up in the Super Bowl for the NFC. I know, with Kearse out, and Brian Westbrook a hit away from a 3-4 week injury you think I’m crazy. But with this team, and the players that are healthy now, the Eagles are much better than the Saints. Expect Drew Brees to get his hits as Philly blitzes early and often.

Seattle (-3) at St. Louis: With nothing left to do but sit and think about how horribly they played against the Bears, the Hawks had a bye week to think about what they had done. And after a week or two, they’ve realized that they did dick. Matt was terrible, the O-Line was bad, and the defense was downright pathetic. Expect Matt to have a 2 touchdown 0 interception game against the Rams while Seattle’s D takes a couple away from a Rams offense that has hardly turned the ball over all season. Basically, Marc Bulger is due.

Tennessee at Washington (-10): Even at 10 points, I will be rolling with the Redskins all the way. The Colts had a hard time with the Titans because they couldn’t run the football. If the Redskins can do anything, they can run. Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Roc Cartright… I don’t care, one, two, all of them will get touches and bring the ruckus against the Titans. I love Tennessee in the future, but right now is a whole different ball game.

Kansas City (+7.5) at Pittsburgh: The Chiefs are better than the Steelers right now. I told all y’all in my season preview that the Steelers would struggle after their Super season in 2005, but just now are you starting to believe me. Ben Roethlisberger will play better in this one, maybe even complete his first touchdown pass, but it won’t be enough to cover against a rejuvenated Chiefs team. Larry Johnson is an absolute beast, he’ll prove it by running on one of the leagues’ toughest defenses in Week 6.

Miami at N.Y. Jets (-1.5): With Joey Harrington at the helm, I just can’t admit that the Dolphins have a better chance to win. Everyone can throw on the Jets, but Joey will test that theory this week. Will we see the difference between Joey and everyone else? Hmm… Chad Pennington on the other hand, should have an easy time completing passes at home against the Dolphins. His accurate arm should pick apart one of the most porous secondaries in football.

San Diego (-10) at San Francisco: I can’t justify picking the 49ers here. Teams just can’t run on the Chargers, and if the 49ers try to pass, San Diego will go buck wild rushing them. Phillip Rivers will show his growth this week against a 49er team that allows big points to everyone they play. LT will have his best game of the season, and he’ll only play a little under 3 quarters of football. SD will cover the 10.

Oakland at Denver (-15): The Raiders will never be picked by me as long as the Walter shall Q, the Shell shall coach, and the (whose the damn O coordinator) shall call plays. This team is bad. Defensively, the Raiders are pretty solid, but they’ll be on the field a lot against Denver. In fact, a couple defensive scores out of the Broncos wouldn’t surprise me one bit. What has gone so wrong with the Raiders to be 15 point dogs against the Broncos? Thank goodness this game is on Sunday Night football so all can see it.

Chicago (-10) at Arizona: Once again, like the 49er game, I just can’t justify picking the Cardinals, even if the spread was 20. I just don’t see the Cards doing anything against the Bears’ defense, and Chicago should be playing with Arizona defenders like cats play with mice before they claw them. It’s only a matter of time before Dennis Green puts Kurt Warner in just to see what it looks like when Kurt gets decleated by Brian Urlacher. I can see it now…. Kurt Warner came in for one play and got… JACKED UP!!

Here’s to building on a big week 5. Perfection here we come!

2006 Fantasy Football Week 7 theRUNDOWN

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This Week’s Top Team: You can’t get better than these fellas in week 7…

QB: Brett Favre: After promising myself never to pick Rex Grossman here again, I’d say Brett Favre is a nice pick here… It’s ridiculous to go with the same guys week in and week out, so rolling the dice with Old Gray Beard as my fantasy stud in Week 7 feels like a winner.

RB: Kevin Jones: This might have the backfire of a Rex Grossman on Monday Night, but how can I go away from the runner facing the Jets? Two words; Ronnie Brown! The Dolphins looked like they couldn’t get the runs if they ate sloppy joes all week, but sure enough Mr. Brown ran all over NY. This week it’s KJ’s turn to run amuck.

RB: Clinton Portis: I’d love to roll with LT every week, but that’s basically cheating, plus I think Clinton’s ready to explode against the Colts. This game will be closer than expected, at least I better hope so, I’m taking the Skins and the points. Portis will score a couple times, as Indy has proven that stopping the run isn’t their bag baby.

WR: Plaxico Burress: Plax will have a chance to get Monday Night Player of the Week when the Giants trot into Dallas this week. Dallas can’t cover for crap, and Eli will need to go up top early and often if he wants to keep the Cowboys run defense honest. A couple big plays on 1st and 2nd down will have Burress racking up some points.

WR: Anquan Boldin: If Boldin can do the Bears like he done, you can count on him doubling that production against the hapless Raiders. Leinart is a smart kid, hence his trust in Quan. Boldin is a borderline Top 5 receiver in the league, actually bunk that, he is Top 5!

TE: Randy McMichael: Yeah, Gates is a great play here, so if you have him, play him. But I’m trying to take some time off from my norm this week, so I’ll take Randy McMichael against the Packers. Green Bay can’t stop jack, and Randy has led the Dolphins in receiving each of Joey Harrington’s two starts. The trend shall continue!

K: John Kasey: Kasey’s crazy leg should be on automatic mode in Cincinnati. The Bengals have a decent defense, but all of Carolina’s offensive weapons should get them down the field. Kasey will capitalize with 3 or 4 field goals on Sunday.

D: Broncos: Who plays Oakland this week? Arizona… Yikes… Hey, I said it, I might as well follow through. I’ll take the Cardinals. The Raiders are brutal, watch, even the Cards will D them up.

LUCKY’S Week 2 SLEEPERS

Joey Harrington: I’ll roll with Joey again. Not just because it’s easy to keep his name up on the board, but the Dolphins are rolling at home against the Packers, quite possibly the only secondary that can compete with theirs for biggest baddest donkeys around. Can he have more TD’s than picks? That is the question.

Chester Taylor: Chester isn’t the stud Minnesota thought they were getting, but he’ll be benefiting from Steve Hutchinson mauling his old teammates on Sunday. You can bet Hutch will get plenty of opportunities to run block against his old squad. Chester will have his best game of the season.

Dominic Rhodes: Rhodsey hasn’t done quite enough to make him a must start, but a week after Travis Henry broke the donkey’s back against Washington, you can bet your balls Peyton will give Rhodes plenty of chances to prove himself at home against the Skins. A couple touchdowns sounds just about right.

Greg Jennings: Have you seen the Dolphins secondary tackling fools left and right? Yeah, me neither. Jennings will benefit from one of the league’s worst secondaries on way to another strong week for the rookie.

Matt Jones: The Great White Hype hasn’t done much to celebrate this season, and basically nothing lately. But this week will be different. The Jaguars always beat the Texans, and with Houston keying in on the Jaguar run game 1st and Reggie Williams 2nd you can bet Byron will take advantage of the 6’6″ target running behind the defense in Houston. Matt will have his first big game of the year.

Ben Watson: Ben has too many skills to stay in fantasy purgatory for the rest of the season. When he breaks out, you can bet I’ll have him on my sleepers list. Buffalo hasn’t done well on the defensive end of the ball lately, and Bill always finds ways to dominate coming off a bye. Big Ben well help the cause.

Steelers DST: Though not the most popular option this week, Pittsburgh has just the right kind of defense to shut down Atlanta. I know the Chiefs O-Line isn’t what it used to be, but LJ only got 26 yards on 15 carries last week. If they can do that to him, Pittsburgh should do just fine against Atlanta’s rushing attack. Shut down the run, shut down Atlanta.

LUCKY’S Week 1 WUSSIES

Brad Johnson: You can bet the Vikings will try to slow the game down as much as possible, because no way they can gun with Hasselbeck and the Hawks. That being said, 36+ rushes won’t surprise me. That means low attempts and low totals for BJ.

Reuben Droughns: Denver will eliminate the rush from the Browns. When Denver gets ahead, they slow everything down. A fast game and playing from behind, matched up with playing against a tough defense should hurt Mr. D’s fantasy stats.

Hines Ward: He’s one of my favorite players of all time, but he should have a rough time against Atlanta’s secondary. DeAngelo Hall will have him on lockdown, not a good sign Hines. Other receivers might benefit from his attention, but Hines should falter in Week 7.

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.

What are your thoughts?

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I think the Miami Ohio / Buffalo game is a tough one, because so much would rely on the momentum gathered by a big play early in the game. Both teams have struggle this year, and though Buffalo is use to hurting for wins, Miami OH is usually a solid school, so the losing season should be tougher on them. If you are taking Miami, you definitely have history on your side, as only once since 1999 has this game finished closer than 10 points, every time Miami being the victor. On the other hand, twice as many people have taken Miami of Ohio in this game, which usually isn’t a good sign. Because, naturally, Casinos make money, right. But if I had to choose a winner of this spread, i think I’d roll with the Redhawks.

Historically dominating Buffalo, and doing better against common opponents, and a decent coaching staff give them the nod in my opinion. Its also hard to believe Miami of Ohio will go 0-7… but an 8.5 point spread is pretty big for two teams that have combined for 1 win on the season. I think you’ve picked a tough game here, but like I said, if I had to take a winner, I’d go with you.

As for the Marshall game, I like your pick with the Thundering Herd as underdogs. The public has taken SMU, because their record is better, and their at home, but surely Marshall has a much stronger program. Often times with small schools like Marshall, if their football program is stout, and Marshall’s is, they’ll start to right the ship after an early season tumble. I’d take the Herd in this game.

As for my best bet of the week… I’m torn between two, and although I don’t guarantee anything, I’d say both look very good in my eyes. If I had to rank them, it’d be 1 and 2 in this order.

1. I like the Syracus Orange with (+25) to cover against West Virginia. The Orange have a solid defense that has limited their average margin of loss to under 9 on the season. And remember, they’ve never lost by more than 10, and never given up more than 21 points in a loss. Plus they’ve won 3 of their last 4, and God knows they won’t overlook the top ranked Mountaineers. Plus, undefeated teams start to struggle right around this time, pressure, and just the hope to finish wihtout a loss… these games get close.
2. My other top game is Minnesota (+8.5) over Wisconsin. The Badgers just aren’t as good as they’ve been playing, and historically they play much better to start the season than they do to finish it. The Gophers are better than they’ve played, and their pound it out running game should keep them close with everyone they play, as can be seen by their last three games, Purdue (21-27) Michigan (14-28; much closer than the final score) and Penn State (27-28). They have a very good coach who preaches the run, even more than the Badgers. I like all the points in these two games, and the fact that 61% of the public disagrees with me here is great – Always a good sign.

Anyway, i hope I helped, and good luck this weekend… Thanks for reading! – Lucky Lester