Monthly Archives: November 2007

Week 11 College Football Picks Review: 2007

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11 is hardly even, but 1 and 1 is even, and that makes 11, and 5-5 is the same as 1-1 as both are .500… Thank you sadistic number crunching version of John Madden. The way it goes, I finished the Week at .500 with my free picks, as my 5 free dogs did the most damage, pulling me even on the week. This is how it went down.

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Picks

Free Picks: Week 11 (2-3) (3-2) (5-5)

Michigan State Spartans @ Purdue Boilermakers (-4): loss
(Line: Thursday, 2:00am EST: Belmont)

Michigan State looked pissed off about last week’s loss to the Wolverines, and probably more importantly Mike Hart’s comments about them being the little brother. Well, they stepped right back up and put the Boilermakers in a strangle hold, which helped me toss my money out the window.

Indiana Hoosiers (-2) @ Northwestern Wildcats: loss
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

In another huge surprise for me, the Wildcats actually won a football game against a solid opponent. The Hoosiers were stuck admiring their success from last week’s game, and crumbled in this one. A game I thought was a sure win ended in blood and tears for Ole Lucky Lester.

North Carolina @ North Carolina State (-3.5): win
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

North Carolina fought hard after falling way being early in this game, but they couldn’t get close enough to bust my balls, losing by 4 to the Wolfpack. NC State just can’t finish off games, even when their very well being depends on it. They managed a win here, but didn’t impress me much, and nearly gave me a heart attack while doing so. In the end, they gave me a much needed win.

South Florida Bulls (-16) @ Syracuse Orange: win
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

Weird, the Bulls absolutely destroyed, sausage rolled, or straight train wrecked the Syracuse moldy Orange. South Flordia was just too good, and they put up 40 points. No way the Orange were about to get close to that number. A big win for me.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+9) @ Clemson Tigers: loss
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: BodogLife)

Despite my hopes that Clemson would fall back to their losing ways, the Tigers stepped up in a must win game to smash the Deacons of Wake Forest. This game wasn’t close, ever, and Wake Forest just looked outmanned and outcoached from the very get go. Like I said, I knew Clemson was the better team, I was just expecting the implosion that usually comes late in the season from the Tigers. Maybe next week?

Five Free Dogs! 3-2

Alabama Crimson Tide @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (+5.5): win
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Bodog)

Michigan Wolverines @ Wisconsin Badgers (+3): win
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Bodog)

Illinois Fighting Illini (+15.5) @ Ohio State Buckeyes: win
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Bodog)

Connecticut Huskies (+6.5) @ Cincinnati Bearcats: loss
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

Texas Tech Red Raiders (+6.5) @ Texas Longhorns: loss
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

5-5 Even Steven!

Free NFL Football Picks 07-08 Week 10

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We finally get into the double digits, and if you know my game, this is where I start making up for any early season blunders. The next 6 weeks are the most important for NFL teams and for my overall capping numbers alike. To get a quick start, I seem to be walking the underdog to the park this Sunday, this is how my free picks are looking in Week 10.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+4.5) @ Tennessee Titans:
(Line: Wednesday, 10:00pm EST: Belmont)

What can I say? I like the Jaguars’ chances to even their season series with the Titans in Tennessee. Vince hasn’t played well all season long, and I know he won’t be able to take advantage of the Jags’ secondary like New Orleans did last week. LenDale White is hurting, and Chris Brown’s ankle is sub-par right now. I think David Garrard will start and bring back some confidence with this offensive unit, just enough to win or play within a field goal of the Titans.

Denver Broncos (+4) @ Kansas City Chiefs:
(Line: Wednesday, 10:00pm EST: SBG Global)

From the sound of it, the Broncos are ready to play up to their potential. Denver has been down for most of the year, despite one game against the Steelers, and they very well could have lost that game. Anyhow, Denver has the talent to compete with the best, and I think they’ll put the Chiefs away with relative ease at Sunday’s game in Kansas City. However, even if I’m wrong about the Broncos, I think 4 points is too many, and like many Bronco games, this should at least come down to a field goal.

St. Louis Rams (+13.5) @ New Orleans Saints:
(Line: Tuesday, 2:00pm EST: 5Dimes)

Honestly, I don’t think the Rams will need half this many points, but I’ll take all 13 and a half of them from 5Dimes. I think the Rams could pull the biggest upset of the week by finally notching their first win against a Saints’ team that comes in with way too much hype for what they’ve accomplished thus far. What have they done? After 4 straight losses, they have a good 1st half against one of the more schizophrenic teams in the NFL (Seattle) and hold on to beat them by 11. Then they sneak by Atlanta (22-16) and probably would have lost if Leftwich hadn’t been hurt (he was torching the Saints’ secondary, believe it or not) and then they beat a terrible San Francisco team in Alex Smith’s first game since his injury, and the game was very close in Jacksonville last week (despite the 41-24 score), and Quinn Gray was calling plays for the Jaguars. Honestly, I think a lot of people are going to lose their survivor pools by taking the Saints in this one.

Philadelphia Eagles (+3) @ Washington Redskins:
(Line: Monday, 7:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

Now that everyone thinks the Eagles are completely lost without a chance of every returning or becoming part of any sort of playoff picture, I think they’ll play a lot better. Regardless of what Andy Reid thinks, his problems have effected the team, and questions surrounding Donovan McNabb have also been swirling. All those things are pretty meaningless now that everyone and their mother thinks the Eagles are done. Well, defensively, they are still good enough to slow the Redskins rushing attack, and Washington has been hurting at corner since Carlos Rogers went down for the season. McNabb and his average receiving corps will do fine under those circumstances, and the most talented running back in the NFC East will show his true colors again on Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals (+4.5) @ Baltimore Ravens:
(Line: Tuesday, 2:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

I personally hate gambling on either of these teams, but with the way the Ravens looked offensively and on the corners last Monday Night, I can’t imagine them beating anyone right now. The Bengals should get Chris Henry back, if this whole parking attendant thing doesn’t get him booted from the league, and he’ll be a much needed 3rd playmaker for that offense. Also, Kenny Watson should be back, and he should do alright catching the ball out of the Bengals’ backfield. Also, Chad Johnson’s hit may have been just what he needed to screw his head on straight, and start using his insane ability

Chicago Bears (-3) @ Oakland Raiders:
(Line: Monday, 3:00am EST: Bookmaker)

Another game the public loves, and while I hate it, I can’t see the Raiders beating the Bears, not in Oakland, or L.A., or any other place this side of Al Davis’s back yard. Oakland won’t be able to stop the Bears’ pathetic rushing attack, and thus the entire field will be opened up for Brian Griese and the hapless Bears. It sure is a popular pick, but Chicago’s not going to come into Oakland with the “We are the best in the NFC” attitude that they went in to Arizona with last season, and I don’t think they’ll be caught off guard. Tommie Harris is finally close to 100%, and I think he’ll destroy anything and everything the Raiders try to do offensively. I think this will be a blowout, but I’m not throwing too many units down on this, if only because the books totals (75% Bears) send a little fright down my direction – but you shouldn’t ever let that stop you – the book loses too, don’t forget that. Fading the public will only get you around 50% on the season.

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks (-10):
(Line: Monday, 3:00am EST: Bookmaker)

I don’t think too much of this game, and once again, I wouldn’t bet on it if I didn’t take every single NFL game every week. That’s the rule, and thus I’ll take the home team Seahawks. What I do like about this game is the OVER (39.5) which I will definitely be taking. With Seattle using the air attack more often, and Frank Gore set to run against the team he always dominates, I think this game should reach the 50 point total mark. I know the 49ers haven’t done much scoring, but Seattle has a special way of allowing points. I’m taking the Hawks -10, because Alex Smith and the rest of the 49ers make too many mistakes. Sacks, fumbles, and interceptions should just barely get this game over 10.

2007 Fantasy Football Review – Week 10

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This Week’s Top Team: 76 points? Gross. This is how it went down.QB: Peyton Manning vs. San Diego: Peyton had 6 picks, and still managed 15 fantasy points. This was one of the worst games of his career – so I’ll take the 15 when I can get em.

RB: Willis McGahee vs. Bengals: Willis didn’t do much worth talking about. He did manage a late score and thus went for 60 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals, losing a must win game in Baltimore. They are done, I got 13 points out of Willis.

RB: Larry Johnson vs. Denver: OUCH! When I originally posted this, I didn’t know LJ was out for the week. Took a big hit here, obviously.

WR: Larry Fitzgerald vs. Detroit: As I said, the Lions had one of the worst passing defenses in the league. Larry torched the Lions for 74 yards and two touchdowns – good for 19 points.

WR: Reggie Wayne vs. San Diego: Reggie had 140 yards and a touchdown, good for 20 points. Nice work.

TE: Jason Witten vs. New York Giants: Witten had 2 catches for 12 yards – gross – 1 fantasy point.

K: Josh Brown vs. San Francisco: Josh had another bad day for my kickers, managing 5 fantasy points after hitting 3 xps, making one field goal, and missing another one.

D: Titans vs. Jacksonville: 3 fantasy points killed me out of the Titans. Fred Taylor (and more effectively) Maurice Jones Drew had big games against the Titans supposed Top Flight run defense. Not today, folks.

LUCKY’S Week 10 SLEEPERS

JP Losman: Losman through for an amazing 4 fantasy points. I’d let you know his real numbers, except seeing them on the screen is bound to blur your vision. It was bad, trust me.

Greg Jennings: Greg fell just short of a touchdown on a long pass play, but he did collect 6 fantasy points. I expected a lot more from him in a blowout of the Vikings, but

Santonio Holmes: 53 receiving yards for Santonio – it seemed like Big Ben was keeping his eyes on Hines Ward a little more often this Sunday, but Holmes will remain a big play threat in this offense.

Greg Olsen: 0 catches against the Raiders – now that’s a terrible day – hopefully he’ll bounce back next week.

Chicago: 20 fantasy points for the Bears – not that it was tough work, they had to shut down the Raiders’ pathetic offense. They did that – what do they want? A cookie?

LUCKY’S Week 10 Splinter-Butts (bench him, son)

Phillip Rivers: -2… That wasn’t his golf score, so yes, he had one of the worst days of his career – and he’s had some bad days this season. Phillip needs to throw the ball harder.

Travis Henry: Didn’t play – so that’s a win right?

Ryan Grant: I missed this one. Grant had the best running day against the Vikings in ages, absolutely trumping Adrian Peterson, and making a name for himself as quite possibly a very good starter in Green Bay.

Alex Smith: 4 fantasy points for disappointing Smith – he underthrew a sure deep touchdown to Darrell Jackson on the team’s first offensive play, and after that it was all down hill. He didn’t take any chances, though, and thus threw no interceptions – that’s one bonus.

Darrell Jackson: Jackson had a chance to get open deep, but Alex Smith underthrew him and the ball ended up getting knocked down by the Hawks. That was it for DJack – he didn’t do anything worth mentioning. 26 yards? 2 fantasy points? That’s forgettable.

2007 Fantasy Football theRUNDOWN Week 10

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This Week’s Top Team: Looking for 140+ points, as tough as that is to get, I think this team can put in work.

QB: Peyton Manning vs. San Diego: The Colts will be ready to bounce back against an up and down Chargers secondary. I’m sure the Chargers will come to play a little pissed off in this one, but Peyton knows how to beat any defense, and I’m positive he’ll put about 20+ on Sunday.

RB: Willis McGahee vs. Bengals: Well, Willis is very good and the Bungles are, well, the Bungles. I think Mr. McGahee will have his best fantasy day of the season.

RB: Larry Johnson vs. Denver: I like Grandma-ma’s chances to do up the Broncos. Denver seems to play like dump in KC, and that team is in the dumps right now. That’s a bad combo when a tough-nosed Chief team is ready to roll. LJ will get a couple scores in this one.

WR: Lee Evans vs. Cincinnati: I know Evans is up and down at best, but I think he’ll have yet another huge day against the Dolphins on Sunday. The only thing a bye week will do for Miami is make the team realize they really don’t have a shot at winning a game this season.

WR: Reggie Wayne vs. San Diego: I don’t think Reggie will drop another pass as long as the season plays out. He dropped a big one against the Patriots, and that gave New England the life they needed to come back. He’ll come back with a vengeance against the Chargers and have another Reggie type day.

TE: Jason Witten vs. New York Giants: Witten doesn’t care if you knock his helmet off – you’ve got to like that about a big sure-handed tight end. Also, I think the Cowboys are going to tear the Giants’ “good” defense a new one on Sunday.

K: Josh Brown vs. San Francisco: The Niners are bad, and the Hawks can’t seem to get their running game going, that spells a high scoring kicking game where I’m from. Plus, Josh got me out of the kicker dumps, so I may or may not ride him the rest of the season.

D: Titans vs. Jacksonville: Quinn Gray may get a little better this wee, he’s been better and better each week as the starter, but I have a feeling the Titans will shut down the Jaguar rushing attack, and that will hurt Jacksonville’s chance to score something fierce.

LUCKY’S Week 10 SLEEPERS

JP Losman: I know nobody likes to do it, but the kid from Buffalo could put up some points on Sunday against the Dolphins. He has Lee Evans as a weapon, and the Dolphins haven’t really stopped anyone.

Earnest Graham: It took him all of 34 carries, but the young back went for 124 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a big Bucs win over the Cardinals. He also grabbed a couple passes for 13 yards. Graham’s 19 points give me at least a B+.

Kevin Jones: Jones didn’t get too many looks after the Lions started killing the Broncos, he only had 72 yards on 17 carries. But he did alright. Anyway, I’ll take a D+ here, for blowout’s sake.

Rudi Johnson: 9 rushes for 11 yards – yikes – the Bengals are now officially the BUNGLES again… F stands for Fantasy Failure on this one.

Greg Jennings: This guy is a big play receiver for Brett, and I don’t think the Packers have a chance to run against the Vikings. That means lots of throws – Jennings will reel in more than a handful.

Santonio Holmes: If the Hawks’ receivers can get wide open and have Hasselbeck throw for 300+ yards against the Browns, then Holmes will definitely get open this Sunday. I like the young Steeler a lot this week.

Greg Olsen: Greg should be able to tear up the Oakland Raider’s secondary enough for some big plays down field. 2 big plays is a Top 5 day in the TE world…

Chicago: They haven’t been all that good all season long, that will turn around on Sunday against the Raiders. Thank God for a well scheduled game coming off a bye week.

LUCKY’S Week 10 Splinter-Butts (bench him, son)

Phillip Rivers: If he sucks against the slow secondary in Minnesota, imagine what the infinitely fast secondary in Indy will do to this young signal caller. He needs the throw the ball way harder if he wants to complete anything.

Travis Henry: Travis will find it tough sledding against a very good and way underrated front 7 in Kansas City. Plus, the Broncos are bad.

Ryan Grant: He had one huge day, then a so-so day against the Chiefs – he just has a terrible match-up against the Packers this week, I’d stash him on the bench for the rest of the season, just don’t play him against Minnesota.

Alex Smith: This guy plays a decent Hawks defense, and he has been no short of brutal. Leave him on the waiver wire where he belongs this season.

Darrell Jackson: The Hawks know this guy very well. They know he wasn’t worth much more than a 4th round pick, and he still hasn’t done dick for his new team. I don’t think that will change on Monday Night Football this week against his old ball club.

Week 9 NFL Picks Review: 2007

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After a huge Week 8, week 9 brought me down quick… I was killed by half points, single points, 2 points… Every little thing went wrong in most games, injuries hurt me, and of course, the Chargers killed me for the billionth time this season. This is how it went down…

Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders (-3): loss
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

“This is a very tough game for me. First and foremost, I don’t think the Raiders should ever be favored, but this might be the exception to the rule.” Apparently, it wasn’t the exception to the rule after all – it’s official, the raiders, win or lose, should never be favored in any game. Defensively they are bad, and offensively neither McCown nor Culpepper can get enough done to make wins happen. You might see JaMarcus Russell next week in Oakland.

Washington Redskins (-3.5) @ N.Y. Jets: loss
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

Half a point… That sucks. Damn overtime field goals to lose games by a half a point. LT’s the only guy who ever runs for a touchdown to end a game in overtime, otherwise you’re going to get a 3 point game, and waiting with a half a point cushion is a painful thing in that instance. The Redskins win, but not by enough to make me a winner.

Arizona Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5): win
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

It’s nice to get a win here and there during a very tough week. Earnest Graham had a lot of carries and 125 yards for the Bucs, and Arizona couldn’t do anything on the ground or through the air against a Tampa defense that came out tough, and stayed dominate all day long. It’s nice to get a win here an there, like I said.

New England Patriots (-5) @ Indianapolis Colts: loss
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

One point… That sucks. The Patriots really didn’t play like the better team in this one, they just got it done when they had to. They definitely looked beatable, and the Colts looked like the younger and faster team – even more physical on the offensive line. This might be the battle we see for the AFC Championship game – both these teams are very good.

San Diego Chargers (-7) @ Minnesota Vikings: loss
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

I thought I was gold when Cromartie took that field goal back for 109.5 yards and a touchdown right before the half. Little did I know, I was in for the bad side of an NFL record breaking day by a rookie. Adrian “King of the World” Peterson ran all over the Chagers in the 2nd half. He finished the night with one more yard (296) than Jamal Lewis’s 295 yards a few years back. Peterson is the real deal, and a special player – see him when you can. LT and the Chargers fell again – and they always seem to kill me.

Seattle Seahawks (+1.5) @ Cleveland Browns: loss
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

One and a half points… That sucks. The Hawks are probably the toughest team for me to watch in the entire NFL. I expect decent things out of their roster, but when the really need to stop someone, they can’t, and when they really need a yard, there’s no way they get it if they use one of their running backs to get it. They traded D-Jack for a 4th round pick last season, I think they’ll be lucky to get a 4th rounder for Shaunna. This game, among the ones you see above, was one of the 3 games I lost by 2 points or less.

Baltimore Ravens (+10) @ Pittsburgh Steelers: loss
(Line: Monday, 11:00pm EST: BodogLife)

Forget this game… Well, at least I blew my 7-1 week perfectly with a 1-7 week, comes out even but also looks really bad. Now I definitely have some work to do.

Free College Football Picks Week 11 – 2007

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Week 10 wasn’t successful, but you win some and you lose some – that’s the nitty gritty. For week 11’s action, I have 5 free underdog sides that I’m posting after my 5 free picks, as a sort of double pick bonus for the week of double snake eyes. Celebrating the 11 weeks of my Free College picks thus far this season. Enjoy the big wins! Ride those dogs!

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Picks

Free Picks: Week 11

Michigan State Spartans @ Purdue Boilermakers (-4):
(Line: Thursday, 2:00am EST: SBG Belmont)

Michigan State is 1-3 on the road, while the Boilermakers are 5-1 at home. State has always been a poor road team, and obviously Purdue feels most comfortable in front of their home crowd. Weird. Purdue’s offense and overall team make-up is much more impressive than the Spartans unit that seems to be wearing down fast after losing 5 of their last 6 ball games. The games have all been close, but that kind of wear and tear on a football teams’ mental psyche can certainly have an impact. Always getting close and always coming short can only allow you so many “moral victories”. Those kind of wins are over in Michigan State – Purdue will assist that assurance.

Indiana Hoosiers (-2) @ Northwestern Wildcats
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

The Hoosiers are the much better team here. Some expect a let down after the Hoosiers got a much needed win over Ball State last week, but I don’t see it. They’ve handled every bad team they’ve played all season long, and a couple decent squads as well. They have 4 losses on the season, all to Big 10 contenders, Wisconsin, Penn State, Mich State, and Illinois. The Wildcats shouldn’t put up much of a fight, despite the Hoosiers two game road losing streak. They still beat Iowa in Iowa. Look for Kellen Lewis and James Hardy to hook up for a couple TD passes that seal the deal, and the 7th win for Indiana. Indy is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall, and they haven’t lost a game that they’ve been favored in all season long.

North Carolina @ North Carolina State (-3.5):
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

North Carolina played around with the idea that they were back in the mix as a solid college football program, but like many pretenders realize, the early months can mask the reality of the matter, and a few close games haven’t amounted to anything in terms of their record. They sit at 3-6. North Carolina State has played better and better as the season has moved forward, while the Tarheels struggled besides a win against Miami, and a win over Maryland last week. This week, they go on the road, where they’ve been terrible thus far. They lost at East Carolina in Week 2, at South Florida (10-37) in Week 4, at VaTech in Week 5, and at Wake Forest (10-37) in Week 8. They are 0-4 on the road. NC State should win by 10.

South Florida Bulls (-16) @ Syracuse Orange:
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

Syracuse is bad, and the Bulls are a solid football team. Sure, they have struggled of late, but they won’t turn the ball over like they did last week, and I don’t see the Orange doing much in terms of stopping South Florida either. Defensively, I expect 10 points or less out of the Orange, which means 27 points from SF will win it. They’ve scored at least that much in 6 of their 9 games. This will be the 7th time.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+9) @ Clemson Tigers:
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: BodogLife)

I’m pretty sure this is the game Clemson always loses. Yep, they tease the public into believing they are for real, win some big games, and then fold like a freaking lawn chair. I don’t know how to see it any other way, the Deacons are no pushover, and they play their best ball when their opponent is supposed to be a big favorite. Over the last 3 seasons, the Tigers are 15-19 ATS as a favorite. And while they are 11-2 SU in games where they are favored by 7.5 or more over the last three seasons, the Tigers don’t seem to play well when they are playing in a game that will decide the difference between a very nice season, and a Clemson-like mediocre campaign.

Five Free Dogs!

Alabama Crimson Tide @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (+5.5)
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Bodog)

Michigan Wolverines @ Wisconsin Badgers (+3):
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Bodoglife)

Illinois Fighting Illini (+15.5) @ Ohio State Buckeyes:
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Bodoglife)

Connecticut Huskies (+6.5) @ Cincinnati Bearcats:
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

Texas Tech Red Raiders (+6.5) @ Texas Longhorns:
(Line: Wednesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

Week 10 College Football Picks Review: 2007

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10 looks good when you consider I only lost one game. However, when the realization comes that I only won two contests, the real story starts to come out. Two pushes and a couple wins isn’t all that bad, but ties sure can be frustrating. Honestly, I’ll take the ties, it’s the brutal beat I had on the Badger/Buckeye game that has me still turning. Here’s my NCAA Football Review for Week 10…

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Picks

Free Picks: Week 10

Wisconsin Badgers (+16) @ Ohio State Buckeyes: loss
(Line: Tuesday, 11:00pm EST: BodogLife)

This game was a joke…. Up 17-10 midway through the 3rd quarter – tied at 17 with 10 minutes to go in the 4th – And Wisconsin goes for a fake punt on their own 20 yard line, doesn’t get it, and then loses by just enough to make me a loser… That’s one of the worst beats I’ve had all season long.

Ball State Cardinals @ Indiana Hoosiers (-6.5): win
(Line: Tuesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

Indiana absolutely annihilated the Cardinals in the 2nd half of this game. This win was as easy as they get.

Purdue Boilermakers (+7) @ Penn State Nittany Lions: push
(Line: Tuesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

The refs were absolutely brutal in this game. A kid runs out of bounds, and the referee keeps the clock running. That cost Purdue about 45 seconds, maybe even more, and they didn’t have enough time to do anything but throw up a hail mary in the last few seconds. I wasn’t guaranteed a win or anything, but at least I had a chance if Zebra doesn’t blow it for me. Bummer.

Navy Midshipmen (+3.5) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish: win
(Line: Tuesday, 11:00pm EST: Belmont)

OT – just that right there got me excited. Haha – how far the Irish have fallen, overtime game against Navy – haha. Finally, after more than 40 yeas, the Irish have fallen to the Midshipmen from Navy, and I was on this one. I love it. A 3 OT thriller in which the Irish got a gift pass interference call on their first two point conversion, but fell short from the 1 and a half yard line to lose. This was one hell of a game.

Maryland Terrapins (+3) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: push
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: BodogLife)

It wasn’t quite what I expected, but the 3 poitns ended up saving my tail. The Tar Heels couldn’t score late, and the Terps chipped away field goal after field goal, finishing a 3 pointer short of overtime. 2 wins, 2 pushes, and a single loss – well, it could have been worse.

Free NFL Football Picks 07-08 Week 9

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A huge 6-1 week left me rolling in the dough, finally, in Week 8. This week, I’m trying to re-invest and demonstrate a more even slope toward the top of the damn chart. I was 7-1 with my elite picks as well, tough to beat a 13-2 run in the NFL, I’ll tell you that much. Here’s my Free picks for Week 9’s NFL games, as an added bonus, I’m giving out 8 picks this week.

Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders (-3):
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

This is a very tough game for me. First and foremost, I don’t think the Raiders should ever be favored, but this might be the exception to the rule. Matt Schaub is out, Ahman Green is probably out, and Andre Johnson is probably out. Also, Josh McCown makes the Raiders better via the air, which should open up the rushing attack a little more, so without further a due, I’ll take the Raiders at home minus a field goal.

Washington Redskins (-3.5) @ N.Y. Jets:
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

Finally, another defense that will make Jason Campbell look good. After the last few weeks, being a Campbell fan has been tough sledding, but the Jets will show up to give up tons of yards, tackle poorly, and guard next to no one. I like the Redskins here to turn it around. And personally, I’d like to thank the Patriots for making the Redskins look and feel so bad that not only is the line a little lower than I think it should be, but the Redskins should come into this game as fired up as they’ve been all season long. With Clemmens in, the Jets have more of a chance, but with Coles out (head injury), the receiving corps will struggle a bit. Cotchery isn’t good enough yet to be the true #1 guy.

Arizona Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5):
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

I guess I like the Bucs’ ability to do all the little things right. I think they’re outmatched talent-wise, but being at home, with a big opportunity to get a big win, against a Cardinal team that is prone to mistakes, make me like the Bucs here. Jeff Garcia is a winner when getting even an ounce of hope. That’s not only admirable, but worth a bet. Plus, I like this Earnest Graham cat a lot.

New England Patriots (-5) @ Indianapolis Colts:
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

I’m going with the Patriots here, but not because this bet has good value, the value is in fact terrible. This has to be the first time in the history of lines and wagering on sporting events that an undefeated returning champion is an underdog at home, let alone by 5, 6, and even 7 points at some books. The problem is, I actually think this is a fair assessment of the talent of these two teams. The Patriots are probably the best team I’ve seen for a very long time. They are very good in every aspect of the game, and you know what they say, “Hard work beats talent unless talent works hard.” The Patriots work the hardest and have the most talent. How can you bet against them?

San Francisco 49ers (+3.5) @ Atlanta Falcons:
(Line: Tuesday, 11:00pm EST: 5Dimes)

I think the Falcons are too far gone to win this game. San Francisco still has a shot at the West, despite their recent struggles. Frank Gore will find running room against a very bad rushing defense that just lost their best run-stuffing defensive lineman. There are many Falcons that think, and have expressed their opinion that, the front office is giving up on this season, and preparing for next year. True or not, that’s not the kind of thing I like the team I’m betting on to be thinking. Needless to say, I’ll be taking the Niners.

San Diego Chargers (-7) @ Minnesota Vikings:
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

I think the Vikings can play well against teams with average to poor rush defenses. The Chargers have a beastly defensive front 7 with plenty of insanely fast speedsters with a knack for making the big play. That’s not good for a team that has already been dealing with 8 man fronts. The Vikings don’t have enough through the air to keep up with the Chargers, and defensively, they don’t have enough in the secondary to hang with a pass catching unit that got a whole lot more dangerous with the Chris Chambers addition.

Seattle Seahawks (+1.5) @ Cleveland Browns:
(Line: Monday, 4:00pm EST: Bookmaker)

I may be a bit stuck on my pre-season assessment of team talent here, but I think the Hawks are going to kill the Browns. I think the Hawks’ defense is one of the better units in football, and the Browns have been playing out of their minds offensively. That means there is a lull on the way. The Hawks bring enough pressure to keep Derek Anderson uncomfortable, and when that happens to the big youngster, he seems to flash into mistake mode. The Hawks have a solid offense, good enough to put up 30 on the Browns. That should easily win this game.

Baltimore Ravens (+10) @ Pittsburgh Steelers:
(Line: Monday, 11:00pm EST: BodogLife)

With everything going against the Ravens in this one, I have a feeling they could play a lot better than people are giving them credit for. They’ve been one of the better ATS teams in football over the last 5 years, and I think they can hang within 10 of the Steelers on Monday Night’s grand stage, even in Pittsburgh.

Ask Papa Weimer Fantasy Football Know-It-All Nov 03

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Here we are, Week 9, and believe it or not, some owners are ready to clinch a playoff spot with a win in Week 9. This one clown in a Keeper League I’m in is 8-0 and 5 games up in his division. He wins this week, he could lose out the rest of the way and get in. Lucky bastard, he’s only 5th in points scored too – some guys have all the luck. Anyway, here’s some advice on how to beat that guy, read on my faithful followers.

Drop me your Fantasy Questions @ papaweimer50@hotmail.com

Mr. Weimer, I need to start 2 guys form this group of 3; (Frank Gore vs. Falcons, Maurice Jones Drew vs. Saints, and Willie Parker vs. Ravens), which two would you make a run at? To add a little, we get bonuses for big plays, and touchdowns are worth a lot. I need this win, man, help me out!- T.J. Tips in the Northwest Sector

TJ- I’d have to say that’s a tough call. I’d say Frank Gore should be your number one, but there are questions surrounding his ankle, the teams’ will to win, and he’s pretty much struggled since the 2nd game of the season. Then I’d say Jones-Drew has the best chance to blow up the scene with some big runs, because the Jaguars will be running the ball all day long, and the Saints hate tackling, but New Orleans has given up only one 100-yard-rusher all season long. And last, Willie Parker would obviously be your safest bet and best player all season long, but he’s going up against Baltimore on Monday Night Football. The Ravens haven’t allowed a 100 yard rusher yet this season. It looks like your 3 very good backs all have question marks surrounding them this week. However, that doesn’t always mean bad things, and thus I have an answer. I’d roll with Willie Parker and Frank Gore. I think the Falcons will be much worse on 1st and 2nd down without Grady Jackson in there, I honestly watched him a couple times this season, and concluded that he was a run stuffing force. I don’t know how in the hell those idiots in Atlanta cut that big son of a gun. I think Frank will start running with a meaning, and carrying that young team on his back. Next I think I’d give Parker the nod over Drew, because the Saints haven’t’ been that bad against the run, and Drew has some injury concerns, plus he’s a #2 (I don’t know how the Jags keep giving Taylor more touches than MJD, but what do I know?). Parker may be going up against one of the toughest defensive dynasties over the last 8 years, but he is a very good player with a very good offensive line, and I expect the Steelers to run the ball a plenty. Good luck, and get that W!

My Mom is beating me in my yearly league, and this is the first season she’s ever played. She’s 55 and just took up watching football last season after a lifetime of yelling at my dad for being a useless crotch during the weekend. Well, she’s back in full force now. My dad is probably laughing his ass off from the clouds. Anyway, has anything as embarrassing as your mom kicking your butt at fantasy football ever happened to you? Oh this is fantasy advice, ah, who should I start, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? – Joshua Dooley in Nevada

First of all, you must be that jerk who picked Peyton and Tom in the first 3 rounds, bogarting them from the rest of your draft mates, thinking you were too cool for school, and how you would benefit by default because you’d have the best quarterbacks. And now you’re 55 year old mom who hates football is beating you in your fantasy football league – that’ll teach you to draft quarterbacks high, especially two of them. Just to think, some guy (or your mom) with Derek Anderson at the QB spot is beating you. As for your “fantasy” questions, I’d go with Brady, because the Colts have a better rushing attack. As for you’re mom and embarrassment, that’s a tough one. But sure, I’m damn near 53 years old, of course I’ve been embarrassed at least that bad, probably yesterday. My wife still beats me at Tennis, but she played doubles professionally for a little while, so I guess I have that to reason with. My nephew employs me to answer a fantasy question section on his own damn site, that’s pretty embarrassing considering I taught the twerp all he knows about the game, I nearly pooped my pants yelling at the TV during the Packer game, hell, I don’t know which one incident to pick out. I’ll tell you this, I feel a whole hell of a lot better knowing my mom never beat me at fantasy football. Thanks, man, and to think, you wanted me to cheer you up.

I hate fantasy football, but I play every season just to see if I like it. Seems sick, I mean, I’m 0-5. I hate rooting for some guy that I hate to score two touchdowns in the last 15 minutes just so I can beat my jerk off neighbor Jim in the league he puts together just to prove to everyone that I suck at fantasy football. Also, I hate losing. Well, this season I’m winning, and Jim is 4-4. Ha. Anyway, that douche is trying to trade me Tory Holt and Frank Gore for Santonio Holmes and Edgerrin James – do you do that deal hoping Gore steps it up? I don’t even start Holmes at receiver, and I like Holt’s upside this season. Plus Gore and Edge are a wash in my opinion numbers be damned. And I’m starting Adrian Peterson and Brian Westbrook at RB anyway. This is a good upside trade, no? – What’s your take Papa? – Joe Q in Nebraska (Boo Cornhuskers!)

Joe, go ahead and do the trade. It sounds like you have the money to invest at receiver, and if the Rams turn things around even a little bit, Tory will once again become a Top 10 target, Holmes may have big games here and there, but he’s still a ways off from being a consistent point scorer at receiver, and that’s really what you want at that position – plus, Holt is always open (seriously, I don’t think there’s guys that are more open than he is, he must be a real trickster). Also I do think Gore will be better soon. He’s so talented and runs with a passion, I love his style. Plus he plays more than a few more games against weak NFC defenses, like this week in the ATL. Go with your heart, Young Joe, and feed that fantasy SOB his final meal! Also, it’s nice that you play fantasy even though you hate it, you must be a die-hard competitive type that hates backing down from competition even more than playing and losing. Believe it or not, that’s an admirable trait in my opinion.

If you had to start the Colts defense against the Patriots or the Patriots defense against the Colts, who would get the nod? – Chucky Dusett near South Park

Buddy, drive up the road and kick Cartman’s fat ass in the junk for me. Honestly, I’d rather start neither defense, but I think I’d go with the Patriots. I think the Colts are great, but there’s not a better team in the NFL than the Patriots, that I’m pretty sure of. What I’m completely sure of is the fact that there’s no offense better than the Patriots, anywhere. Not in Tecmo Super Bowl, not in Madden, not in college, and definitely not in the NFL. Tom Brady could have a bad game, and the Patriots could lose, but I wouldn’t bet my money on it, and if I had to take a defense, I’d take the team not going up against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Last Weeks Questions

Papa Weimer – **52 y/o – two open Heart surgeries and a nasty attitude**

2007 Fantasy Football Review – Week 9

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This Week’s Top Team: Without any Pats or Colts, and without a running back (Gore didn’t play) I still put up some big numbers. Not a bad day minus a guy. 127 points – think about it, that’s dirty.QB: Matt Hasselbeck vs. Cleveland: Despite his two turnovers, Matt had a grand day, especially considering the fact that Shaunna Alexander runs like a my little pony for God’s sake. Anyway. Matt’s 318 yards and two touchdowns were good for 21 fantasy points.

RB: Clinton Portis vs. N.Y. Jets: 196 yards and a touchdown for the big guy. Clinton absolutely carried the Redskins (on an off day) on his back to win in New York. Portis’s 196 was a great day, but 100 yards and a couple touchdowns short of the best Week 9 runner. Still, Portis’s 25 points were solid.

RB: Frank Gore vs. Atlanta: Frank Gore didn’t play. I thought he was a shoe in for this week, but apparently, sometime (Friday) after I published this section, he started to pull up lame and didn’t play against Atlanta. Hicks and Robinson (the guys’ who took Gore’s place) both ran pretty well, but I’ll just take a zero for this mistake.

WR: Lee Evans vs. Cincinnati: Lee did work, putting up 165 yards and a touchdown, good for 22 fantasy points. That’s legit.

WR: Terrell Owens vs. Philadelphia: TO did his work early and late, and he did a lot of it. He busted out 174 yards on 10 grabs, and had a long 45 yard touchdown, which racked him up for 25 points.

TE: Antonio Gates vs. Minnesota: Finally I pick Gates, and the cat goes for 1 catch and 10 yards – the Chargers weren’t ready for this game, that’s for sure.

K: Josh Brown vs. Cleveland: Finally I grabbed a kicker that put up some points. Brown had 3 short field goals and 3 extra points, tallying 12 on the day. That’s my huge FG day of the season thus far.

D: Chargers vs. Minnesota: The Vikings rushed for 296 yards against the Chargers… What? That was Adrian Peterson all by himself? Wow. I thought the Chargers could easily shut down the Vikings rushing attack, but AP came out after the half and absolutely diced up the Chargers for the best rushing day of all time. I still got a 109 yard TD, and 11 points from my D.

LUCKY’S Week 9 SLEEPERS

Kellen Clemens: My man Clemens had 226 yards and a TD, not to mention 48 rushing yards while he just missed helping the Jets pull an upset over the Redskins. Blast! (A Jet win gave me my suicide pool) Anyway, KC went for 19 fantasy points, and I get an A for that one.

Phillip Rivers: I don’t even want to talk about it. His receivers dropped 3 balls in the 1st half, and Rivers’ confidence was shot. But he just flat out sucked against one of the lesser secondaries in the league. F!

Earnest Graham: It took him all of 34 carries, but the young back went for 124 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a big Bucs win over the Cardinals. He also grabbed a couple passes for 13 yards. Graham’s 19 points give me at least a B+.

Kevin Jones: Jones didn’t get too many looks after the Lions started killing the Broncos, he only had 72 yards on 17 carries. But he did alright. Anyway, I’ll take a D+ here, for blowout’s sake.

Rudi Johnson: 9 rushes for 11 yards – yikes – the Bengals are now officially the BUNGLES again… F stands for Fantasy Failure on this one.

Deion Branch: He didn’t play, and since I said, He’s a nice option if he plays, I’m just going to take a pass here.

Chris Chambers: 5 grabs for 59 yards, not what I was hoping for, and I blame Phillip Rivers for most of it – he just isn’t throwing the ball with any velocity what-so-ever. C-

Tony Scheffler: This guy had only 46 yards,and his fumble cut his fantasy points in half. He did lose his starting quarterback in the 1st half, but still, not a good day for The Chef. D-

Titans DST: 25 points for the Titans – call it a win, chalk it up, a big day for my sleeper defense of the week. A+

LUCKY’S Week 9 Splinter-Butts (bench him, son)

Brett Favre: Had a huge day!

LaDainian Tomlinson: 16 carries for 40 yards? Bad day for the king. He did score a touchdown, but if you had a solid #3 option, he should have been benched going up against the Vikings.

Reggie Bush: Had a huge day!

Roy Williams: 3 catches for 44 yards – this was a good sit if you had the marbles.

James Jones: 3 grabs for 32 yards, and Jones is officially the 3rd option at receiver. Koren Robinson might start cutting in to the rookies’ looks also – so don’t expect too much out of the youngster. Good sit if you didn’t ride the hype train.