tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Leafs, Yankees & Week 3 NFL Picks

The last two days I was away on business and the hotel I was staying at lost wireless service so I was unable to access the blog. A lot has happened over these 2 days so I'm going to try to catch up this morning along with giving out my fearless Week 3 NFL picks.

* The Maple Leafs get ready for a back-to-back series against the Buffalo Sabres tonight. There are plenty of players who are looking good in the preseason. Jake Gardiner, the young defenseman, has played very well and logged 22 minutes of ice time in the 4-2 win over the Flyers. Matt Frattin and Joe Colborne have also played well and goalie Ben Scrivens is making a statement that he may be ready to play in the NHL. All of this is good news as the Leaf organization is finally filled with quality prospects. Whatever you want to say about Brian Burke there is no question that he has built up the farm system to a level that has not been seen for years.

* On Wednesday the Yankees became the 2011 American League Eastern Division Champions. While this is important, they need to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This will mean that they will have to win at least 2 games out of their remaining 6. They will look to accomplish this starting tonight in a 3 game series against the Boston Red Sox in New York.

* The Yankees have the ability to singlehandedly knock the Red Sox out of the playoffs if they were to sweep them this weekend. The Red Sox have been terrible, going 5-16 in their last 21 games. This from a team that was all but pre-ordained by all of the talking heads on ESPN to be the AL World Series representative. All of the big money acquisitions have failed terribly. Kudos to Russell Martin for telling it the way I feel: "I hate the Red Sox".

* Week 3 NFL Picks: Last week I went 2-1 to raise my season record to 3-4. This week there are 2 games with no lines (Phil-NYG & Dallas-Wash) and so far favorites are 14-14 for the season. So much for trends!!!

Fearless Week 3 Picks:

New Orleans -4 over Houston: The Saints host the 2-0 Texans and are coming off a big win at home against the Bears. This will be the Texans toughest test this season as they have defeated the Dolphins and Chiefs. The Saints have enough firepower to hand the Texans their first defeat.

Atlanta +1 1/2 over Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers are at home but I think the Falcons are the better team. This game should be close but if the Falcons are legitimate Super Bowl contenders they need to win a game like this. A loss and they start the season at 1-2.

Chicago +3 1/2 over Green Bay: In a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game, these two teams know each other like the back of their hands. The Bears are coming off a brutal loss to the Saints and they realize the importance of this game at home against their arch rivals. This game will be close and I like the points but it would not surprise me to see the Bears pull the upset outright.