The Niners on Monday Night - Kurt Warner for MVP?

And to think, I had this penciled in as a Niners win before the season started.  Kurt Warner: Hall of Famer?  Sllaacs says yes.

As for whether or not JaMarcus is a bust yet, Sllaacs says no.  The Raiders are certainly on the slippery-slope to making him a bust though.  There is also the chance that JaMarcus is a late-bloomer and will take more than one full season to show his true skills on a regular basis.  With the vast improvements made by Alex Smith from his first full season to his second, the idea that JaMarcus could look like a totally different QB next season is not far-fetched.  It took Washington's QB Jason Campbell about 5 seasons before he performed like a starter on a consistent basis.  Just like the Niners should have not traded Tim Rattay, the Raiders should have made an offer to keep Dante Culpepper as the starter and eventual backup if they wanted to win a few while having to go through the growing pains that occur when breaking in most young QB's.

This week's picks:

Carolina @ Oakland:

The biggest questions for Raiders Fans should be: How will JaMarcus play?  Will he look good in this game, or will he do a 2-for-13, 3 picks type of thing?  Will he breach 100 yards passing?  Will the Oakland Raiders score a TD at home this week?

The question regarding the Raiders winning or Losing?  They will lose.  24-6.

Green Bay @ Minnesota:

Every NFL fan loves these Black & Blue Division matchups.  The pack should play well in Minnesota, and win this - the biggest game of the season for both teams so far.  Packers will beat the Vikings, 30-20.

Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh:

I see several interesting games on Sunday, but I find Peyton Manning facing the Steelers' Blitz with the season virtually on the line to be the most intriguing.  Colts will beat the Steelers' 24-16.

San Francisco @ Arizona:

The Niners vs. Kurt Warner on Monday Night.  The Niners will be more efficient on offense with Shawn Hill, but they actually need the athleticism of Alex Smith or JT O'Sullivan to beat a good team, that's right, a good team like...  Like the Cardinals.  No amount of pants-dropping from The Interim will make the Niners good this year.  Arizona beats S.F. 35-20. 

P.S.  The Giants/Eagles game should be the best played game of the week.  It doesn't count for our picks here at The Cloak, but I like Donovan McNabb in this game.

Sllaacs