You don't think the raiders running game being 6th last year and a pretty much guaranteed top 5 this year is signs of hope? Or a 6'6" QB with good feet and a rocket arm as signs of hope. Or how about a decent group of young linebackers and DB's and burgess on the line.

The niners don't show much sign of hope if you ask me. Their number one draft pick QB of the future is on the outs. If/when Gore gets hurt they're hosed. (I have him on my fantasy team so I hope he stays healthy). Talented TE that is about as consistant at catching ***** as a 50 year old triump is to kick start. Receivers don't impress. Defense has some fine young talent.


All this hope rests on the shoulders of gore and the UCDavis superhero. I love him, don't get me wrong... but if he turns out to be the savior of the niners it'll be about as big of a holy crap as garcia was. And another case of me getting to say... I told you so... haaa. I was stoked on him and was bummed when he got drafted so low. Still pretty cool to get drafted out of a D3 school.

Apparently you dont watch whats going on at all. Russell will be a bust, mark my words, he can throw the ball a ton, but with zero accuracy and timing. They can run the ball, but if you think the niners have an under acheieving and listless corps of recievers then I wouldnt even want to know what you think about the Raiders recievers. So when the Raiders passing game falls apart and they try to run with 8 or 9 guys in the box, well we all saw what happened with Frank Gore last year. The Raiders defense isn't that great either. Asoumougha (sp?) is great, no doubt about that, but DeAngelo Hall might be the worst signing in the history of football, seriously. Plus the defense is made up a bunch of guys with quick 40 times and thats about all.

Russell just needs time. I've seen him make some great passes. I don't think russell is gonna be a bust. I don't think he's the second coming of McNabb but I think he'll be just fine. He needs to not be scared of getting hit and needs to develop some rhythm with the receivers.

Their receivers stink. Curry can catch but has no business being anything more than a 2 or 3 receiver. TE spot is good and will just get better. Lelie is a decent 3/4 guy. Walker is good when healthy. That's why I said they needed to add another receiver. They need a true number one. Be good to have a true number one with walker as a 2, curry as a 3 and lelie and that youngster at 4.

defense wise. Morrisson and Howard are both good linebackers. Wilson and Huff are decent safeties.. I loved Stewart though. Routt will develop into a decent corner. Hall is fine. Be better as a 3rd corner though.


my point mainly was that I don't see how you can't see promise in the raiders and you do see it in the niners. One sides... blind eyes.

I see promise in both but it's gonna take time and a few more key players to make it happen on either side.

Hell I thought the niners made a HUGE mistake when they didn't take rodgers but hell... maybe it was all the years behind favre that made the difference.

I see no promise in the Raiders due to the man running the show not the players on the field. But when you are starting a reciever that was cut by the 49ers, thats pretty sad. Wilson is a good safety, Huff is OK, but I bet he wont be a raider for much longer, just like Nnamdi. So you are saying that Hall is OK, and you should be paying him 10 mil per year to be a 3rd corner? Doesn't that just prove my point about the man running the show not knowing what he is doing?

As far as QB's I agree, the niners should have taken Rodgers, but they should have traded down to #20 something and taken him there. And I saw Alex Smith make some great passes in his second year, and well, we know what happened there. Without consistency at the OC position a QB is bound to fail. And since no decent coach in his right mind would want to work for Al Davis Russell will not have the consistency from the coaching staff he requires and was bound to fail the minute he was drafted by the Raiders.

agreed.


I think the niners are gonna skape goat smith and he's gonna end up somewhere... say NJ or even say with the vikings and do just fine. He's got the core skills.

Hall is about as overpaid as Moss was. Moss came to the raiders for one reason only... to get out of his contract. He played the game perfectly.

If Davis lives more than 2 or 3 more years I'll be surprised.

Possibly one of the most embarrassing moments as a 49er fan came to me yesterday during the game when the statistics board was whipped out and showed this:

"9/15/08 Vs. Seattle *First 300+ yard game since Tim Rattay*"

The problem with Oakland since 2003 is that no matter how many former pro bowlers they sign or how many 1st round picks they start, the Raiders do not play as a team. And as long as Al has them playing musical chairs with the coaches, they will never play as a team.

Some Oakland players may be promising (Nnamdi or McFadden), but as demonstrated last Monday, the Raiders do not work as a team. Al is shooting them in the foot by scaring off any coach brave enough to take on the task of winning more than 4 games.

On the other side of the bay, even though Smith sadly got swept aside, O'Sullivan looks like he knows the offense enough to be dangerous. The rest of the offense can rally around that and Gore's effort as well. Their defense is lacking, but you saw that they are capable of putting points on the board which at least keeps them competitive. Oakland is playing like 11 individuals on a field as opposed to a group effort. And Al won't allow Kiffen to get the assistants he needs to make that happen. So we are going to be coachless again very soon.

Smith is a bust.

Yeah, but that was a product of the 9ers. He could have been successful somewhere else. He got screwed.

I disagree. He was a victim of very unfortunate circumstances.

Defense is not lacking in SF, pressure on the QB is. The niners have a great LB corps led by the best linebacker in the game right now. They have 2 pretty good corners, Michael Lewis is a good safety and the combo of Roman and Goldson is pretty good too. Now if Ray McDonald pans out to be who we thought he would, along with Balmer, Franklin and Sopoaga we could have a very formidable defense.

J.T. should. He had all last season to learn the play book.

He's got a good arm. Decent feet. Good head on his shoulders and a huge heart. If you want to see his potential watch some of the UCDavis footage.

He never got a chance because he was never thought of as a starter anywhere. Like Steve Young, Warren Moon or Garcia early in their careers. Didn't have this or didn't ahve that. J.T. is a classic... but he didn't compete against the Pac 10 or the Big 10 or whatever.

Grandma?


He should audition for Pirates of the Caribbean...Keith Richard's dad!


"VENTURA..."
"Yes satan?"

Commmitment to excellence ! 5 straight years with 11 or more losses baby ! Go niners