MEDIA MONDAY MINUTIAE
**Fox Sports Brian Billick is one of the most intelligent, focused, informative color analyst on TV. If it were me, Billick would be on the #1 team and have more visibility and be heard more; clearly, his commentary on the 49ers/Green Bay contest Sunday was absolute mastery.
He correctly and astutely pointed out that the Niners use of the 'spread offense was more effective and that QB Alex Smith was more comfortable in it, particularly working out of the shotgun formation.
Billick is both concise and good. Articulate and more importantly, sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Too bad Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye couldn't hear him.
**Ted Robinson is terrific on radio; we all know that, but color analyst Gary Plummer is equally good. I listened to Plummer a lot yesterday and am continually amazed that he's usually spot-on and one play ahead in his cogent analysis. Too bad he and Robinson couldn't have their own show on KNBR, but that would require a massive dose of intelligence from the suit brigade at 55 Hawthorne.
**"TouchdownnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnRaiders!" OK, Greg Papa. This time it was worth the call, and about 30 seconds later, the winning field goal too. Amazing what happens when you put a new QB in the equation and he looks like he wants to play.
**Wait, the Raiders really did beat the Bengals? Another reason why betting in the NFL is stupid.
**Then again, who the hell thought CAL had a chance to beat Stanford? Come on, seriously.
**Speaking of the Big Game, watching the game on Versus network and listening to the two nincompoops do that game was tantamount to watching paint dry. I still have no clue who the duo were, but their "performance" was about as uplifting as a C-Span rerun.
**NFL note: All four AFC North teams lost: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and oh yes, of course, the Browns.
**49Er's math: Simple formula to observe. The 49Er's are a very mediocre 4-6. To be very, very, very optimistic, they need to go 4-2 JUST to finish 8 and 8. That's bad math. Playoffs? Please.
**Turkey Day and the Raiders? You betcha. Suddenly the Dallas/Raiders Thanksgiving mid-day game looks utterly spectacular as opposed to Packers/Detroit. No, I didn't forget NY Giants/Denver at night, but hell, even I have plans THAT night. (Save the drumstick)
**Another BART cop story and YOU thought YOU had a bad weekend.
**Class: The Raiders honored the late Marquis Cooper by inviting his family to the game Sunday. Cooper, the fallen player, died in a boating accident last summer. And Cooper's three year-old child got to see her father's locker. And somehow, the Raiders won the game. There IS a God.
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The Big Game: As a True Blue fan, I'll admit I was expecting a much different outcome. Joe Starkey as usual was superb on his call of the game.
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