Iggy,

I’m going all the way. I’m saying the 49ers lose to the Patriots. But that’s not all. I’m going for the full Monte. I say the Niners lose all their games – tough games – leading up to the bye. I know this is a risky position, but blogs are all about risk.

So here goes with the New England game.

The Patriots will win because Bill Belichick will disrupt Mike Martz’ offense. Look, Martz is good at what he does, but Belichick is better at what he does. The New England defense will sack JTO a million times and force him into turnovers – a combo of fumbles and picks. And the Niner defense will not get many – or any – sacks of its own.

That’s the basic deal, Iggy. I know Miami made the Patriots look sick but New England had two weeks to prepare for the Niners. That’s a lot of weeks. And I know quarterback Matt Cassel is no Tom Brady and until recently had not started a game since high school. I know all that. I still say the Patriots win.

——————————————

Dad,

Why do you think Bill Belichick is such a genius? I mean, his teams used to win a lot of games, but he was also cheating during that era. He is no Bill Walsh, and you should know that. Wasn’t Bill Walsh your guy?

Belichick is just a cheater in a sweatshirt. I’m not convinced he can be anything better than ordinary in the NFL without Tom Brady and illegal footage of opposing teams.

I don’t buy that the Patriots will be significantly improved this week because they’ve had two weeks off. Last time they played, they got demolished single-handedly by Miami’s Ronnie Brown. Frank Gore is a better football player than Brown, and the 49ers are a better team than the Dolphins.

The Niners will win this week, and Mike Martz will finally establish himself as the better “genius” than Belichick, who stole the title in Super Bowl XXXVI after somehow, someway (wink, wink) figuring out a way to stop the Rams offense.

Actually, maybe I should give Matty Maiocco a call before I make this pick final, just to make sure he hasn’t seen any suspicious fellows carrying cameras around Santa Clara.

Niners 54, Patriots 3.