Vin+ 3,121 Posted September 10, 2016 STATS LLC Associated Press Sep 08, 2016 The talk of the offseason has been about both teams winning enough games to make the playoffs as the New Orleans Saints host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. New Orleans boasts a coach in Sean Payton and a franchise quarterback in Drew Brees, who have won a Super Bowl. Oakland owns a dynamic offense led by quarterback Derek Carr and a veteran defensive coach in Jack Del Rio. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis knows how to build a team that can win a Lombardi Trophy. General manager Reggie McKenzie, after tearing the Raiders roster down and starting over, is looking to leave his own fingerprints and legacy on the silver and black. New Orleans is coming off a 7-9 season that felt worse than the record. The offense was stagnant at times and the defense struggled so mightily that Rob Ryan, the defensive coordinator, was fired. Payton enlisted Dennis Allen to run his defense. Ironically, it was Allen who was McKenzie's first head coach hire in Oakland. And subsequently, his first coach to fire. In the NFL, it is truly how the world turns. "We come in expecting to win our division. That's our goal, it's our goal every year. We're not going to back away from that," Del Rio said. The Raiders have not made the playoffs since 2003. They also finished 7-9 in 2015 and there is more optimism for this young group of players. With third-year man Carr at quarterback and throwing to second-year wide receiver Amari Cooper, the Raiders' offense looks to be hitting full stride. Brees, the beloved quarterback of the Saints, has to be excited about the financial windfall he received heading into the season opener. On Wednesday, Brees signed a two-year extension that had long been discussed. The contract keeps him in black and gold for the next two seasons and pays him a fully guaranteed $44.25 million. Brees facing a very good Raiders' defense behind his much-maligned offensive line has to give the former Super Bowl MVP pause, though. The Raiders' defense is full of upstarts and has one of the most explosive players in the NFL in defensive end Khalil Mack. The first-round selection in 2014 received All-Pro votes at two positions last season. Mack has the speed and hand usage to beat tackles around the edge. He also has the power to bull-rush a guard on the interior. The Saints' offensive line is banged up, especially their best offensive lineman -- left tackle Terron Armstead. If Armstead cannot play or is limited, second-year utility man Andrus Peat has played left tackle, left guard and right guard in his career. Starting left guard Tim Lelito may have to shift to right guard. Because of the injury situation and the important responsibility to protect Brees, the Saints brought back former Pro-Bowl guard Jahri Evans on Wednesday. New Orleans center Max Unger is the one true constant along the offensive line. If Evans can hold his own against Raiders defensive tackle Jihad Ward, the Saints should be able to find running room inside. The Saints' offense has shown the ability to run the football with Mark Ingram. The former Alabama runner continues to produce better than four yards per carry and has become a viable threat out of the backfield. Oakland's linebacking corps is still a work in progress and starting middle linebacker Ben Heeney was getting pushed for playing time by 2016 sixth-round selection Cory James in the preseason. The running attack of the Raiders also needs to play a factor into this game. So much has been made of Carr's aerial attack, running back Latavius Murray often gets left out of the conversation. Murray can find positive yards on the left side running behind a giant offensive line led by free-agent addition Kelechi Osemele and left tackle Donald Penn. The Saints' defense is banged up as well and has Cleveland Browns castoff Paul Kruger, a natural outside linebacker, playing some defensive end. This offseason brought much change to the aforementioned Saints defense. Linebacker James Laurinaitis signed after the Los Angeles Rams let him go. Laurinaitis and the Saints' secondary led by safety Jarius Byrd know they have to improve over last year's unit. The new middle linebacker hopes that working against Brees will have them prepared for Carr, Cooper and wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Said Laurinaitis: "It challenges our whole defense to raise our level up, because if not it's going to be all of those practices where he can carve you up and embarrass you. I have been really encouraged by how our defense has competed against our offense day in day out because they put a lot of stress on the tempo that they move at." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted September 10, 2016 38 28 Raiders are vastly improved and capable of competing in a gun fight. Saints D is worse than ever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted September 10, 2016 40 21 The Saints want to have an air show? We'll show you one. Saints secondary is very...very susceptible. The superdome is a fast place to play and Amari, Clive, Crabtree have the speed to give the Saints fits all day. What I'm really hoping for is for our run game to get going, to be most efficient...we need Latavius to figure shit out. There's no excuse this game to not have 120 + yards on the ground. Play action is what makes us deadly. Defensively, this is a great test for our secondary. Smith, Amerson, Hayden, Nelson, Nate Allen and shades of Joseph. It will really be a time to develop some chemistry against one of the best QB's in the game. Front 7 wise, I think this is going to be where Bruce Irvin, Jihad Ward, and Calhoun need to come up big. Mack is going to see the double/triple team all day. Gotta make them pay and I believe we will. This is a winnable game in a hostile environment, I expect a fight...but a win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bay 2,003 Posted September 11, 2016 Saints defense is too yucky Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted September 11, 2016 I like Derek Carr and Cooper in this one. Lots of new pieces on the Saints' side, and not much improvement (if any) to that shitty defense. 27 18 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bay 2,003 Posted September 11, 2016 This game was incredible! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted September 11, 2016 Del Rio is gonna need a wheelbarrow to cart around his massive balls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BJORN 679 Posted September 11, 2016 Mad respect to the Raiders, I guess that is what a team with guts looks like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted September 11, 2016 The New Orleans Advocate reports the Saints fear CB Delvin Breaux fractured his fibula in Sunday's win over the Raiders. Breaux was carted off with a left leg injury on Sunday. He briefly returned to the game, but was not able to finish and was unable to put any pressure on the leg as Breaux made his way back to the locker room. Breaux is the Saints' best cornerback and arguably their best all-around defensive player. Source: Nick Underhill on Twitter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted September 13, 2016 Didn't get to review this game due to comp/internet issues. First This game we got absolutely dominated by Drew Brees. He's still got it, and he's got good playmakers on the outside between Cooks and Snead. Our gameplan defensively was piss poor to say the least, but I give credit to Sean Payton and Brees. They really took advantage of what we gave them all game long. Second It was good to see our offense hang in there the full 60 minutes. We had a lot of penalties and unforced errors like false starts and holding calls that killed drives. Carr and our makeshift offensive line after injuries really held up their end against a Saints front 7 that isn't the greatest but Laurinitas really changes the look of that front. Thirdly Our run game showed up when we needed it early with Latavius, then OOOGALA BOOGALA (Marcel Reece's heir..LONG LIVE THE FULLBACK) and then Jalen Richard who has absolutely impressed me since day one. The way he runs is beautiful behind our line and his acceleration/vision is incredible. Fourth JDR's balls payed off. He knew that if we got into a pissing match with the Saints in OT...it would probably end up as a loss with how good the Saints O was, he trusted our players and the playcall was questionable but we got the job done. Overall, there are a lot of things...especially defensively we need to work on..as should be expected week 1, but we came out with the L, hopefully our offensive line can heal up a little bit for week 2 against the Falcons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted September 13, 2016 Overall, there are a lot of things...especially defensively we need to work on..as should be expected week 1, but we came out with the L, hopefully our offensive line can heal up a little bit for week 2 against the Falcons. You came out with the L? the defense will be fine. The first two weeks never really indicate the entire season for a majority of teams. I'll probably pick them to lose next week and I still expect them to win division. That's because you have your head buried in the sand. The defense is god awful, has been for three years, and they just lost their best player in the secondary in Delvin Breaux. The Saints may win the division, though I very much doubt that, but it won't be because of the defense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
