Saints Sideline Blog

RAIDER RE-CHARGE

Monday, August 29th, 2011      Email Print

DATELINE: Oakland, CA (The Black Hole gets heckled again!)

The T-shirts in these parts say "Real Men Wear Black,"---apparently they left out two words--Real Men Wear Black "and Gold." Once upon a time, this Raider franchise was full of Super Bowl Trophies and All-Pro's--these days they are armed with veteran retreads and unproven rookies. The Saints took full advantage where in their last two preseason games in these parts-- they have scored 85 points! A "Commitment to Excellence" has resided on the visitor's sideline.

Two years ago the Saints blew out Oakland 45-7 in preseason play and went on to win a Super Bowl, two years later the Saints win 40-20 and.......well... stay tuned? We do know this--- these Saints are hardly preseason perfect but they show loads of preseason potential. The offense is rounding into form while the defense is a bit sluggish on defending the run but when fully healthy should be a steady unit. Both units differ on their descriptions of preseason game number three. Sean Payton & Drew Brees characterize it as "dress rehearsal", but when I asked Gregg WIlliams he said he doesn't use that term as he and his unit aren't gonna mimic the rest of the league and are working on their own timetable.

The defense has a lot more question marks than their offensive exclamation points. Lots of newness on the D-line as Shaun Rogers is still getting comfy and Aubreyo Franklin has been out of action. First rounder Cam Jordan is still finding his groove as he gets more and more snaps. Jonathan Vilma is a rock in the middle but both outside linebacker spots are trying to find a starter. The secondary has seen great improvement from Patrick Robinson but Tracy Porter is still finding his legs while Roman Harper has been hampered with a broken finger. The good news Malcolm Jenkins looks poised to pick up right where he left off where he's had a terrific camp and another nice preseason game closing in and tipping a pass that was picked by Jonathon Amaya against the Raiders.

More good news on offense where Drew Brees and the first unit looked fluid, balanced and dominant against their preseason confidence boost also known as the Raiders. Drew Brees batted three for three in Oakland---three drives and three scores. The first drive an 11 play 80 yard beauty where Mark Ingram took the lead for preseason touchdowns with 3 as he threw the ball into the heart of the Black Hole and deftly sprinted away as the Raider fans tried their best to pelt him with beers to no avail. The next drive was finished off by a Pierre Thomas TD and the third with a Garrett Hartley 33 yard field goal. The Saints were 6 of 8 on third downs on the three drives.

The only regret for Brees is he didn't have more at bats inside a Raider den which clearly leaves remnants of its baseball tenant--the Oakland A's. After three drives, Brees was pulled for Chase Daniel. Drew told me after the game (in a 1 on 1 you can see on our website:coxsportstv.com) that the competitor in him never wants to come out early but understands the drill. During the week--Payton had said the starters would play at least a half but it was clear after the first three drives---he saw enough Brees and needed to see more of Chase Daniel.

So the Raider re-charge caps a strong week on the left coast for the Saints. An extra week of training camp in Oxnard finished off the rest of the installations, helped team bonding and made up for some time, lost in the Metairie heat. Every player I talked to on both sides of the ball saw the merits of collecting the extra California credit. It payed off with another Oakland blowout. The last one was a good omen two years ago---we'll find out soon enough if this laugher will give the Saints its last laugh once again.

WHO DAT HITS

THE "JOIQUE'S" ON OAKLAND---No Saint helped himself vs the Raiders more than running back Joique Bell. He had 142 all purpose yards (50 on the ground, 92 through the air) The highlight how about a 61 yard reception from Daniel (most of it after the catch) down the Raider sideline. Bell remained humble after the game, happy ,but hardly satisfied with his performance. He didn't bite on several questions about his chance of making the team---inferring there is still work to be done.

HARTLEY'S HIP---After injuring his hip on an extra point attempt---Garrett Hartley was never on the field again. Sean Payton told us afterwards the injury was "nothing serious," but didn't elaborate. Payton said the decision to keep Hartley on the sidelines and go for two--two point conversions was a precautionary measure.

CAM'S HOMECOMING---Rookie Cam Jordan was back in the backyard of his alma mater Cal this week. I had a chance to meet Jordan's father Steve who played over a decade with the Vikings and his Mom Anita pregame--its a story that we will air here on CST for our Titans pregame show on Thursday. Collected some great stories about the Saints rookie who has built a reputation this camp for being great with the media. His dad told me "I always tell Cam, he never met a microphone he didn't like." No doubt about that.

ARRINGTON'S ACCOLADES--It seems just when Adrian Arrington seems to be falling out of favor---he comes up with a big preseason game. It was the case Sunday in Oakland where he made the most of his snaps including a TD catch from Chase Daniel in the 4th quarter. Payton said afterwards that he is impressed with Arrington' s versatility as a receiver and his route running.

NOBODY ASKED ME BUT---There are some great stadiums in the NFL (Dallas,Seattle, Tampa, and Houston to name a few) and then you have Oakland. Its the worst in the league not only from its lack of aesthetic value but overall outdated facilities. Just like its football team---Raider nation needs a stadium upgrade. From small elevators to an ancient press box to its baseball diamond still omnipresent at midfield----there isn't a worse stadium in the NFL. A close second could be its Bay Area neighbors in San Francisco---both need facelifts!

UNTIL NEXT BLOG,
Mike Nabors
CST

By: Mike Nabors

An Emmy award winning sports reporter who covers a wide variety of events for CST. Primarily, Mike serves as the network's reporter for Saints coverage.

Post Comment | Read Comments (0)