Silver and Black Report

This time it was Oakland’s pass defense that got beat, giving up 388 yards in the air to New Orleans en route to the 40-20 loss.

Brees started quickly with a deep ball down the left sideline to wideout Devery Henderson on the opening play for 37 yards, who had cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke in coverage. But Brees wasn’t done picking on Oakland’s rookie corner. On 3rd and 10, Brees went right back at him with a pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem for an 18-yard pass to the Oakland 26-yard line.

Wideout Derek Hagan hauls in a catch before being tackled. Hagan finished with 121 on six catches.

After holding New Orleans to a 4th and 2 from Oakland’s 18-yard line, Brees attacked Van Dyke again with a completed pass to wideout Marques Colston on a slant route. New Orleans would score on a hand off to rookie running back Mark Ingram on 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line.

Oakland wideout Nick Miller misplayed the ensuing kickoff as the ball bounced off his shins and went out of bounds at the 9-yard line. It was there that Oakland starting quarterback Jason Campbell would start their first drive.

On a 3rd and 7 from their own 13-yard line, Campbell found veteran wideout Derek Hagan for a Raiders first down. Following four consecutive run plays to Oakland starting running back Michael Bush and one to backup running back Rock Cartwright, Campbell went back to the veteran. On first and 10 from the 35-yard line, Campbell completed a pass to Hagan who put on a nice move on Saints cornerback Tracy Porter allowing him to run after the catch and cap off the 11-play, 91-yard drive with a touchdown.

Brees again orchestrated the offense to a touchdown on the ensuing possession. After a balanced mix of rushing and pass plays, running back Pierre Thomas punched the ball into the end zone to give the Saints a 14-7 lead after one quarter of play.

Brees would also lead the starting offense to a Garrett Hartley field goal before exiting the game. Brees finished 15-23 for 189 while leading the offense to three scores on all three Brees-conducted drives.

Oakland’s Jason Campbell played the entire first half, leading the Raiders to two scores: the Hagan touchdown and a Sebastion Janikowski 57-yard field goal. With :55 remaining in the first half, Campbell also led the offense to the Saints 26-yard line before having a pass deflected for an interception in the end zone. Campbell finished the game 12-17 for 150 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Oakland scored their second touchdown when their fourth round draft pick Taiwan Jones took a hand off to the right side for a 22-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The speedy Jones finished his NFL debut with 81 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown, along with 2 catches for 18 yards.

Michael Bush ran for 32 yards on five carries before exiting the game; Hagan led the Raiders in receiving with six catches for 121 yards and a touchdown; rookie wideout Denarius Moore started his second straight game and finished with three catches for 23 yards;

Oakland’s Richard Seymour, Chris Johnson, Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy and Darren McFadden all missed the game due to injury. Oakland will look for their first preseason win in their final exhibition game at Seattle on Friday, Sept. 2.

Brandon Myers trying to make a play versus the Saints

On 2^nd and 3, the opening play of the 2^nd quarter was a run by Lynell Hamilton for 3 yards. Drew Brees then continued to dissect the Raiders’ secondary with a quick slant to Marques Colston for 15-yards. Brees then hits Lance Moore after a great ball fake for a 5-yard touchdown. The 11-play for 78 yards drive gave the Saints a dominating 21-0 lead. The Raider secondary is non-existent. There has been no pressure applied to Brees, as the Saints have changed the pace of the game going no-huddle and kept the Oakland defense off-balance with their mix of run and pass.

Nick Miller handles the ensuing kickoff to the 23-yard line. Up to this point, the Oakland offense has only ran six plays. Darren McFadden’s first carry of the game on the next play goes for 29-yards, but a holding penalty on Zach Miller negates the huge gainer. McFadden hauls in a dump off on the next play for 4-yards. Javon Walker enters the game for the first time, but Russell hits Miller on a 6-yard route towards the sideline. Russell on 3^rd and 7 hits Louis Murphy on a short crossing pattern, but the rookie could not handle the football as he juggled it attempting to secure it and making a move up the field.

Prior to the punt, Sam Williams was flagged on a false start. Ricky Schmitt punted and Gary Russell darted down the field for the nice tackle.

Mark Brunell enters the game and hands-off to Hamilton, as he gains three-yards running towards the right side. Brunell rolls out on the next play and throws incomplete to Robert Meachem. They tried to set-up a screen on the next, which fell incomplete, but Jay Richardson was there to stuff the play if it was completed.

Johnnie Lee Higgins fielded a 32-yard punt at the OAK 27-yard line.

McFadden on the draw runs hard for 3-yards right into linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Russell on the next play rolls away from the pressure on his backside and throws a wobbly pass to Louis Murphy, but the rookie had troubles securing the pass, as it was called an incomplete pass by the referees. On 3^rd and 7, Russell throws a bullet to Higgins on a quick out pattern that would have been a first down. Russell’s strong arm needed to be restrained on that short toss.

Linebacker David Nixon made a nice stop on punt coverage.

Brunell goes deep on the ensuing play to Meachem, but the pass errant and Stanford Routt was in coverage. The quarterback then steps into the pocket on the following play and hits Hamilton for 9-yards. Hamilton then darts across the gaping hole in the line of scrimmage and makes safety Hiram Eugene miss on the 19-yard run. Brunell then goes deep again, this time to Lance Moore, who almost makes the catch, but Stanford Routt was called for the pass interference (31-yards on the infraction). A few plays later, Routt gets flagged again giving the Saints an automatic 1^st down at the OAK 7-yard line. The run defense finally shows life near the goal line, as Ricky Brown and Desmond Bryant built a wall versus Hamilton. Jamar Nesbit was flagged for a hold on Gerard Warren on the next play, and the Saints faced a 3^rd and goal at the 16-yard line. Brunell connects on a touchdown pass, but for the second straight play a score was negated due to a flag. Now New Orleans faced a 3^rd and goal at the 22-yard line. Brunell hits Billy Miller, near the goal line, but the Saints shoot themselves in the foot again with another penalty. Now facing a 3^rd and goal from the 27-yard line, a hand-off to Hamilton goes for minimal yards, as Tommy Kelly and Ricky Brown were there for the stop.

John Carney nails a 35-yard field goal to extend the Saints’ lead to 24-0.

Russell from the shotgun dumps a short pass on the flat to McFadden, and the running back weaved for 11-yards. McFadden on the following play fumbles on the sweep and the Saints recovered the loose football and returned it near the Oakland goal line. Oren O’Neal was slow to get to the defenders and McFadden was mobbed behind the line of scrimmage as he ran towards the left side. Tom Cable challenges the fumble call on the field, but the play was not overruled.

The Saints took over at the 6-yard line with 4:22 remaining in the half. Trevor Scott applies pressure on the Saints’ first play after the turnover and forces Brunell to throw out of the end-zone. Scott again puts the heat on the Saints’ quarterback on the next play, and the forced throw lands right into the hands of Hiram Eugene. The safety gets the pick in the end zone and returns it 31-yards to the 30-yard line.

Russell was almost picked off on the ensuing play, on a slant intended for Heyward-Bey. On 3^rd and 5, Troy Evans blitzes and Russell has no shot to get away from the heat and gets sacked for a 12-yard loss.

David Nixon again plays the punt return very well; as he records his second tackle. (Play was negated due to a flag on the Saints)

Gary Russell and Jon Condo stuff the punt return on the next play.

PJ Hill is now carrying the football for the Saints. Warren on the tackle after a 4-yard gain. On the next play, Meachem gains 71-yards on the pass after Routt miss a tackle on the play. Chris Johnson runs down the WR before he hits paydirt. With the ball on the 2-yard line, Warren and Sam Williams keep Hill out of the end zone. Hill scores on the next play to give the Saints a 30-0 lead before the point after.

Up to this point, the Saints have 19 first downs; Oakland 3. Saints have racked up a total of 344 yards; Raiders 77. The Saints are 6-of-8 on 3^rd downs, the Raiders are 0-for-4.

After a Nick Miller 25-yard return, Russell rolls out, gets pressured and is not able to release the football cleanly on the toss, hit by a defender as he threw it. Robert Gallery was flagged on the play for holding. On 3^rd and 10 a few plays later, Russell gets sacked to end the Raiders horrid first half effort on offense.

Chris Johnson hauled in an interception as the half ended.

Score: Saints 31 – Raiders 0

NOTES

• TOTAL YARDS: New Orleans 351 Oakland 60
• PASSING YARDS: New Orleans 259 Oakland 59
• RUSHING YARDS: New Orleans 92 Oakland 1
• Time of Possession: New Orleans 20:27 Oakland 9:33
• 1st downs: New Orleans 19 Oakland 3

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Jeff Garcia & Drew Brees chatting after the game

The New Orleans Saints won the opening coin toss and elected to field their high-powered offense first.

Sebastian Janikowski powers the football right thru the end zone.

The Saints first play from scrimmage was an end around to Devery Henderson for 5-yards. Drew Brees on the next play connects with Jeremy Shockey for 21-yards, with Nnamdi Asomugha in coverage. Lance Moore hauls in a 9-yard pass on the ensuing play. On the next play, Asomugha and DE Greg Ellis stuffed RB Mike Bell on a 1-yard gain. Bell slipped, and lost his footing before being tackled. Brees then hits Moore again, this time for 7 yards with Ricky Brown in coverage. Brown got victimized again, throwing a ball behind Shockey and completing the toss for 22-yards and a 1^st down at the OAK 14 yard line. Bell plows on consecutive plays for a total of 9 yards to set-up a 3^rd and 1 at the OAK 5 yard line. On 3^rd and short, Bell jumped across the line of scrimmage before being met by Brown, but he picked up a fresh set of downs for the Saints. Heath Evans caps the 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. On the play, both defensive tackles were shoved aside. The secondary was not in very good positions throughout the drive, with Brees easily finding his targets and no pressure from the Raiders front-seven. Brees went 4/4 for 60 yards on the drive.

With the Saints up 7-0, Justin Miller gets Oakland going with a return to the 25-yard line.

JaMarcus Russell opens the game with a quick slant to rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey for a gain of 12-yards. On the next play, Russell fakes a handoff to Michael Bush and then finds Zach Miller open in the middle of the field for a gain of 35-yards. Russell again fakes a hand-off on the net play, but on the blitz, Roman Harper attacked the quarterback’s backside and swatted the football out of his hands for the turnover. Russell did not feel the pressure as he floated outside of the pocket looking for his targets down the field. Jonathan Vilma recovered the football and the Saints were back on offense at their own 33-yard line.

Shockey again hauled in a 5-yard pass to start their next drive. Moore catches a quick slant in front of Chris Johnson for a first down on the second play. Brees then rolls out, hits Shockey, but for a minimal gain. Oakland is not applying any pressure on Brees. Out of the shotgun formation, Bell gets the hand-off, but Thomas Howard is there for the stop. On 3^rd and 6, Brees sets-up a screen for Bell and he gains 11 yards, as the Raiders are un-balanced on defense right now. Gerard Warren has a nice tackle around the line of scrimmage on a no gain. Asomugha blankets Moore on the next play, and the all-pro defensive back jars the ball loose for an incompletion. On 3^rd and 10, Brees has a lot of time and then finds a wide-open Henderson for a 40-yard score and a 14-0 lead. Hiram Eugene blew the coverage deep as he followed Brees, who then looked off the safety for the big play.

Brees so far is 9-of-10 for 123 yards and 1 TD pass.

Miller fields the kickoff at the goal line and returns out to the OAK 22-yard line.

Bush opens their second drive with a carry to the left side for a 1-yard gain. Russell then hits Bush on a screen to the right side for Bush that nets 2 yards. On 3^rd and 7, Russell out of the shot-gun, floats one down the sideline which was almost intercepted; pass was intended for Heyward-Bey (Cornell Green flagged on the play, which was declined).

Ricky Schmitt booms a nice 55-yard punt, and Trevor Scott was in on the tackle, along with Tony Stewart.

Desmond Bryant sacks Brees on the next play, as Oakland finally gets some pressure on the quarterback. Bryant worked along the interior and fought his way to the passer. Hamilton gains 15 yards on the next play. Then, they follow it up with an 11-yard run. Chris Johnson played the slant perfectly against Henderson for an incompletion. On 2^nd and 10, Moore beat Asomugha along the sideline, but Brees overthrew the pass. Michael Huff had a nice angle on the play. But on 3^rd and 10, Henderson smokes Huff for another conversion for 16 yards. Chris Johnson beat Henderson on the next play for a gain of 13-yards.

As the clock winds down, the Saints run another play, a short pass to Hamilton at the OAK 8-yard line.

SCORE: Saints 14 – Raiders 0

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

New Orleans, LA – The New Orleans Saints added to their lead with a Taylor Mehlhaff 33 yard field goal at the onset of the final quarter. The 27-3 lead at that point was insurmountable; especially considering the inability of the Raiders offense to sustain any drives and the struggles JaMarcus Russell had all afternoon with his accuracy – the polar opposite of Drew Brees’ performance this afternoon.

It got worst for Russell when he fumbled on 3^rd and 8 in Oakland’s first drive of the fourth quarter as he attempted to make a move out of the pocket. The Saints took over at the Raiders 32-yard line when Kendrick Clancy recovered the loose ball, and two plays later, Brees hit Lance Moore for 27 yards to set their next score.

Brees got his third touchdown of the game when he lobbed a ball to tight end Mark Campbell 2 yards into the back of the end zone. The Saints had a 34-3 lead and Brees would end the game with a mesmerizing 26-of-30 for 320 yards.

In his worst game since entering the NFL, Russell was wild and unable to find his accuracy throughout the contest. If not for the Saints dropping certain interceptions, Russell’s final stats would have been far worse than the already poor box score showing.

The former LSU star, who was making his first appearance in the Superdome since his days as a collegiate, even overthrew a wide open Chaz Schilens on a 4^th and 6 late in the game that would’ve lead to a Oakland touchdown. 

New Orleans was in full control of this game and Brees’ ability to find open targets all over the field spoiled Tom Cable’s debut as head coach. 

New Orleans, LA – Zach Miller’s false start penalty at the end of the first quarter put the Oakland Raiders in a 3^rd and 14 situation they could not convert. Shane Lechler then booted a sky-high punt that forced Reggie Bush to make a fair catch at the New Orleans 12-yard line.

 But that’s where Drew Brees began to dissect the Raiders pass defense. Brees was locked in on his targets, smashing his career best 11-for-11 start, going 14-for-14 for 136 passing yards. The Saints drive that ended in a Reggie Bush 3-yard scamper into the end zone covered 86 yards on 18 plays and took up 10:59. The one time that the football hit the turf for the Saints was on a 3^rd and goal where Brees could not connect with Bush, but that play was negated by a Kalimba Edwards offsides penalty.

 After the Saints took a 7-3 lead, Taylor Mehlhaff booted the ensuing kickoff out of bounds setting the Raiders up at their own 40-yard line. Darren McFadden then got his first touch of the game with a 7-yard run to begin the drive. JaMarcus Russell then scrambled for 11 yards before the 2-minute warning. A draw play to McFadden gained 3-yards and on 3^rd and 7, Russell had to avoid the Saints pass rush before he tossed an incomplete pass to Javon Walker to end the Raider threat.

 Sebastian Janikowski missed on a 57-yard field good attempt, giving the Saints the ball at their own 47-yard line with 1:48 remaining.

 The streaking Brees continued with his pin point accuracy, hooking up with Devery Henderson for 17 yards and then with Lance Moore for 18 yards to the Oakland 18-yard line. At that point, Brees was 16-of-16 for 171 yards. His first incompletion came on a fade route to Bush, who was working on Jon Alston on the sideline on his way to the end zone. Immediately after, he tossed another incompletion, ruled intentional grounding that led to a 44 yard field goal attempt by Mehlhaff. The rookie kicker connected and the Saints took a 10-3 lead with 50 seconds remaining in the half.

 Oakland mounted one last effort as time wound down. Johnnie Lee Higgins gave the Raiders a big play in the passing game, streaking for 35-yards on the first play of their final drive of the half. But then Russell appeared rattled, poorly throwing a ball intended for Ashley Lelie on the next play, forcing the receiver to defend what could have been an interception. Lelie was flagged for offensive pass interference pushing the Raiders back 10-yards to the 50.

 Another bad read by Russell, which was almost picked off by Roman Harper displayed the struggles the young passer had as the half wound down. He was able to hit Zach Miller for 9 yards to set up a Janikowski 59-yard field goal attempt, but the kick was wide left and the Saints took a 10-3 lead into the half.

GAME NOTES

• Raiders rushed for 44 yards at the half, led by Justin Fargas’ 7 attempts for 23 yards.
• Russell was 6-of-15 for 83 yards.
• Thomas Howard compiled 8 tackles.
• The Saints amassed 239 total yards of offense in the first half, leading in time of possession, 19:24 to Oakland’s 10:36.