NEW ORLEANS -- Just because Drew Brees always speaks respectfully about even the Saints lowliest opponents doesnt mean hes being insincere when pumps up the Raiders.Oakland hasnt had a winning season since 2002, but Raiders coach Jack Del Rio has a team that appears to be sprinkled with up-and-coming stars who are trending up.They are extremely talented and they have a great quarterback, who I think we all look at and say this guy will be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Brees said, referring to Oaklands Derek Carr. Defensively, they have some playmakers.Carr didnt quite put up Brees-like numbers last season -- 3,987 yards passing and 32 TDs -- but the talented 25-year-old seems headed in that direction as he enters his third NFL season.It helps to have targets such as second-year former Alabama star Amari Cooper, whose 72 catches for 1,070 led all rookies last season.Then theres Oakland pass rusher Khalil Mack, who had 15 sacks and 23 tackles for losses last season and will face a New Orleans offensive line that struggled throughout the preseason.Khalil Mack is one of the best, if not the best pass rusher in the league -- a guy that you have to a have a plan for and you have to know where he is, Brees said.Del Rio is going into his second season and thinks itll only help to have a staff that remained largely stable in the offseason.You have cohesiveness, you have a group that worked together for a year, Del Rio said. The time and the relationships are important. We work hard at the relationships and I think having that and having that with our staff and having this staff with the players, I think there is value in it.The Saints, meanwhile, are coming off consecutive 7-9 seasons and have a roster heavy on youth and relative inexperience, particularly in the secondary. But that doesnt mean New Orleans cant return to the ranks of NFC contenders, Brees said, particularly if the Saints are able to put up confidence-building victories early on.Id say weve got a great group, and a really tight group, too, Brees said. Now, you want that to translate to wins and success. I know its important for us to start fast. Theres a great sense of urgency there. In years that we have been really good here, we have started fast. That is definitely something that is being talked about.Here are some key story lines heading into the Raiders-Saints matchup:ROSTER SHUFFLE: The Saints will have several key players in Week 1 who werent with the club at all this preseason. Starting defensive end Paul Kruger agreed to join the Saints last week, shortly after his release from Cleveland, but didnt officially join the team until after the preseason finale. This week, New Orleans brought back right guard Jahri Evans and brought in rookie kicker Wil Lutz and veteran cornerback Sterling Moore.RUNNING HELP: Latavius Murray rushed for more than 1,000 yards and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in his first full season as a starter in 2015. But Oakland wants to be a better running team after struggling for consistency a year ago. Powerful guard Kelechi Osemele was signed in free agency to bolster the line, and Oakland added a couple of rookie backs to ease Murrays load in DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.NEW TARGETS: Veteran tight end Coby Fleener, lured away from Indianapolis as a free agent, and second-round pick Michael Thomas, a standout receiver from Ohio State who is Keyshawn Johnsons nephew, make their regular-season debuts in a passing game that led the NFL last season.DEFENDING DREW: The Raiders placed a premium on upgrading their secondary this offseason by signing big-ticket free-agent cornerback Sean Smith, safety Reggie Nelson, and using a first-round pick on safety Karl Joseph. That revamped unit will get an intriguing early test. Ever since his early days in San Diego, Brees has feasted on the Raiders, completing 67.5 percent of his passes with 19 TDs in 10 starts.Sometimes he knows the defense better than the defenses, safety Nate Allen said of Brees. We have to give him some different looks and hopefully capitalize on mistakes.REUNION TIME: The Raiders will run into an old friend Sunday when they face New Orleans defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for the first time since he was fired as head coach in Oakland in 2014. Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie were brought in to rebuild the Raiders following the death of longtime owner Al Davis. Allen was fired four games into his third season with an 8-28 record, but a handful of players he helped bring in remain in key spots, most notably Carr and Mack.---AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Oakland contributed to this report.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org Cheap Nike Air Jordan 11 Rose . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Cheap Jordan 11 Mens . 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"Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. PHOENIX -- Hunter Pence is on quite a roll for the San Francisco Giants.Pence had three hits, including a solo homer, and Johnny Cueto pitched seven solid innings to lead the Giants to an 11-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.Pence has seven hits in eight at-bats in the first two games of the three-game set. He is the first major leaguer to score four runs in consecutive games since David Wright of the Mets accomplished the feat in August 2005.Thats baseball, the ebbs and flows. Just trying to have good at-bats and trying to feel good, Pence said. I dont really dwell on it too much, just keep going and get ready for tomorrow.Cueto (15-5) allowed two runs and three hits while improving to 6-1 in eight career games at Chase Field. He struck out six and walked two in his fifth start against Arizona this season.I felt good with everything I had. I executed my pitches, Cueto said. I just want to keep moving forward and keep supporting the team, and I pitched the way I wanted to.San Francisco jumped out to a 5-0 lead against Archie Bradley (6-9). Pence singled and scored on Joe Paniks double in the second, and Cueto helped himself during the Giants four-run third.Buster Posey tripled in Angel Pagan and scored on Brandon Crawfords double before Cueto hit a two-out RBI single. Cueto waved his left arm wildly as he ran to first base in an effort to get the Giants to send another runner around third base for home.Pence opted to stay at third and then scored on a Bradley wild pitch.I really wanted him to score, Cueto said with a chuckle.Peter OBrien, hitting for Bradley in the third, homered over the Diamondbacks bullpen for the first hit of the game off Cueto. The All-Star right-hander didnt allow another hit until Jake Lambs double in the seventh.He did a great job of disrupting timing, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said. Guys were not able to square him up. I dont think we had many well-hit balls off him. He was moving the ball all around, up, down, in, out. He was using his cutter effectively.Yasmany Tomas hit his 28th homer in the niinth for Arizona, which has dropped five in a row.ddddddddddddPanik, Pagan and Eduardo Nunez had three hits apiece for San Francisco, which stayed four games back of NL West-leading Los Angeles. Pagan tripled and scored on Silvino Brachos wild pitch in the eighth.A lot of guys had good days, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. And then you look at what Johnny did. ... (Pence) is swinging well right now. Hes doing a nice job with two-strike hitting.San Franciscos Brandon Belt lost a three-run home run on an umpire review in the eighth. Replays showed the ball hit below the yellow line in center field. Belt was credited with a two-run double.Bradley lasted three innings and allowed five runs and eight hits in his shortest start of the season.LET THERE BE TWILIGHTThe retractable roof over Chase Field parted to reveal the early evening sky. The roof opened as the fifth inning got started. Game-time temperature was 98 degrees outside.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: Nunez injured an ankle on Friday night but it wasnt serious enough to keep him out of Saturdays lineup.Diamondbacks: OF A.J. Pollock had a scan done on his injured groin, and he has a strain that could cost him the rest of the season. Hale said Pollock will need at least a week before he resumes physical activity, but added the strain is treatable and didnt rule out a return. ... C Chris Herrmann is out for the rest of the season with a broken hand that will require surgery. Herrmann was injured on a slide Friday night. ... LHP Andrew Chafin had an MRI after he felt shoulder tightness warming up in the bullpen on Friday. Some of these injuries are really freaky injuries that were having, Hale said.UP NEXTGiants: LHP Matt Moore faces Arizona on Sunday afternoon. Moore (9-11) is set to make his 29th start of the season and eighth with the Giants.Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (12-5) faces the Giants on Sunday. Greinke is 9-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 13 career starts against San Francisco. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '