Saints praise Brees

QB Drew Brees is lauded for his intensity and mastery of the Saints' offense this season.

NFL GameDay: Raiders vs. Saints

Drew Brees leads the Saints to a dominant 34-3 win vs. the Raiders to move his team to 3-3.

Saints Travel to Carolina for Sunday Tilt

SERIES LEADER: Carolina leads the all all-time series between the two teams, 14-12.
STREAKS: The last are riding a one game winning streak in the series, which snapped a four game Carolina winning streak.
COACHES VS. OPP.: Sean Payton 1-3 .. John Fox 8-4.
LAST WEEK: Saints defeated Oakland, 34-3. Carolina lost at Tampa, 27-3.
BROADCAST INFORMATION: FOX (1:00 PM ET): Matt Vasgersian, Brian Baldinger, Brian Billick, Laura Okmin (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 129 (NO), 121 (Car.). XM: 109 (Car.). SAINTS RADIO NETWORK: WWL (870 AM Flagship) : Jim Henderson, Hokie Gajan, Gus Katteneill. Saints Spanish Radio: WFNO (830 AM) is the Spanish-language affiliate of the Saints. Marco Garcia and Hector Pineda.


NOTES
SAINTS: In past 2 starts at Carolina QB DREW BREES has completed 52 of 74 (70.3 pct.) for 609 yards with 4 touchdowns vs. one interception for a 107.3 passer rating. When Brees has 100+ rating, his teams are 27-6 (.818). Since joining Saints in 2006 Brees has passed for 10,834 yards, the most in NFL. He aims for his fifth consecutive game with 320+ yards & has 1,434 yards (358.5 per game) in past four games. In his past four games vs. division opponents, Brees has completed 92 of 132 (69.7 pct.) for 1,110 yards with 11 TDs vs. 2 INTs for 116.7 rating…RB-PR REGGIE BUSH leads NFC with 41 receptions. Bush had rush & rec. touchdown last week & has four touchdowns in past two games (2 PR, 1 rush, 1 rec.). RB DEUCE MC ALLISTER aims for fourth game in row vs. Carolina with rush TD. McAllister has four touchdowns in past three, including two touchdowns in 9/11/05 meeting. Saints are 11-3 (.786) when McAllister has two or more rushing touchdowns…WR DEVERY HENDERSON is averaging 32.1 yards per catch this year (12 for 385 yards). WR LANCE MOORE had a touchdown catch in last meeting between the two teams…DE WILL SMITH has 7.0 sacks in past 14 games and has 4.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles & 2 fumble recoveries in 7 games vs. Carolina. S ROMAN HARPER had interception & forced fumble in last meeting. DE BOBBY MC CRAY had 2.0 sacks last week.

PANTHERS: QB JAKE DELHOMME is 6-2 (.750) vs. New Orleans, his former team. He aims for third in row vs. NO with 100+ rating. In past 2 vs. NO, Delhomme has completed 42 of 56 (75.0 pct.) for 376 yards with 4 TDs vs. 0 interceptions for 116.4 rating. As starter, when Delhomme has 110.0+ rating, his teams are perfect 13-0. Has won 6 of past 7 starts vs. division, posting 95.1 rating & throwing 11 TDs vs. 4 INTs.…Team is 7-0 when RB DE ANGELO WILLIAMS rushes for 80+ yards. Rookie RB JONATHAN STEWART (1st round) has 4 rush TDs in past 5. Ranks 2nd among NFL rookies with 4 rush TDs…WR STEVE SMITH has 7 TDs (6 rec., 1 rush) in past 6 meetings. Had 6 catches for 112 yards (18.7 avg.) last week. WR MUHSIN MUHAMMAD has 22 catches for 388 yards (97.0 per game) & 3 TDs in past 4 vs. NO…DE JULIUS PEPPERS ranks 1st in team history with 59.0 sacks & 21 FFs. Had INT in last meeting. S CHRIS HARRIS had INT in 10/7/07 meeting & had FF vs. NO in 2006 NFC Championship (with Chi.). CB CHRIS GAMBLE has 2 INTs in past 4 meetings, incl. 18-yard INT-TD.

Brees Named Finalist for FedEx Air Player of the Week

For the third time this season, Saints QB Drew Brees has been named a finalist for the FedEx Air PLayer of the Week.  Fans may vote for the winner by clicking here!

A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:

New Orleans Saints QB DREW BREES completed 26 of 30 passes for 320 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Saints' 34 - 3 win over the Oakland Raiders.

Indianapolis Colts QB PEYTON MANNING passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns completing 19 of 28 passes in the Colts' 31 - 3 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

San Diego Chargers QB PHILIP RIVERS completed 18 of 27 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns in the Chargers' 30 - 10 win over the New England Patriots.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program for the first time, FedEx is teaming up with Safe Kids USA – a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children – to deliver safer kids by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players’ names. The funding directly benefits local Safe Kids coalitions in that team’s city, to fund pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year. This year, FedEx celebrates its fifth year of the program and will surpass the $1 million mark in funding to create safer communities for children.

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

Opening Statement:

"In going through the grades on the game with our staff there were a lot of positives. Some of the most important things we¹ve tried to correct and clean up in regards to the turnovers and penalties, those were some obvious ones. I thought we did a pretty good job in time of possession, comparing our ability to stay on the field in third down. There were a lot of third and shorts for us and we were able to take advantage of that. We used some spontaneous, at the line calls, maybe a little bit more than we had in the past and I thought that helped us. I thought defensively, we played with real good energy and effort. We graded out that way when you looked at the tape and we came up with two big turnovers. It was a good team win and again, I was pleased with our effort and concern going in since it was a short week, but I was pleased overall with how we responded. We ended up coming out of it pretty healthy for the guys that played in the game. I don¹t have any injury notes coming out of that game. We¹ll look at the status with these other guys and look at how quickly they¹re able to come back for Carolina, but I do expect to see more of (Jeremy) Shockey and (Marques) Colston and the question is just how much more."

Have you ever been around a quarterback who has played this well?

"I don¹t think so. He¹s playing at a very high level with a lot of confidence, operating very efficiently. When you look at yesterday¹s tape and his decision-making against a team that we felt had pretty good personnel, especially in the secondary. He did a good job of executing the plan. He¹s playing with a lot of confidence protecting the ball. It¹s good to see. He works extremely hard at that. I think a little bit of that feeds off to the players surrounding him."

Do you think there was a different level of concentration coming off of the Monday night game and the result and do you think that level could be repeated?

"Some of it is points of emphasis more than it is a specific drill. We try to pay attention to the turnovers and actually have some drills in practice
that emphasize taking the ball away or protecting it. I think it starts with me and starts with our staff that we can never grow tired of that lesson or that objective, because it¹s so telling. I watched the statistics like most of you do yesterday and yesterday evening, they come up at time to time again in the games. With the 11 or so possessions you receive, with each turnover, if you went back yesterday you¹d find the same thing. You¹d find the teams that won the turnover battle and didn¹t make the mistakes and they probably won the game."

Can you talk about the play of Jason David?

"I thought he played real well this week. He graded out well. He¹s been aggressive. He came up with a big turnover and I mentioned yesterday that it put us up three scores and was a significant play in the game. He¹s doing well. He has good anticipation. I¹m happy for him. I¹m happy to see him playing with confidence. That helps us as a team."

Did Jeremy Shockey tweak anything in practice last week?

"No. It was the first time out since the surgery. Every time there¹s the first time out, there¹s some soreness the next day because it¹s the first time that you¹re really going out and breaking up the scar tissue, so he seems to be doing well. I¹m anxious to see how he does Wednesday and Thursday, given that this the second day that you¹re really going out and breaking up the scar tissue. He seems to be doing well. I¹m anxious to see how he does Wednesday and Thursday this time around given that it¹s the second week. All the signs are positive that he¹s doing well. I know he¹s anxious to get back and not have him standing next to me with a towel in his hand, hopefully it¹s this week."

Was he a bodyguard out there for you at the end of the first half?

"I don¹t know. It wasn¹t part of the plan. He just kind of invited himself. He¹s into it. It¹s important to him and I like that about him."

Is the efficiency and distribution of touches in your offense a surprise given the absences of Colston and Shockey?

"It¹s encouraging. You¹re going to have injuries and our expectation level doesn¹t change and so the players that do play, we have a high expectation for. We don¹t know how many or when the injuries occur. You always hope they¹re to a minimum. But I think those players involved in the passing game understand how Drew (Brees) operates. They don¹t want to be the one in the wrong spot, running the wrong route or not at the right depth. They also understand the ball will come to them. Sean Ryan had a couple of catches yesterday and he¹s been here a week. I just think the importance of those guys painting the right picture for the quarterback of where they need to be and doing their job is paramount. If they do that, then I think he¹ll find them, if the reads suggest it."

Randall Gay said that the reason the defense is starting to play better is that individuals are starting to understand what they do best and playing to their strengths as well as raising their own expectations. Do you agree?

"I think it's easy to just grab the statistics each week and say this is what this defense isn¹t doing or doing, but if you looked at how they played Minnesota, you¹d say they played the run pretty well. We try to stay away from the statistical talk and the rankings, but I thought they played with real good effort. I thought they tackled well yesterday and certainly are gaining confidence. I think Jonathan Vilma each week continues to improve and is a leader in there of the defense and so that¹s encouraging, because we have ten games left in 11 weeks. We have a lot of football here and we just have to work on each week improving as a team, improve this week a little bit more than we did last week. If we can do that, our chances each week of winning will go up and if we continue to take care of the football like we did last weekend, our chances of winning go up. Most important is just trying to improve. I think you see that on defense. I think you¹re right."

Would a victory at Carolina give you a clean slate for the final nine games?

"I don¹t think we¹re trying to get a clean slate. It¹s tough. You¹re 3-3.There are some tough losses in there. It¹s certainly easier for me to sit in here on Monday after a win like yesterday. Obviously we all understand the importance of next week¹s game and just as Carolina does. It¹s a division game in a division right now where a lot of teams are clumped together at the top and I think very competitively. There¹s a stretch for us of a month and a week where we¹re on the road and we¹ve played well on the road before. I think we¹ve traveled pretty well. The focus just has to be on Carolina this week, not on London, not on anything other than that, just on Carolina. I thought in a short time period we were able to do that this week on Oakland and quickly kind of get over that Monday night game and shift our focus to the Raiders. I thought we were able to do that."

Is there a noticeable difference in the confidence level of Jason David?

"I think he¹s someone who has played on good teams. He won a Super Bowl a couple of years ago. He has good ball skills and good awareness and good
change of direction. That¹s what makes him dangerous, because he can catch the ball and break on it. I think when you have a young quarterback who looks down his target for too long and ends up throwing late to a receiver you end up with a play like that where he gets a jump on it and makes the interception. I think he¹s a pretty confident player. I think he has confidence in his skills. I think he played very well yesterday besides the interception. He had a lot of good snaps. I thought we played a lot of man principles and did a good job with that."

With the fact that Tampa was able to shut down Carolina¹s offense, was there anything you were able to glean from the tape?

"Not having gotten to some of that tape yet from Carolina-Tampa, it did seem that Carolina turned the ball over. Gary (Gibbs) and his staff will pay close attention to that game. There are some similarities to what Tampa does defensively and with what we do in regards to scheme and then to just best apply what our best plan is to defend Carolina. Certainly you¹re seeing a good team that¹s receiving good play at quarterback. They¹re explosive with
the receivers. Steve Smith¹s an outstanding player. It would be too early to go in depth into our gameplan with Carolina given that it hasn¹t really started yet. The scouting report information starts coming this afternoon. We study the tape all afternoon and morning and then tomorrow the same way and probably mid-morning tomorrow we start putting the plan together, but I know Gary and those guys on defense will pay close attention to the game. It was a game where it sounded like Tampa had some success and did a good job."

Did the result of the Carolina-Tampa Bay game shock you or does nothing shock you in this league?

"No, it wasn¹t shocking. When you watch some of the finishes yesterday and you watch Chicago up with 11 seconds left and squib kick it and Atlanta comes up with a big play and kicking a game-winning field goal, I guess nothing really does surprise you. The challenge of winning in our league is difficult because every team you play is capable of beating you and every team you play is talented with players at certain positions that are dangerous and generally if you make more mistakes, you end up on the losing end of the game."

Do you wish Carolina wasn¹t coming off a loss like they just had going into your game?

"They¹re a good team to begin with and I think John (Fox) will have those guys ready. He does a good job of managing that team when they¹re winning or if they¹re coming off a loss. He¹ll have them ready to play and I think our players will understand the importance of playing well in this game, especially on the road in a tough environment. It¹s a great challenge for us."

Were you pleased with the offense run/pass balance yesterday?

"Yes. The one thing that was evident was that we were in a lot of third-and-ones, third-and-twos, third-and-threes, and it becomes easier then with your play selection rather than being in longer-yardage situations. I liked our efficiency running the football. I thought Deuce did a good job with his touches. I thought Oakland got tired, just from watching the tape and I certainly felt that way yesterday. There were about six or seven plays where we were snapping the ball and they weren¹t aligned or set or ready. I thought the tempo was good and that was important."

Does Jonathan Vilma ever talk to you about coming out of the game?

"He stays on. I don¹t think he wants to come out or has a desire to. There are those every-down players on defense and he would be considered one of
those."

Vilma said yesterday that when gets a lot of tackles it¹s because of the defensive line. Is that just modesty?

"There is probably some. He¹s playing very well. He as much as anyone understands the nature of the scheme and as a mike linebacker in this defense, he¹s going to have those opportunities. He¹s doing real well. He¹s playing physical. There¹s a lot mentally that goes into what he has to do. He¹s the quarterback of the defense so his alignments and his fits, his recognition and ability to get us in and out of the right defense sometimes formationally ­he¹s doing a great job with it."

You took out an ad in the paper. Was that a message to the fans?

"It was really just in thanks of the support for the event that we had that ended up being sold out. Literally there were no more tablecloths, silverware or anything. We had over 1,200 people there. From everyone who worked it at the Superdome all the way down to the various people that were on the committees, it was neat to see it come together and it ended up being a fantastic success. We raised a lot of money for a lot of good causes and we¹re excited about that. It was really a way for us to thank everyone involved because it¹s impossible to try to get to everyone. From the person that just bought the single ticket to the groups that bought tables, it was an unbelievable night. (It was to thank them for) their support in making that happen and certainly the support that we¹ve had as a team here recently. They have about a month here to get rested. I think it¹s five weeks before we play at home again on Monday night. It was just a sign of appreciation."

Did the near-11-minute drive in the second quarter lay the foundation for the team¹s performance yesterday?

"I think it helped us. Number one, it kept them on the field for a while and it was a pivotal point in the game where we all of a sudden felt like they were tiring a little bit. Our guys on offense felt that and you could see it on the tape. Any time you can keep your defense off the field ­ it was almost a quarter¹s worth of a drive ­ it¹s significant. And most importantly, you¹re scoring a touchdown off of that and not just a field goal. There are some things that come with a long drive like that. I¹ve been on the other end of it where you just sit and watch for 11 minutes, that¹s difficult and that¹s when you felt that game turn a little bit. Early on we were three and out and then they were able to march down and kick the field goal, but I thought it was significant.²

Is that the longest drive you¹ve had since you¹ve been here?

"I don¹t know. I thought we had one a couple years ago against Philadelphia that was pretty long. It¹s hard to keep track."

Will you test Sedrick Ellis out this week?

"We¹ll see where he is. I¹m anxious to see Wednesday how he feels. His treatment has gone well and his rehab has gone well. He¹s a guy that I maybe don¹t feel as confident about as I do with Jeremy (Shockey) and Marques (Colston), but we¹ll see."

Is Antwan Lake the same way?

"Same way."

Could you give a progress report on Reggie Bush?

"He¹s having a good season. You guys have heard me talk about his offseason. I think he has matured a lot and really has come on for us. He¹s in great shape; he¹s taking care of his body. His attention to detail and all those things have been pluses. You see him doing his job in the kicking game, as a receiver, as a runner. He¹s a guy that wants to be competitive and wants to win and improve and he has done a good job of taking coaching. I think he's having a very good year. He had a great offseason and I¹ve been real encouraged with what I¹ve seen and I¹m happy for him."

Saints and Raiders Postgame Quotes

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS vs. OAKLAND RAIDERS

October 12, 2008

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HEAD COACH SEAN PAYTON

Opening Statement…

“Without having looked at the film, I thought we eliminated some of things starting with the penalties and turnovers. We are 7-0 going into this game when we don’t turn the ball over, now 8-0. It doesn’t have to be too complicated. I thought we played with great energy. I thought we looked liked the team that had the bye, not them. I thought we looked like the team that was healthy, not them. In both cases, I was proud of the energy we had after the short week. We had a lot of guys stepping up and playing and filling in. I though on both sides of the ball and the kicking game we outplayed them. I thought we deserved the win.”

Q: Coach, Drew Brees has had some great games, but do you think this could be considered his best game?

A: It was clean. He had great command of the huddle. They do a lot of things on defense, they get into a third and four defense, they get into a goal line defense a little earlier than we are used to so we had a bunch of different looks thrown at us so I think we have some real good personnel. We have a lot of respect for their corners and the talent on that team (Raiders). I thought Drew (Brees) handled it and managed the game very well. Any time you win like that and you play like he did from an efficiency standpoint, it is outstanding and it is a big part of us winning. So, we’ll have a chance to look at it and I don’t like comparing it to other games but certainly he played outstanding. It was a big win for us.”

Q: Last week you addressed the false starts, turnovers and repeat offenders, there were no false starts tonight, what did you do?

A: It starts with coaching. Last night we spent a lot of time looking at penalties and turnovers and some of the things that have hurt us. We all take that pretty seriously, not just the players, the coaching staff and myself too. We have to call more attention to it and understand the importance of it. I credit the players who were able to handle it. We had a couple of penalties early on that brought us out of field goal positions, out of scoring position, but other than that I thought we played very disciplined.”

Q: What does it say about Drew Brees and this offense that he found every receiver an every back that touched the field?

A: He has real good vision. I’ve said these before; I think all those guys understand the importance of their specifics within the route. He’s find the holes in the coverage and the weaknesses in the coverage and there is not many times when he doesn’t. I think those guys appreciate that and understand. You saw Reggie Bush catch a check down and score a touchdown today and he is about third or fourth in the read. We played well up front and on both sides of the ball we handled the trenches. I was encouraged with that. It was a good win for us to close out this home stand with, and we are going to be away for a while. The good news is when we come back it is a night game on Monday Night Football. In the meantime we will have an opportunity to play a real good team in our division next week in Carolina. We’ll have to take that game very seriously. They are much improved, just from looking at them on tape.”

Q: Last week you were encouraged by the defensive output and they played very well today, what do you attribute that to?

A: A couple of things. You can see that they are tackling well, they are tackling very well, and there is not a lot of leaked yardage. We are minimizing the big play; we talked about that as an emphasis and as a goal. We got our hands on about four passes today; we picked up one interception, which was a great play by Jason David, but we had two or three other opportunities. We have to work on that, but I think you see a pretty good balance. I think you saw today, if you went back and looked at the third down percentage converted, we won in that phase as well. We got them into some third and longs, but when you win the turnovers, you win the third downs, you win the penalties, you win the time of the possession, you with the rushing; when you win all those areas you are generally winning the game. We just have to keep playing a complimentary game with each other. I have been real encouraged with how we are playing. Like I said, looking at that game you would have thought we were the team coming off the bye week and we were the team without the injured players. So, we had some defensive tackles in that I can’t even pronounce the names of the players yet. I am encouraged with that.”

Q: When Taylor Mehlaff kicked the ball out of bounds, you pulled him aside and had a conversation with him. What was said?

A: That is one of his strengths. There are going to be some jitters your first game out. He settled down and played well for us. I was encouraged with that. Like every one of us, your first time out doing something, I know for me as a coach and a lot of you guys in your profession, whatever it is, coming in is not easy and I thought he settled down some and I was encouraged with that. That is the strength of his really when you study his ability. We just have to slow him down a little bit and keep working on him. He doesn’t need to hit a driver every time, just needs to back off a little bit. He has a strong leg.”

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VS. OAKLAND RAIDERS

October 12, 2008

Postgame Quotes

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS PLAYERS

#58 LB Scott Shanle

On the significance of today’s win

“It has been a long time since we had a win like that where we played well in all three phases. That’s key with the stretch of the season that we are hitting. We are at a critical stretch of our season. We are at .500 right now. We want to go 2-0 in these next two games and hit the bye week right.”

On Jamarcus Russell

“I thought he has a cannon of an arm. He’ll get better with experience. They have good players. A lot of it is getting experience at this level.”

#71 DT Kendrick Clancy

On the defensive pressure today

“It was all about being disciplined and following the game plan. It was a pretty solid game plan followed by everyone and we came out on top. “

#5 K Taylor Mehlhaff

On his performance

“It was not the way I wanted to start my career and the game. I was doing great in warm-ups. I peaked up mentally to watch it too soon. That’s what happens. You end up pulling it. I pulled it right over the upright. Obviously, I was disappointed with that. In college, my coach use to say it’s not what happens during the game, but it’s how you respond. I was just happy the way I came back and kicked the rest of the game. I hit all my field goals really strong. I put the ball up there on some kickoffs. We had some tackles inside the 20. I was happy by the way I came back.”

On if he was nervous today

“Obviously, there were some nerves out there. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I wasn’t nervous. It’s all about controlling it. I think of myself as a mentally tough kid. I have a lot of confidence in me. Some people would shy away from the challenge of going back out there when they miss a field goal. I wanted another chance. I wanted to go out there and redeem myself to prove to these guys that I can do it for them and they can count on me. I am happy the way that I came back.”

#42 CB Jason David

On his interception

“The defense has been doing a great job these last couple of weeks. It is always good for the whole team when you can come up with a turnover. We are just out there trying to do our job and play good football. “

#25 RB Reggie Bush

On Drew Brees connecting to nine different receivers

“We stuck to the script and executed our plays. We didn’t turn the ball over. We protected him in the pocket. Our main goal today was to protect the ball.”

On his touchdown reception

“It was a normal passing play that we run a lot. I checked down over the ball and fortunately for me Drew (Brees) likes to check the ball down. I was just at the right place at the right time and I was able to make a play out of it.”

#9 QB Drew Brees

On the Reggie Bush touchdown reception

“It was a play action fake and Reggie was looking up over the ball. I’m looking down the field and if there is nothing down then I check it down to him. He did the rest. It was a great play on his part. That’s the kind of stuff that happens when you are flowing as an offense. You are taking those underneath completions and turning them into big plays.”

On if he knew about the 16 straight completions

“I didn’t know that. Somebody mentioned something around the second quarter. I felt that there hadn’t been an incompletion yet, but I didn’t know how many there were. I was trying to complete them all.”

#51 LB Jonathan Vilma

On the run defense the past couple of weeks

“We have taken pride in wanting to stop the run and wanting to be a good defense. I think we are paying more attention to detail. We are picking up our assignments. It has been a collective effort against the run. All 11 guys are taking notice and paying attention in getting the job done.”

#16 WR Lance Moore

On Drew Brees’s performance

“I think he is the best quarterback in the league, but he is playing like the best quarterback in the league right now. It’s an honor and a pleasure being out there and catching balls from him.”

On the amount of playmakers on the team

“We are extremely deep. We have playmakers all over the place. Even when guys are hurt, we have guys who are capable. We are definitely going to be a force to wrecken with out there when those guys come back.”

SAINTS v. Oakland Raiders

Visiting Team Locker Room Quotes:

#20 – DARREN McFADDEN (running back):

“My toe (injury) wasn’t the issue out there today. We just got beat. And we got beat bad. Lots of people tell me the toe will hurt more on this kind of turf surface over the grass, but it doesn’t really make that much difference to me. We just got beat out there today.”

“I just hope we can re-group and get back to Raider football. I know I’m just a rookie but we have to come in and win games.”

#23 – DEANGELO HALL (Corner Back):

“You’ve got to hand it to the Saints. They kept us off balance all day. Brees was fantastic. Each time we thought we got a good pass rush on him he would just deliver the ball on the money. It’s always difficult whoever you are playing, when they get off to that kind of start its hard to stop. The whole time out there; it didn’t matter whether they did the run or the pass, they just did what they wanted to do.”

“The coaching change had nothing to do with what went on out there today. We have to stop making excuses. It didn’t have anything to do with anything. They (saints) just came out and played better than we did.”

#2 – JaMARCUS RUSSELL (QB): “I thought early in the game we did move the ball; but we just didn’t take advantage of our opportunities. We did have the lead early. We just have to go out there and make plays. Early on, if we have scored a touchdown instead of a field goal it would have been different. But we just have to learn how to execute when we get close to the end zone.”

“We just have to better ourselves. Those guys (defense) get paid to do what they do, and I just have to make plays and move the ball.”

“We have a good team; we just have to learn how to execute. I can’t be focused on what Brees is doing. I’m focused on my team mates and what I can do to help them.”

QUESTION – how many ticket requests did you have for the game?

A: “About 40 in all. It was disappointing whether your family is there or not. A loss like that is still a loss. I’m pretty sure everybody out there – our team, our fans – wanted us to win.”

“It was fun to come back here (to the ‘Dome) but that (LSU) was in the past. I am just looking to the future now. This team is moving forward and I am just trying to do what I can to get us there.”

New Orleans Saints vs. Oakland Raiders

October 12, 2008

Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable

Opening remarks: “It’s not the start that we were hoping for. Only one guy did not finish the game. That was Ashley Lelie. Everybody else seems to be fine. We still have work to do.”

On his optimism at the beginning of the second half: “I thought it was really critical. We talked about it at halftime. We kind of leaned on the fact that we were going to get it first. We were down by seven at that point. It was an opportunity to go do something with it right away. Unfortunately, we didn’t.”

On the loss today: “I really think it was us (not playing to our potential). Give credit to them (the Saints). They played very, very well. It’s a well coached team. Really for us, it was a lot of balls where they needed to be. We didn’t catch everything. We didn’t target everything as well as we wanted to. There was some improvement there. I know that sounds crazy. It certainly was an improvement for the number of times that we threw the football. We’ll keep evaluating that and still try to come up with the right balance.”

On the balance and productivity of the Saints offense: “We have to use them as a model. I don’t know what he finished with, but I know that he was hot. That’s where we want to get to. There is no question.”

On not doing what it takes to win: “We came here to win a football game. I thought that we didn’t do the things that it takes to win. That is staying in drives and putting the ball into the end zone in the red zone and not giving up big plays. We have work to do. We’ll get there. We will get there this year.”

“It was really pretty good. I really kind of kicked myself there. We’re in field goal range, in terms of Janikowski’s range, right before the half. You could argue with yourself if we might have punted there and make them (Saints) have a longer field with about a minute and 36 seconds left to go. You believe in the guy so you give him a shot. The length wasn’t the issue at all. It was just a little bit left. I think that was the right decision, but you could argue that one.”

Saints Turnback Raiders

New Orleans, La. --- For weeks Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has preached the virtues of taking care of the football, limiting penalties and playing a complementary style of football.

Today he and the rest of the Saints demonstrated what happens when all of the facets come together, as the Saints thumped the visiting Oakland Raiders, 34-3. It was the team’s most-lopsided victory since December 14, 2003 when the Saints leveled the New York Giants, 45-7.

“I was pleased today with how we played smart and tough football,” said Payton, as the Saints got back to .500 (3-3). “We took care of the ball, defended well and took advantage of our opportunities. It was a team win all the way around.”

New Orleans rolled to 441 yards of total offense while holding the Raiders to 226 yards. The Saints also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass and kept the dangerous Raiders rushing attack, which was averaging over 150 yards a game rushing to only 85 yards on the ground, while the Saints churned out 122 yards on the ground. The Saints also limited their penalties to only four, after committing an unsightly 11 on Monday Night.

The Saints scored 34 unanswered points courtesy of a pair of Reggie Bush touchdowns and receiving scores by RB Aaron Stecker and TE Mark Campbell. Rookie K Taylor Mehlhaff also added a pair of field goals and four extra points while the Saints’ defense surrendered only three points and caused two turnovers en route to the win.

Saints QB Drew Brees was magical and efficient throughout the game, completing 26-of-30 passes for 320 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a near-perfect passer rating of 144.4. Meanwhile, Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell’s homecoming to Louisiana was a rough one, as he was held to 13 completions on 35 attempts for 159 yards for 159 yards and an interception.

“Drew was something else,” said Payton. “He was making all the right reads and giving a lot of different guys a chance to contribute.”

"I tried to complete them all," Brees said matter of factly after the game. "We were good on third downs today, nearly 65%.  I think if you look at the stat sheet, no one guy really jumps out.  That was by design.  We just wanted to get a lot of guys involved and keep them, second guessing."

The Saints’ rushing game churned out 122 yards on 33 carries against the tough Oakland rushing defense, highlighted by Deuce McAllister’s 13 carries for 65 yards. Bush added 67 yards of offense and two scores.

“I thought we were more patient with the running game, and as a result, it helped our balance,” said Payton.

After a three and out on the Saints’ opening drive, Oakland capitalized on a 35-yard punt return by Johnnie Lee Higgins. Oakland’s initial drive started at the Saints’ 39 yard-line and the Raiders drove 33 yards in nine plays. The biggest play on the drive was a 13-yard completion on the second play of the drive from QB JaMarcus Russell to WR Ronald Curry. New Orleans nearly thwarted the drive on a third-and-goal from the six-yard line when CB Randall Gay defended a pass for Higgins in the end zone and the deflection fell into the chest of Roman Harper, who was unable to hang onto the deflected pass.

Brees started the Saints’ second drive with a 21-yard completion to RB Reggie Bush. It was 200th career reception for Bush, in 34 career games, which ties him for the quickest player in NFL history to reach 200 receptions (Anquan Boldin-ARZ). After a short run by Deuce McAllister that picked up one yard, Brees hooked up with TE Mark Campbell for a gain of 29 yards and then TE Billy Miller for a gain of 13 yards. A holding call on Jammal Brown pushed the Saints back 10 yards on first down, though, as did a similar call on second down. On a third-and-22 from the 28 Brees connected on a 15-yard completion to Miller across the middle of the field, which brought up a 31-yard field goal attempt by K Taylor Mehlhaff. The rookie from Wisconsin pulled his first career attempt wide of the right and the Raiders started their second possession at their own 21 yard-line.

Russell converted a third-and-five with a seven yard pass to WR Javon Walker on the Raiders’ first third down attempt of their second drive. On the next third down Russell hit Curry for an eight-yard completion and a first down. Gay nearly intercepted Russell on the next play but couldn’t handle the pass from his former LSU teammate. On a third-and-nine from midfield the Raiders were flagged for an illegal procedure infraction on TE Zach Miller. On a third and 14 Russell tried a deep pass for WR Ashley Lelie but tight coverage from Jason David resulted in an incompletion and a punt by Shanle Lechler, which was fair caught by Reggie Bush at the Saints’ 14.

Deuce McAllister picked up nine yards on a first down carry and Bush converted it with a two-yard run on third down into the heart of the Raiders’ defensive line. After a short loss on a completion to FB Mike Karney, Brees hit Lance Moore on a 12-yard crossing route over the middle that Moore converted into a first down. Brees and Moore then picked up five more yards on the ensuing play and Brees hit McAllister on a four-yard check-down. Karney bulled his way for one yard and the first down. Newcomer Sean Ryan caught his first pass as a member of the Saints, the 15th different player to register a reception this season, for a five yard gain and then McAllister found seven yards off right guard for another first down. McAllister went right behind RG Jarhi Evans for nine more yards on the next play before being stopped for a loss of one yard on second down. Brees hooked up with Karney out of the backfield for a gain of four yards and a first down on the 30. Bush added a yard on an inside run and then Brees froze the Oakland secondary with a play-action fake and a quick pass to Moore over the middle for a gain of 19 yards and a first down, the Saints’ sixth first down on the drive. Bush then picked up three yards on a first-and-goal attempt from the 10. Brees started the game 14-of-14, the most consecutive completions he has experienced as a professional. Oakland was guilty of a neutral zone infraction that gave the Saints a third-and-goal from the three-yard line and Bush took a pitch out and raced untouched into the end zone behind a key block from Karney. The drive covered 86 yards in 18 plays in a whooping 10:59 in time of possession.

Mehlhaff booted his extra point through the uprights, but his ensuing kickoff bounced out of the bounds and the Raiders took over at their own 40 with less than four minutes left in the first half. On a third-and-seven from the 39 Russell was unable to find a receiver downfield due to tight coverage and threw the pass away. Janikowski attempted a 57-yard field goal but it missed wide to the left and the Saints took over possession at their own 47 with 1:48 left on the clock and all three timeouts remaining.

The first play of the drive came on a 17-yard completion from Brees to Henderson, and then Brees completed his 16th pass in a row on an 18-yard completion to Moore in between defenders. Bush then picked up two yards and scurried out of bounds on first down, which stopped the clock. Brees suffered his first incompletion with 1:00 remaining in the second quarter when he tried to connect with Bush coming out of the backfield. On third down Brees was flagged for intentional grounding and the Saints were pushed back 10 yards, but Mehlhaff atoned for his earlier miss by knocking a 47-yard field goal through uprights, giving the Saints a 10-3 lead with :50 remaining in the first half.

Oakland started at their own 25 and picked a quick 35 yards on a pass to Higgins. Oakland was then flagged for offensive pass interference when Lelie dragged down Gay deep in the Saints’ end of the field after Gay appeared to position himself to make an interception. Harper very nearly picked off Russell on the next play and then Jonathan Vilma hammered Fargas and forced an incompletion on second down. Russell hit TE Zach Miller for a nine-yard gain on third down and Janikowski trotted out to attempt a 59-yard attempt that also missed wide to the left.

“I think we have take a great deal of pride in trying to get the run stopped," said Vilma. "It’s a collective effort and there is a lot of pride in getting it stop. It takes all 11 guys and we are starting to show that we can do it.”

“We are getting our hands on some footballs and are developing and we are getting close to making plays out there,” Vilma said. “The defensive line was awesome. They are doing some job up there.”

New Orleans took over at their own 49 with :06 left in the second quarter. Brees hit Miller over the middle for a gain of 25 yards as time expired. Miller appeared to be touched down with :01 left on the clock and the Saints tried desperately to call time out, but the officials ruled the clock had expired.

The Saints’ second half began with a high hanging kick from Mehlhaff to landed at the goal-line and was returned 17 yards by Higgins before a big hit from CB Usama Young. Fargas picked up six yards and then one yard on inside handoff. Jason David knocked down a third down pass intended for Lelie and Lechler hit a wobbly 39 punt that Bush returned eight yards to the Saints’ 45.

McAllister worked his way behind left guard Carl Nicks for four yards one first down and then Bush also ran left for four more yards. On third-and-two Bush took a pitch and jitterbugged for five yards before being thrown out of bounds by CB DeAngelo Hall. Brees then hit Moore for nine yards to the Raiders’ 33 and on second-and-one, McAllister thundered behind C Jonathan Goodwin for an eight-yard gain. Brees then dumped a pass off in the face of a corner blitz to Ryan for a two-yard gain. On second down Brees rolled out and hit Moore for a seven-yard gain. On a third-and-one McAllister found a cutback lane and picked up five yards and a first down to the 11. Brees then hit McAllister for a gain of three yards to the eight. On a third-and-seven from the eight Brees hit Aaron Stecker on a screenplay that popped for an eight-yard touchdown and gave the Saints a 17-3 lead after Mehlhaff’s extra point.

Oakland began at their own 28 and misfired on deep middle pass to Lelie. On second down McFadden was stopped by Vilma after a five-yard pickup. CB Jason David picked off his first pass of the season when Russell tried to hit Lelie in the flat. David bounced up and returned the ball 18 yards to the Raiders’ 17. Two plays later Bush caught a pass from Brees over the middle and scampered 15 yards for his second touchdown of the day and gave the Saints a 24-3 lead after the extra point.

“It was just a check down route,” said Bush. “I was in the right play at the right time and was able to get in to the end zone. Drew just checked it down and I was able to make a guy miss.”

Oakland continued to try to mix the run and the pass despite trailing by 21 points and Vilma, Shanle and Harper turned in some highlight defensive hit. On a third-and-10 from the Oakland 46 with 2:46 left in the third quarter Russell called a timeout after the Saints’ defense showed a new look. Oakland was guilty of a holding call after Will Smith beat LT Kwame Harris but the Saints declined the penalty and forced the Raiders to punt. Lechler hammered a 54-yard punt into the end zone for a touchback and the Saints took over at their own 20.

McAllister churned his way through the middle for a hard-earned four yards on first down and then picked up four more on second down. Brees then play-actioned faked and found a streaking Devery Henderson for a 51-yard completion to the Raiders’ 21, which was Henderson and Brees’ fourth completion over 50-yards through the first six games of the season.

The Saints couldn’t get any further than the Raiders’ 15, which gave Mehlhaff a chance to boot home a 33-yard field goal and extend the Saints’ lead to 27-3.

Russell began the next drive by hitting Miller for a gain of 23 yards to their own 38 and came back to try the middle of the field by tight coverage from Harper forced the incompletion. After a short run by Fargas that was snuffed by Shanle, DE Bobby McCray stripped Russell of the ball on a sack that was recovered by DT Kendrick Clancy at the Raiders’ 32.

McAllister picked up a yard and on second down Brees zipped a pass to Moore down the seam for a gain of 24 yards. Oakland was flagged for too many men on the field and the Saints had the ball on the two. Brees play faked a handoff to Bush and then lofted a perfect pass to Campbell in the back of the end zone that put the Saints ahead 34-3 after the extra point. The touchdown marked the first touchdown as a Saint for Campbell.

Vilma led all Saints in tackles with 11 stops, while Shanle added six and two passes defensed. Randall Gay had a team high three passes defensed.

Inactive Saints: QB Joey Harrington (3rd QB), WR Marques Colston, CB Aaron Glenn, S Kevin Kaesviharn, WR David Patten, TE Jeremy Shockey, DT Antwan Lake and DT Sedrick Ellis.

Cool Brees: Drew Brees completed 16 consecutive passes in the first half, which this marked the second-most consecutive completions in franchise history. Brees holds the franchise record (17, December 16, 2007 vs. Arizona, December 23, 2007 vs. Philadelphia). Archie Manning previously held the record with 15 straight completions in 1979.

The last time the Saints defeated a team by 30 points or more occurred on December 14, 2003 when the Saints defeated the New York Giants, 45-7, at the Superdome.

WR Lance Moore, whose younger brother Nick Moore had 20 receptions in Toledo’s upset win over Michigan on Saturday, led all Saints receivers with 7 receptions for 97 yards.