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 Cleveland Indians Pro Shop . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Indians Jerseys China . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Cleveland Indians Shirts . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Wholesale Indians Jerseys . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. NEW YORK -- Eric Decker will be sidelined a bit longer than initially expected.The New York Jets wide receiver, already on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, underwent surgery Tuesday on his hip.The Jets announced on their website that the hip surgery was deemed necessary after Decker had an evaluation when he was placed on IR last week with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.The team said the anticipated recovery time for Deckers hip surgery is six months. When the wide receiver is able to get off crutches during that period -- its uncertain how long that will take -- he will then have the surgery on his shoulder, with recovery time expected to be eight months.So, if Decker hypothetically needs two months to get off crutches, the shoulder procedure requires about eight additional months of recovery time. He could miss time during the 2017 season, but Decker could also still be ready for Week 1, in a best-case scenario.Its probably too early for that, coach Todd Bowles said during a conference call of Decker possibly missing the start of next season. Itll probably be close, but Ive got to see how he heals.In a post on her Twitter page , Deckers wife Jessie James said he has quietly battling these injuries for years and fighting through theem.dddddddddddd. She added that her husband is doin great!! Get ready 2017. He will be ready to rock!!!Decker, who had nine catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns, injured his shoulder at Buffalo on Sept. 15 and it worsened the following week at Kansas City in Week 3.He was inactive for two games while the Jets waited to see if the shoulder would improve through rest and rehab. When it was determined last week that it hadnt, the Jets decided to place Decker on injured reserve so he could have season-ending surgery.He wasnt recovering the way we hoped he would, Bowles said last Wednesday. He wasnt getting any better. It was getting worse. At some point, he had to try to get surgery.Decker had 80 receptions for 1,027 yards and 12 scores -- including a team-record 10 TDs inside the opponents 20-yard line -- last season as he and Brandon Marshall combined for 26 TDs.He signed as a free agent with the Jets in 2014 after four seasons in Denver and has been one of the NFLs most-productive receivers in that time with 163 receptions for 2,183 yards and 19 touchdowns.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '