| Saints look to right ship vs. struggling Raiders |
|
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Nearly two decades ago, Tom Cable and Sean Payton worked on the same sideline in San Diego, but could only dream of coaching in the NFL. That was back when they were graduate assistants at San Diego State in 1989. When the New Orleans Saints host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, these longtime friends will meet as foes in what, incidentally, will be Cable's first game as an NFL head coach. ``I'm sure that he'll do a good job,'' Payton said. ``Obviously, any time you make a coaching change in-season, there's some turmoil, but I think Tom and that staff there will handle it just fine.'' Oddly enough, Cable's debut comes against not only a friend, but someone who was a leading candidate for the Raiders' head-coaching job in 2004. Payton was going into his second season as an assistant under Bill Parcells in Dallas and ultimately withdrew his application, even though he was widely believed to be Raiders owner Al Davis' top choice. l the very end, it was something that I saw happening, and I think it was a gut decision to stay and finish the work we began in Dallas,'' Payton said. That looks like a wise decision now. Payton became a rookie coach with New Orleans in 2006 and wound up being the AP Coach of the Year after taking the Saints to the playoffs. Although the Saints (2-3) have had tough luck with injuries and languished in mediocrity since, they've shown potential to be contenders again with stars like Drew Brees, who's on pace to throw for more than 4,000 yards, and Reggie Bush, who tied an NFL single-game record with a pair of punt returns for touchdowns last Monday night. Payton also received a raise and a three-year contract extension last month. Cable isn't complaining about the way things turned out for him. But in taking over for recently fired Lane Kiffin, he appears to be inheriting a mess that goes beyond Oakland's losing record. The Raiders' ``commitment to excellence'' has been lacking since the 2002 season, when they made it to the Super Bowl, only to lose to Tampa Bay and coach Jon Gruden, who had fled Oakland after the previous season. Since then, Oakland (1-3) has been an NFL-worst 20-64 over a stretch spanning the tenures of coaches Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell and Kiffin. Cable can only hope to get along with the 79-year-old Davis long enough to have a legitimate chance of turning Oakland around. In other words, Cable, who referred to Kiffin as a friend this week, and Davis, who recently called Kiffin ``immature'' and a ``flat-out liar,'' will have to see eye-to-eye on more things than not. ``Everybody is surprised when something like this happens,'' Cable said. ``It's the business. It's unfortunate and you move on.'' For the Raiders to move in the right direction, they need to figure how to get more out of their 2007 first-overall draft choice, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, and a passing offense that ranks 29th. More was expected of Russell, who threw for 332 yards and two TDs the last time he played in the Louisiana Superdome. That was as LSU's quarterback against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 3, 2007, when Russell was the most outstanding player. Whether he produces like that as a pro remains to be seen, but this might be a fitting week for him to start, given that he not only played at LSU but grew up in Mobile, Ala., a two-hour drive from New Orleans. ``There's a lot of people planning on coming'' to the game, Russell said, referring to friends and family. Russell will see a Saints defense coming off its best game of the season. They lost 30-27 to Minnesota last Monday night, but one Vikings touchdown came on a blocked kick and another on a desperation heave during which Bernard Berrian came up with a spectacular catch after running the wrong route. More indicative of the Saints' performance was Adrian Peterson's 32 yards on 21 carries. Now New Orleans' run defense gets another challenge against Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas. ``They've got a loaded backfield with a couple big, powerful backs,'' Saints linebacker Scott Fujita said. ``It's going to start with the running game, and the more they get that going, that could buy (Russell) time to sit back there with some play-action and really chuck the ball 60 or 70 yards down the field, which he's capable of doing.'' |