Oakland vs. New Orleans – Several Questions still Unanswered

The problems in New Orleans lie in the whole Reggie Bush debate, Drew Brees’ receiving depth and the secondary. For all intents and purposes, everything seems to be A-ok in the Big Easy, especially after dropping 38-points in a victory over the Houston Texans. Yet again, the Saints are the favorites to walk out of the NFC South and in to the playoffs, but this year the pieces look like they’re coming together.

Brees completed 9-of-14 for 87 yards and connected with running-back Pierre Thomas for the Saints lone passing touchdown against Houston. Mike Bell, who you might remember from the eight-headed Denver running-back nightmare, was the big story, rumbling for 100 yards on 10 carries against Houston. If Reggie Bush doesn’t figure out his knee problems, then Pierre Thomas has a legitimate backup.

New Orleans vs. Oakland Raiders

Saturday, August 29th — Alameda County Coliseum — 4:00pm EST

NFL Betting Line: New Orleans -2.5 (41)

For Oakland, the questions they need answered are on the offense. Nobody expects this defense to be sufficient, especially with Oakland sending Derrick Burgess to New England for 40-cents on the dollar. The Raiders ranked in the cellar last year for yards allowed and points against, and I don’t expect any of that to change for the Raiders this year.

The questions they have are more around JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden. Russell is currently beating out Jeff Garcia for the starting job, but his play has been anything but spectacular. Russell had 7-of-11 completed passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. It’s not his power and arm strength that I’m worried about. More so, it’s his ability to complete short, deliberate passes. He’s getting better, but New Orleans front-seven is going to give him a stiffer challenge than San Francisco’s did.

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For Darren McFadden, the only thing getting in his way is the player affectionately known as “Young Hugg”. Yes, I’m referring to Justin Fargas. Fargas is a complete back, and he’s very, very good. But McFadden is Pro-Bowl worthy as far as talent goes. Now that he’s shaken his turf toe issues, McFadden is going to be stealing the majority of carries from Fargas. Will we see more of McFadden against New Orleans? Very likely. Maybe he can show Reggie Bush just how a running-back is supposed to run in the NFL.

That being said, New Orleans is going to slice and dice the secondary in Oakland to shreds. Considering that New Orleans is a road favorite by a preseason point swing of nearly six-points, I’d go with the road team in the OVER as Oakland gains some offensive momentum from playing at home.

Furious Free Pick: New Orleans -2.5 (OVER)