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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 21, 2006

Raiders roll past 49ers, 23-7

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. — The passing game clicked, the defense created turnovers and the special teams was strong once again.

The Oakland Raiders put together their most complete performance of the preseason, yet coach Art Shell is far from satisfied.

Aaron Brooks threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Doug Gabriel on Oakland's opening drive, and Andrew Walter led the Raiders to two second-half scores in a 23-7 victory yesterday over the San Francisco 49ers.

"We're not where we need to be," Shell said. "We're not where I want to be. We're not there. I expect a more efficient football team throughout. But I thought they performed better as a team today than the last two weeks."

Oakland improved to 3-0 in preseason under Shell, who coached the Raiders for the first time in the Coliseum. Shell, who played most of his Hall of Fame career in Oakland, coached the team for 4 1/2 seasons when it played in Los Angeles.

"It was really nice to walk back in the stadium on this side and be a part of it again," Shell said.

The Raiders ran for 156 yards, completed 67 percent of their passes, committed no procedural penalties and scored on five of their first eight drives. They also held the Niners to 209 yards.

"We're taking strides," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "We took a really good step today. The offense moved the ball. We played nice tight defense and created turnovers. ... This is the NFL, my friend. Whenever you can do that, you're playing good football."

Niners coach Mike Nolan was disappointed with his team's performance, calling it a step back from last week's 28-14 win over Chicago.

San Francisco avoided a shutout when Trent Dilfer threw a 6-yard TD pass to Michael Robinson with 3:35 remaining.

"A very flat performance from our football team," Nolan said. "It started that way in our warmups, and I thought we were flat the entire game. We missed tackles, we missed opportunities for turnovers, and much the same offensively. I was not pleased with the tempo."

SEAHAWKS 30, COLTS 17

INDIANAPOLIS — Leonard Weaver rushed for one touchdown, Mike Green returned an interception for another score and Josh Brown kicked three field goals to lead defending NFC champion Seattle.

In a game that featured the NFL's last two MVPs — Peyton Manning and Shaun Alexander — for a little more than one quarter, the starters for both teams looked sharp.

Alexander ran five times for 20 yards, setting up the Seahawks' first scoring drive, and Matt Hasselbeck went 8 of 9 for 88 yards although he was sacked twice.

Manning was better, connecting on six of his first seven passes and producing a perfect 158.3 rating in the first quarter. He finished 6 of 9 for 140 yards with one touchdown and a 146.8 rating.

TRADE

JETS GET RB BARLOW FROM 49ERS FOR PICK

The New York Jets acquired running back Kevan Barlow from the San Francisco 49ers yesterday for an undisclosed draft pick in 2007, their second attempt in a week to shore up the position.

The deal is contingent on Barlow passing a physical.

Last Monday, the Jets traded for Browns running back Lee Suggs, hoping to get help with Curtis Martin out. But Suggs failed his physical Tuesday and the deal was voided.

Though the 33-year-old Martin hopes to play again, his future is uncertain.

The 6-foot-1, 234-pound Barlow has 3,614 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career.

BILLS

Buffalo receiver Peerless Price missed practice yesterday, two days after he was held without a catch for the second consecutive preseason game. Coach Dick Jauron was unavailable for comment following the light workout, but will address the situation today.