st Brisbane but they turned it around very quickly - they were so good, so clinical, super-fit and they go through their structures extremely well.At ha

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- It hasnt taken long for the Raiders to get a pretty good feel for how teams plan to counter the tandem of Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.Mack faced a steady stream of double teams from New Orleans offensive linemen along with constant chip blocks by running backs and tight ends.Irvin, who had Oaklands only sack of the game when he stripped the ball from Drew Brees and forced a fumble in the first quarter, received the same kind of attention while also being effectively muted by the Saints blocking schemes.Because that figures to be the norm for the two outside pass rushers, the Raiders need to get pressure elsewhere.Thats what were stressing, defensive tackle Justin Ellis said. We know how people are going to have to block the edge guys because we have two elite edge guys, so we just need to put pressure up the middle more consistently.Ellis is primarily a run-stopper and didnt play much in the season-opening win over the Saints, nor did 315-pound Dan Williams.Rookies Jihad Ward and Darius Latham filled in the gaps along with Denico Autry, but the trio combined for just seven tackles and one quarterback hurry.That worked right into the Saints hands, too.New Orleans kept Mack, who had 15 sacks in 2015, quiet most of the game while Irvin had two tackles and three hurries.Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said the Saints plan for Mack and Irvin wasnt surprising.If youre not doing things like that then youre going to have a hard time, Del Rio said. I think people have to do that. When youre doing that then theyre short other place and we have to make sure were taking advantage of that.Irvin said as much earlier this week when he commented that the Raiders interior pass rush needed to step up when he and Mack are being double-teamed.Oakland defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. agreed, but spread the blame to the entire defense.No question, Norton said. We made some mistakes and I think every game youre looking for improvement. Guys have to continue to defend better and I think each time we go out well make improvement.At the same time, it is Drew Brees on the road and he makes great decisions and hes really good. We have to match that really good with even better to shut a guy like that out.I think the D-line knows and defenses know that everything starts up front. The young guys coming up have really shown up. Its about improvement, being obsessed with improving. I think Game 2 will certainly be an improvement from Game 1.Ward, the 44th overall pick in this years draft, has been getting increased playing time at defensive end since Mario Edwards Jr. went down with a hip injury. Edwards was placed on injured reserve Sept. 5, but the team is hopeful he can return before the end of the season.Hes probably the young player with the most enthusiasm and is very contagious, Norton said. Hes like a mold of clay just molding and every time he goes out, he gets better and better. Were really, really pleased with his growth.Game notes Right tackle Menelik Watson (groin) and backup Matt McCants (knee) were held out of practice for a second consecutive day. 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Cheap Air Max 270 White . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. The business end of the NRL season is here and ESPN NRL expert Brett Kimmorley believes some teams will be happy with their form, some wont and what also-rans can expect improvement in 2017 in his latest edition of Set of Six.Broncos beat Roosters but were far from brilliantThe Broncos were outstanding in round 25 against Melbourne but they forgot about playing round 26 because I thought they were pretty poor against the Roosters.I wouldve thought for Corey Parkers last regular season game at Suncorp Stadium there would have been plenty of emotion and reason to celebrate, but I thought the Broncos were extremely poor.We know that the finals are another level again and I thought Brisbane in round 25 were preparing for the playoffs, but round 26 probably wasnt the ideal preparation lead in to what semi-final football will look like.Roosters must fix defence before 2017The Roosters will need to work a great deal on their defence ahead of the 2017 season. We know there has been a roster change there - they have lost a fullback, they have lost a five-eighth and they have lost a centre - but when they were minor premiers for three consecutive years they were the best defensive team in the competition.That certainly has not been the case this year and they have leaked a lot of points. It just seems like every time the opposition gets down their end they are generally waving the white flag -- which is certainly not the Roosters of old.They have seen the emergence of Latrell Mitchell and Connor Watson, they get Luke Keary and Michael Gordon joining the club next year so they have got some talented players for 2017, but if they dont fix their deficiencies then it doesnt matter who plays for them.I think the Roosters are seeing the impact of Sonny Bill-Williams and Anthony Minichiello starting to wear away. There will be pressure on everyone at the Roosters next year - I think Trent Robinson is a pretty good coach but the chairman or CEO wont accept another year of re-building.Rabbitohs have found a spine for 2017Its taken them two years and a lot of different personnel but I think South Sydney have finally found a spine for next year. Cody Walker has been very good for them, Greg Inglis has to play fullback as thats where he has the most impact for the team.I think the spine will include Robbie Farah. I dont think dummy halves can play 80 minutes anymore. I think the likes of Cameron Smith will retire in the next few years and well see two hookers in every football side.Its too hard a game where you are expected to play 80 minutes of football, make around 55 tackles and the other players are generally bigger and stronger.The players are getting bigger and faster and the game is becoming more intense, yet we ask these guys to play 80 minutes, create line breaks, create set plays and do all of that under a fair bit of pressure.Very important to have two very good dummy halves and Souths will probably have Damien Cook and Robbie Farah. I think Cook has been outstanding for them and also what he brings is great pace. Hell make a great impact off the bench after that early arm wrestle.Cowboys best attacking unit in the NRLThe Cowboys are the best attacking team in the competition and I am convinced they can win the competitioon again.ddddddddddddI have jumped off Melbourne because North Queensland can play in so many different ways and have so many different attacking options.They have a great forward pack, Jason Taumololo is that x-factor that just creates havoc, Jake Granville is a genuine dummy half threat, they have Lachlan Coote and Michael Morgan who have not really fired in the past few weeks, but Im expecting a big semifinal performance from them.Having Johnathan Thurston in your side also gives them the best halfback in the NRL so I think the Cowboys are a realistic chance of going back-to-back. Ive heard coach Paul Green say he thinks they have got more options than 2015 when they were the eventual premiers.But for this to happen I think the Cowboys must have Matt Scott back from injury. The closeness of the NRL competition, the depth of all of the teams so I think the team that wins the competition needs to have most of their best players on the park.Bulldogs must find some halves before the finalsThe Bulldogs will welcome back their biggest halfback in Sam Kasiano this week and he will give them a lift but they had a thousand opportunities to attack the line against Souths but it didnt look like they were going to score the try.I know Moses Mbye is a great runner of the ball and a great left foot kicked but I think they need a bit more first ball and I think Brett Morris needs to go back to fullback. Brett Morris is a guy that pops up in the right places at the right times and knows how to score a try. While William Hopoate is a good defensive fullback, I dont think he has that presence and awareness that Morris does.I know Des Hasler is as successful as Wayne Bennett and all of these other coaches in the finals but Id like to think they have something different in mind this week against Penrith.If they get momentum off the back of their monster forward pack, please let the halves play football. Its a do-or-die attitude but theyve lost a few games now so they may as well throw all of their eggs in the one basket and just go out with all guns blazing.Storm are clinical in big gamesThe Sharks tried extremely hard on Saturday night but the Storm showed why Craig Bellamy is such a great coach. Melbourne were extremely poor last week against Brisbane but they turned it around very quickly - they were so good, so clinical, super-fit and they go through their structures extremely well.At halftime the Storm were 16 from 16 completed sets and I think the game was pretty much over. The scoreline did not reflect it but just how clinical they were, their knowledge to handle a big game and it was a football lesson for Cronulla.Playing high-intensity Origin, high-intensity semi-finals, high-intensity grand final football is another step up in class and youve got to be able to handle that pressure and expectation and the Storm did it beautifully.The Storm beat you in the wrestle every day of the week, they do it extremely well, they dont put their hands on the ball, they do things better than most sides so how you combat that is you play a little bit of football -- similar to what Brisbane did in round 25. ' ' '