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CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Mark Sanchez tossed a pass that zipped through the end zone, over a fence and onto the roof of a golf cart parked on the other side. And, it was a good -- and smart -- play. Rather than try to force it to a receiver who wasnt open during red zone drills Monday, the New York Jets quarterback threw the ball away so that no one could reach it. For a guy who has been plagued by 52 turnovers in the last two seasons, this was progress. "I felt good," Sanchez said. Sanchez was mostly mistake-free in perhaps his best practice of training camp, while rookie Geno Smith threw two interceptions in 7-on-7 drills. The competition between the two for the starting quarterback job remains tight, and coach Rex Ryan is not sure who will start the preseason opener at Detroit on Friday night. But Ryan added that both Sanchez and Smith will work with the first-team offence during the game. "Todays practice was sloppy," a disappointed Ryan said before later adding, "one guy Ill say came out to practice was Mark Sanchez. I thought he was sharp." After a lousy performance in the teams scrimmage Saturday, that included him getting booed by fans after an interception, it was a day of redemption for Sanchez. While it was hardly an eye-popping day -- he was unofficially 6 of 9 in team drills -- he appeared in command the entire session and kept the mistakes to a minimum while running the first-team offence. Sanchez had a nice drive in 11-on-11s that was capped by a 6-yard touchdown toss to Bilal Powell on a third-down play. "Calls came in quick, got in and out of the huddle, had great tempo, good pace, good mix of runs and passes, screens, everything," Sanchez said. "It was kind of the way that we want to run things, you know, in a nutshell in one drive, and that looked pretty good." Smith was far from bad, but it was the first time he made the types of mistakes he made Monday, finishing 4 of 6 and getting picked off by Antonio Allen (a tipped pass) and Nick Bellore (a forced throw in the middle of the field). "I mean, youve got to look at it in a positive manner," Smith said. "I dont see it as a setback. I see it as a learning experience. I see it as something that I can improve on." Its that approach that has his coaches and teammates feeling pretty good about the second-round pick from West Virginia. Smiths refusal to get frustrated by bad moments on the practice field has also shown a lot about his confidence in his abilities. In fact, he wouldnt even acknowledge that this was one of his tougher practices in the pros. "I wouldnt say so," he said. "Down in the red zone, I think I need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. I know its 7-on-7 and you kind of want to force the emphasis and try to get the ball to the end zone, but still be mindful that were still working game reps and that drill is made for us to kind of pretend that were in the game." Which means he has to do anything other than turn the ball over in that situation -- a key focus of offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg this summer. "Thats something that I did today and that can be fixed," Smith said. "And now, Ill improve on that." While Ryan was complimentary of Sanchez, he didnt knock Smith, who still has yet to be intercepted in 11-on-11 team drills this summer -- including the scrimmage. "Its not like hes going to be Nolan Ryan," the coach said, "and pitch a shutout out there." As for the rest of the team, Ryan was not happy with his players effort after a day off from practice Sunday. There were several false start penalties, including two in a row by right tackle Austin Howard and left tackle DBrickashaw Ferguson. The defence also had its share of mistakes. "I thought the focus wasnt there," Ryan said. "I never liked the attention to detail. ... Its unacceptable." ------ NOTES: Ryan had no updates on WR Santonio Holmes, who is out with a foot injury, or RB Mike Goodson, away from the team for personal reasons. Ryan refused to rule out Holmes, currently on the physically unable to perform list, to be ready for the regular-season opener although the wide receiver still isnt close to practicing. ... CB Dee Milliner, the No. 9 overall draft pick, briefly left practice after falling on his left hand. He said he needed his ring and middle fingers taped up, but said he was fine. ... Ryan praised LB Calvin Pace, saying hes "having a monster camp." Pace was released in February in a cost-cutting move, but re-signed to a one-year deal in April. ... Ryan said the Jets might consider playing CB Kyle Wilson at safety at times. Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett are currently competing to start opposite Dawan Landry. ... FB Tommy Bohanon, the teams seventh-round draft pick, blasted and ran over DB Isaiah Trufant on one play -- Bohanon is 6-foot-1, 247 pounds, while Trufant is generously listed as 5-8, 170. "Hes a load," Ryan said of Bohanon, whom he refers to as "Tommy Bahama." ... RB Chris Ivory (hamstring), RB-KR Joe McKnight (concussionlike symptoms) and TE Kellen Winslow (rest day) didnt practice. Wholesale Custom Ravens Shirts . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Custom Ravens Jersey China . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. http://www.customravensjersey.com/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Custom Ravens T-shirts . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. Marquise Brown Jersey Large . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. NEW ORLEANS -- Even if the Oakland Raiders latest visit to the Superdome wont go down as their most memorable triumph in New Orleans, it certainly has the potential to be a pivotal moment in the apparent resurgence of a proud franchise that hasnt won much for more than a decade.The Raiders have been so annually lousy since 2002 that coach Jack Del Rios 7-9 record in his first season with the club a year ago was widely seen as a promising development. And because a number of the Raiders top players are young, Oakland is becoming a popular dark horse pick to contend for an AFC playoff spot.Given the resolve and guts the silver-and-black demonstrated in a dramatic, season-opening 35-34 victory over the Saints on Sunday, why not?The Raiders not only erased a 14-point, second-half deficit on hostile ground. They also overcame another one-touchdown deficit in style, marching 75 yards in the final minutes for a touchdown and a bold, do-or-die, 2-point conversion from Derek Carr to Michael Crabtree with 47 seconds left.Thatll never measure up to the 1980 Raiders Super Bowl triumph in the Big Easy, but its the kind of victory that can give a young squad a psychological edge.Today really helps them with finding a way to get a win, Del Rio said after Sundays triumph. This year, we are talking about learning how to win, learning how to close these games, sticking together and making plays at the end. I am really proud of our guys, really happy for them.The Saints are also coming off of a 7-9 record last season. They showed potential to improve, but ultimately lost for much the same reason as last year -- their defense couldnt make what Drew Brees and Co. produced hold up.Theres a point where you have to dig down and get off the field, coach Sean Payton said of his defense, noting the unit did not have any sacks or turnovers. We werent able to do so. From then on, youre just hanging in there, and we didnt make enough plays.Other key developments from the Raiders-Saints season opener:BALANCED ATTACK: As much as the Raiders might lean on Carr and his top receivers -- Crabtree and Amari Cooper -- to produce, their running game made the difference in New Orleans. The Raiders rushed for 167 yards, including touchdown runs of 75 yards by rookie Jalen Richard , 6 yards by Latavius Murray and 2 yards by Jamize Olawale.ddddddddddddETTER BLOCKING: The Saints offensive line struggled during an 0-4 preseason, but generally gave Brees the time he needed against Oakland. Brees blamed himself for his fumble on a sack, saying he held the ball too long, and applauded his protection during a 423-yard, four TD performance.Well be fine, said veteran right guard Jahri Evans, who was re-acquired last week to shore up the unit. Drew felt comfortable back there. We got some long passes.OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE: While the Raiders defense sometimes struggled to stop the ever-prolific Brees, they made a number of promising plays, highlighted by Bruce Irvins sack and strip of the Saints star QB for a turnover. The Raiders forced another fumble by Saints receiver Willie Snead, but werent able to pounce on it. Meanwhile, Oakland held the Saints to 88 yards rushing.EXPERIENCE DEFICIT: The Saints started the game with a lot of youth and inexperience in the secondary and ended it with even more after second-year starting cornerback Delvin Breaux was taken to the locker room with an undisclosed lower leg injury. With newly acquired veteran cornerback Sterling Moore inactive, the Saints had several defensive backs with no prior regular season NFL experience on the field for Oaklands winning drive. That included undrafted rookie Ken Crawley, who was covering Crabtree on the winning conversion.QB PROFICIENCY: The Saints neednt worry about the 37-year-old Brees age and the Raiders can be confident that Carr continues to develop into one of the NFLs best as he enters his prime. Brees opened his 16th season by eclipsing the 400-yard mark for the 14th time in his career, tying for first all-time with Peyton Manning. He also set personal and team records for longest passing play on a 98-yard TD to Brandin Cooks . Car passed for 319 yards, one TD and a pair of clutch 2-point conversions, first to Cooper to tie the game at 27 and later to Crabtree for the win.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '