Reece a rare positive for Raiders

Share

OAKLAND -- Looking for a little something positive out of the steaming wreckage that was the Raiders' 38-17 loss to New Orleans on Sunday?Serve up a side of Marcel Reece and his 193 offensive yards, then.All the college receiver who was a street free agent converted into a Pro Bowl-level fullback did against the Saints as a tailback was rush for a career-high 103 yards on 19 carries, catch four passes for 90 yards and, well, do what the perpetually injured Darren McFadden was supposed to do this year.Of course, Reece deflected acclaim for his day."Stats are really irrelevant when you don't get the 'W'," he said. "The bottom line is, if you don't win, the stats are irrelevant, the numbers are irrelevant. I don't even know what they were. I don't care what they were and I don;t want to know what they were."I want to get in, watch the film and get ready for Cincinnati."Paul G's Instant Replay: Saints 38, Raiders 17
Of course, Reece was anything but irrelevant against the Saints. In fact, it makes you wonder why he was not being utilized earlier this season. Even if McFadden, who was averaging a career-low 3.3 yards per carry before suffering a high-ankle sprain two weeks ago, was the supposed home run threat.Against the Saints, Reece broke off a 17-yard run the first time he touched the ball, and followed that up with an eight-yard gain. He also had a 56-yard catch-and-run."Reece was a soldier, man," said right tackle Khalif Barnes. "He presents a nightmare for those guyshe presents a threat for a lot of defensive coordinators throughout the league."Quarterback Carson Palmer agreed."He's a football player," Palmer said. "He just makes football plays over again every week. You feel (like) you can't get the guy the ball enough. There are other guys you want to get the ball to, but Marcel is special."And on this day, a rare positive for the Raiders.

Contact Us