6/5 Raiders begin life after Brown

Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden says the franchise did all they could to keep Antonio Brown – but now all of their focus must be on winning their opening game against Denver Broncos on Monday night (Oakland 6/5, Denver 20/29 – Money Line).

Wide receiver Brown managed to force through a move away from Oakland and has since landed himself a sweet deal with six-time Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots.

With the Broncos heading to Oakland Alameda County Coliseum for their season opener, Gruden is looking to put the Brown controversy behind his team as quickly as possible.

“We tried every way possible to make it work,” Gruden told reporters. “All I’m going to say is it’s disappointing. I’m really proud of our players, our coaches, our owner, our front office. We did everything we could to make this work.

“I’m sorry it didn’t. I apologise, but I will tell you I’m very proud of what we did as an organisation to try. I wish Antonio nothing but the best.”

Monday will also see another showdown to complete Week 1 of the NFL when the Houston Texans make the trip to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints (New Orleans 1/3, Houston 12/5 – Money Line).

The Saints were one of the teams in the mix for the Super Bowl last season but just ended up falling short of the big game.

If quarterback Drew Brees can continue where he left off last term, New Orleans will take some stopping in their opening game.

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