SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Hall of Famer Marcus Allen met up with the New Orleans Saints during their Bay Area visit and offered some insight about handling business.He also posed a question: Who was the oldest guy in the room?Drew Brees, who is pushing 38, raised his hand.Ive known Marcus for a long time, ever since I was a young player in this league, and Ive been around him enough to know hes one of the greatest players to ever play the game at the running back position. He played longer than I think any running backs ever played, he played 16 years, Brees said. I got to raise my hand and say 16 years. That kind of matches him.You wouldnt know it the way Brees is throwing the ball with authority, confidence and precision at this stage of his decorated career.He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Michael Thomas and another to Mark Ingram, who also ran for a career-best 75-yard score a week after being benched as the Saints beat the lowly San Francisco 49ers 41-23 on Sunday.Not that the Saints necessarily needed any extra motivation for their first game at Levis Stadium, yet Allens words were appreciated nonetheless.He had great words for us, Brees said. A lot of it was talking about being a pro, how to conduct yourself and what this games all about, the relationships and the opportunity to win and do it for each other.Brees got another example right within his own locker room: Tim Hightower made a point to offer some thoughtful words to Ingram, who bounced back from being benched last week after fumbling for a second straight game.Ingram, replaced by Hightower during last Sundays 25-20 win against Seattle, scored his second straight TD for the Saints on a career-long run to answer immediately after DuJuan Harris caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick. Ingrams run also was the second-longest in Saints history and he wound up with 158 yards rushing as San Francisco allowed an opposing 100-yard runner for the seventh straight game.To see him respond the way he did, Im proud of him, Hightower said. Thats not easy to do.The Saints (4-4) put up 571 yards of total offense to win for the fourth time in five games following an 0-3 start .Brees went 28 of 39 for 323 yards in the Saints first trip to San Franciscos home field since a 36-32 loss in the divisional playoffs after the 2011 season.He appreciates how much everybody has been willing to do as New Orleans gets back on track, regardless of number of touches or role week to week.Take Ingram and Hightower, who scored the Saints first touchdown of the day on a 4-yard run and finished with 87 yards rushing.They motivate one another. Theres a drive, theyre as happy for the other guy as they are for anybody when something good happens, Brees said. Theyre there for each other. I think they understand the big picture, too, like man, we need both of you guys.MILESTONE QB:Brees now has 449 career touchdown passes, leaving him one shy of becoming the third player to throw for 450 TDs. Peyton Manning (539) and Hall of Famer Brett Favre (508) are the others.In addition, he has 55 career games passing for at least 300 yards while throwing three touchdown passes, most in NFL history. Also, he didnt have an interception Sunday, becoming the first player in league history with 30 career games recording 300 yards passing, three TDs and no interceptions.KAEPERNICKS DAYIn his third start back as San Franciscos No. 1 quarterback, Kaepernick had his best performance yet with 398 yards passing -- second most of his career -- and touchdown throws of 47 yards to DuJuan Harris and 65 yards to Vance McDonald. He also became the 15th player in franchise history to rush for 2,000 yards.Today was a step in the right direction, Kaepernick said.But the Niners (1-7) lost their seventh straight game since shutting out the Rams to start the year.UP NEXTIt doesnt get any easier for the Saints. They will host Super Bowl champion Denver next week then have a short week to prepare for divisional opponent and Carolina.Youve got to continue to find ways to win each and every week, Brees said.The 49ers travel to Arizona next week to face the Cardinals for a second time after losing 33-21 at home on Oct. 6, then its back to Levis Stadium for another tough opponent in the New England Patriots on Nov. 20.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Yasser Corona Jersey . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Guillermo Ochoa Jersey . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. http://www.nationalsoccermexico.com/carlos-vela-mexico-jersey/ ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Carlos Pena Jersey . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Javier Aquino Jersey . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. CLEVELAND -- Mark Shapiros love for Cleveland and its people runs deep, personally and professionally.Its where the Toronto Blue Jays president and CEO began his career, raised his family and helped orchestrate a baseball renaissance in the 1990s thats enjoying a 21st-century revival. In many ways, it will always be home for Shapiro.Over the past few months, Shapiro has enjoyed from afar seeing Cleveland celebrate this summer as the Cavaliers won an NBA title, ending a half-century drought for the city, and hes watched with pride as Indians fans rallied around a team that has been overlooked -- even in October.Its been some ride.I just feel bad that were going to have to put an end to it, he said with a chuckle over the phone on Wednesday.Shapiro finds himself the man in the middle of the AL Championship Series as his new team, the Blue Jays, will face with the Indians, the franchise that gave him his start, for a spot in the World Series.And it wont just be an emotional reunion for Shapiro. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins also came up in Clevelands organization, working alongside Indians president Chris Antonetti, manager Terry Francona and many others.Shapiro was flying to Cleveland on Wednesday and planned to have dinner with his sister, Julie, who lives in the area. On Thursday, hell arrive at Progressive Field as he did for more than two decades, and although he knows the direction to the visitors clubhouse, Shapiros first stop will be the Indians executive offices, where he plans to visit colleagues who are as close as family.Ive got not just friendships, but deep friendships both in the community there and throughout the Indians organization, up and down it, he said. Its not just walking in to play the team, its walking in to play a group of people where you have a deep history and a profound respect. But I can tell you, because weve played them seven times already, when the first pitch gets thrown, the only emotion I feel is a competitive desire to win.Shapiro spent 24 seasons with the Indians, breaking in as an unpaid intern in the early `90s. But it didnt take long for the Princeton-educated son of respected sports agent Ron Shapiro to advance through the ranks and become one of baseballs top executives. Shapiro has always done it the right way, displaying class and humility while molding the Indians into a model organization and helping them navigate through difficult years when the turnstiles slowed and the club had to re-invent itself to stay competitive.However, Shapiros impact with the Indians goes way beyond statistical data. His personal skills might be what set him apart.I didnt like Mark when he was here. Howss that? Francona joked before turning serious about both Shapiro and Atkins.ddddddddddddIm so close to both of them that itll be fun to say hello, said Francona, who used to take diligent notes whenever Shapiro spoke. Im sure they feel the same way we do -- they want to beat our brains out. But then when its over, thats never going to affect a friendship. Next time I probably see them will be at the winter meetings and well be laughing and Im sure something will happen during this (series) well be laughing about.It could be a year, it could be a month, it could be two years. When youre friends like that, it kind of goes beyond time or uniform or anything like that.During his time with the Indians, Shapiro was approached by numerous organizations, turning down an offer from the Cleveland Browns. He was content, but maybe needing a new challenge, Shapiro accepted a position with the Blue Jays and decided to leave the only team he had ever known.Shapiro spent much of the past year commuting between Cleveland and Toronto, where he was rudely welcomed after popular GM Alex Anthopoulos was pushed aside to make room for him. Shapiros transition was beyond tumultuous, as he was lambasted on sports talk radio and in columns across Canada. Some of the attacks were personal and vicious.Shapiro accepted the criticism, put his head down and went to work.Antonetti never worried that Shapiro would change peoples opinions of him.I talked to Mark frequently, especially at the outset, Antonetti said as the Indians took batting practice in anticipation of Fridays Game 1. I never had any doubt that once the city, the organization and the country got to know Mark Shapiro the person and the executive that they would embrace him. Hes a transformational leader and a phenomenal human being, and those are two pretty good attributes that will end up endearing you to people.When the Indians wrapped up their Division Series victory against Boston, completing a three-game sweep at Fenway Park, Shapiro watched on TV along with his son, Caden, who used to shag flies during batting practice in an Indians uniform.While the Shapiros have changed colors, their affection for Cleveland remains.We were both happy, not just for the chance to come back, but happy for the staff and the organization and the players, Shapiro said. But as he grows up he learns about the game and hes 100 percent a Toronto Blue Jay now, just like me, but with the Cleveland Indians running through our veins. They will always be an important part of our lives and history. ' ' '