But the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, Al Saunders, went on a Kansas City radio show Wednesday morning and said that Palmer would be his starting quarterback Sunday against the Chiefs “as long as he’s breathing.”
Palmer, 31, was breathing — hard — during his first post-practice media session Wednesday. In the span of about six minutes he admitted to rust, unfamiliarity with his receivers, unfamiliarity with the playbook, unfamiliarity with Oakland in general, a lack of game-ready football preparation and, most important, a dearth of time to get up to speed — whether or not he’s playing.
Palmer shook hands in the huddle as he introduced himself to his teammates and by his own estimation he still had not met more than 30 percent of the roster.
One thing working in his favor is a coach who knows him. Jackson recruited Palmer as an assistant at U.S.C., and, as the Bengals’ receivers coach, worked with him from 2004 to ’06.
SAMPLE-COLLECTION STALEMATE Nearly two months after it had hoped to start blood testing for human growth hormone, and several days after two congressmen announced there was a deal to begin collecting blood samples immediately, the N.F.L. and its players union remained at a standstill over the program Wednesday.
This week, the N.F.L. sent a letter to the union saying it was prepared to start collecting blood Monday that would be held until the final details of a testing plan were worked out. The union’s response was: No, not yet.
“We informed the N.F.L. yesterday that absent a collective agreement on several critical issues, blood collection is not ready to be implemented on Monday,” the union said in a statement Wednesday.
Adolpho Birch, the league executive who oversees the drug testing program, said, “It’s directly counter to what everyone in that room Friday heard.”
If the stalemate continues, the sides may have to again meet with members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Last Friday, Representatives Darrell Issa, Republican of California, and Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, told representatives of the union and the league that if blood collection had not begun within two weeks, they would be called back for a meeting that, the congressmen told them “would not be pretty,” according to two people who were present.
The proposal to begin the collection of blood — but not to test it — was the idea of Issa and Cummings. According to people present at the meeting, Issa went around the table asking if everybody agreed to that idea and everyone — including representatives from the union, which did not include the executive director DeMaurice Smith — did. When Issa said that he and Cummings were going to tell reporters that a deal had been reached to collect blood samples, nobody objected.
George Atallah, the union spokesman, said that the union perceived the N.F.L.’s letter as an announcement that it planned to impose testing, which prompted the union’s response. Birch said the league would not attempt to begin blood collection next week unless the union agreed. JUDY BATTISTA
BRADFORD SITS OUT The newly acquired Brandon Lloyd looked good in his first practice with the St. Louis Rams. Mark Clayton’s back, too. Now they just need someone to get them the ball. Quarterback Sam Bradford did not practice Wednesday while getting treatment for a high left ankle sprain, increasing the likelihood the journeyman A. J. Feeley will get the call Sunday at Dallas. (AP)
TEBOW HELPING DOLPHINS Tim Tebow is giving the winless Miami Dolphins a welcome boost in ticket sales. Tebow will make his first start of the season Sunday when the Denver Broncos play at Miami, and the Dolphins’ chief executive, Mike Dee, said he was optimistic the game would be a sellout. More than 10,000 tickets have been sold since Tebow was promoted to the starting job last week, Dee said. (AP)
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS Houston quarterback Matt Schaub’s bruised chest won’t keep him out this week, but it’s likely that Andre Johnson will miss his third straight game since minor surgery to his right hamstring. (AP)
OWENS HEALTHY AGAIN Terrell Owens is ready to return to the N.F.L. Owens has been rehabilitating a left knee injury that required surgery. He is a free agent and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, says he will begin contacting teams immediately to let them know Owens is healthy. (AP)
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