Janikowski Out for Raiders Against Chiefs

When does quantifying something help us learn — and when does it mislead us?

What would it be like to be in the public eye, but also to vanish?

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Chiefs 28, Raiders 0: An Up-and-Down First Game for Palmer

Instead, the focus was on the sideline, where Carson Palmer — after spending the first half wearing a black baseball cap and occasionally checking a clipboard — was finally putting on his helmet. As the buzz from the fans grew, Palmer threw a few warm-up passes, took a couple of practice snaps and then, after the Chiefs scored again, trotted onto the field to a standing ovation.

It had been nine months since Palmer last played in an N.F.L. game and, more important, only five days since the Raiders sent two draft picks to Cincinnati to end Palmer’s self-imposed exile from the Bengals. Still, the Raiders did not hesitate — the first play call for Palmer was a play-action pass, and he dropped back, found Darrius Heyward-Bey over the middle for 18 yards and took a late hit from Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali without issue.

The fans roared. The Raiders on the sideline leapt. And Palmer had a spring in his step as he jogged toward the huddle.

“It felt good to get hit, actually, believe it or not,” Palmer said afterward. “It’s been a while since I played football.”

Of course, three plays later Palmer threw his first incompletion, and for the rest of the game he settled in for exactly the sort of performance one might expect from a quarterback who was practicing on high school fields in Southern California as recently as last week. There were a few moments of brilliance (a pretty completion on a timing route to Heyward-Bey) mixed with several that were less so (an interception by Brandon Flowers that was returned 58 yards for a touchdown).

“That’s Football 101,” Palmer said of Flowers’s interception, which came on a screen pass intended for Denarius Moore. “I can’t do that, and I knew it as soon as the ball came out of my hand.”

Despite the look of his overall numbers — Palmer finished 8 of 21 for 116 yards, with three interceptions — the Raiders found solace in his simply spending game time with his teammates.

Yes, the Raiders were embarrassed at home, 28-0, but Palmer threw passes wearing pads again (something he said took some getting used to) and made a concerted effort to communicate with other Raiders on the bench in between drives.

On a day like this, that had to be enough. Even Raiders Coach Hue Jackson conceded that he did not truly expect Palmer to lead a Raiders comeback from a three-touchdown deficit.

“I thought he could give us a spark,” Jackson said.

Ideally, Jackson added, Palmer would have played sparingly, if at all. Although Jackson was coy all week about who would be his starter, he said Sunday that Kyle Boller — the replacement for Jason Campbell, who broke his collarbone last week — took 80 percent of the first-team snaps during practice. “I wasn’t going to throw him to the wolves,” Jackson said of Palmer.

But Boller struggled against the Chiefs, completing just 7 of 14 passes for 61 yards and throwing three interceptions, including one that was returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Kendrick Lewis on Oakland’s first drive of the game.

“It just didn’t go as planned,” Boller said. “I feel like I let my teammates down.”

After the Raiders went three-and-out on the first drive of the third quarter, Jackson had seen enough, and Palmer, who acknowledged that he knew only “three or four” of the team’s pass protections, restarted his career.

He spent seven seasons with the Bengals, then spent the first six weeks of this season waiting at home in an attempt to force a trade. Now that he has succeeded, he plans to take the next two weeks to immerse himself in the system of his new team. (The Raiders have a bye next Sunday.)

With the A.F.C. West remaining wide open, expectations will rise quickly. Jackson said “there’s no doubt” that Palmer will be the starter when the Raiders face the Denver Broncos here on Nov. 6, and Palmer said he was ready to work.

“It’s not a bye week for me, that’s for sure,” Palmer said. “Two weeks is enough time for me to be where I need to be.”

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Raiders lose a big weapon for Sunday

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the Raiders will sign Dave Rayner to kick Sunday against Kansas City.

Star Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski has a hamstring injury. There is hope he will be back to play when the Raiders return from their bye at home Nov. 6 against Denver.

Losing Janikowski, even for a game, is a hit for the Raiders. He has an amazing leg and he has shown great accuracy this season, making 12-of-13 field-goal attempts. The addition of Rayner means the Raiders are going to have to get as close to the end zone as possible. With Janikowski, the chance for points is still in play if the Raiders can get to their opponent's 40-yard line.

Rayner, 28, was chosen by the Raiders after he was among a group of kickers to try out Friday. The Raiders’ will be his eight NFL team. He has also played with the Chiefs and Chargers, both in 2007.

In other AFC West nuggets Saturday:

An Insider piece looks at the winner label on new Denver starting quarterback Tim Tebow and whether it will hold true in the NFL.

Congrats to former Kansas City and San Diego head coach Marty Schottenheimer. He led his UFL team, the Virginia Destroyers, to the league title Friday. And people said Schottenheimer couldn’t win when it counts.

Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine offers a scouting report on Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers, who will face the Jets on Sunday.

Former Denver quarterback Jake Plummer feels for former Denver starter Kyle Orton. Like Orton, Plummer was replaced as the Broncos’ quarterback during the season (in 2006). He abruptly retired after the season.

As expected, Jackie Battle is the Chiefs’ lead runner. Why not? He had 119 yards on 19 carries in Week 5. He needs to be given more opportunities to show he can salvage the Chiefs’ run offense in light of Jamaal Charles’ season-ending knee injury.

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Palmer might be coming in for Raiders

OAKLAND -- Carson Palmer just put his helmet on after talking to an Oakland assistant on the sideline.

He could be soon coming in with the Raiders trailing Kansas City 14-0 early in the third quarter.

Oakland quarterback Kyle Boller has been awful. He threw three interceptions in the first half, including a pass that was brought back for a score by Kansas City safety Kendrick Lewis. Fans have been chanting Palmer’s name all game. He didn’t start because the team and Palmer didn’t feel three days of practice was enough preparation time. Oakland traded for Palmer Tuesday. He hasn’t played since Week1 7 of last season.

Oakland running back Darren McFadden missed most of the first half. There hasn’t been any announcement from the Raiders, but he appeared to be favoring his lower leg, most likely his ankle.

McFadden -- who entered the game as the NFL’s leading rusher, has four yards on two carries. He has been on the sideline, so perhaps he will come in later. Backup Michael Bush had 82 yards on 12 carries in the first half.

Kansas City had five catches for 58 yards in the first half.

Oakland safety Matt Giordano has a neck injury and is out for the rest of the game.

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Carson Palmer Faces Obstacles to Playing for Raiders

“I went to bed last night at 10:30 a retired football player,” Palmer said Tuesday at his introductory news conference. “And I got the text message at 4 a.m. and was told to get on a plane to Oakland.”

In the days since, increasing speculation about Palmer and the Raiders has been fueled by the team’s coyness about whether he will play on Sunday. But the stark reality of Palmer’s situation cannot be ignored. He has not played in an N.F.L. game since January. Before this week, he had not been with an N.F.L. team since his trade-me-or-else standoff with the Cincinnati Bengals began shortly thereafter. And the sum of his football action in the past nine months has been limited to three practices and multiple passing workouts at Southern California high schools and parks.

So, with the Raiders set to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, what can reasonably be expected from Palmer?

Ken O’Brien, a former Jets quarterback, coached Palmer when he was at U.S.C. and has become a family friend and personal coach for him. In a telephone interview this week, O’Brien said that Palmer’s throwing arm looked as strong as ever during their workouts but that he would still face considerable challenges if he were to play against the Chiefs.

“It’s been four days,” O’Brien said. “It sounds crazy, but you have to learn everyone’s name. You have to learn the routes and the hot reads. You have to learn the cadence. You have to learn the timing.”

He added: “And then when it’s over? You have to learn the game plan for the team you’re playing.”

Pete Carroll, Palmer’s coach at U.S.C. who is now with the Seattle Seahawks, had a similar opinion.

“I just hope that expectations will balance out,” Carroll said in a telephone interview. “People are talking like the Raiders are going to the Super Bowl. They’ve got to give him some slack. He hasn’t thrown a ball in a game in months.”

Raiders Coach Hue Jackson was evasive all week about whether Palmer would start Sunday, and he continued to be on Friday. Referring to Palmer, Kyle Boller and Terrelle Pryor, Jackson said, “I think all three of the guys are ready to play.”

The three shared first-team snaps Friday, added Jackson, who would not rule out the possibility that multiple quarterbacks could see action against the Chiefs.

Still, the public focus remains on Palmer. A poll on the Web site CSNBayArea.com showed that 67 percent of respondents, as of Friday afternoon, had voted for Palmer to start on Sunday.

Palmer was noncommittal.

“I’m getting as prepared as I can,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunity just to run on the field, let alone get a chance to play.”

When Palmer does play, whether it is this weekend or not, he will be attempting to live up to some considerable expectations. A former Heisman Trophy winner, he was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Bengals but struggled with injuries and eventually soured on the sometimes dysfunctional franchise.

Palmer had knee surgery in 2006, then played only four games in 2008 after tearing ligaments in his elbow. Since then, there have been questions about whether his arm strength has diminished, though Jackson said he had been pleased with what Palmer had shown in his few practices.

Despite his dispute with the Bengals, Palmer kept busy, which is probably why the Raiders are even considering playing him this weekend. During the off-season, he worked out with O’Brien and other friends in Southern California, including Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel, who was Palmer’s college roommate. Once the N.F.L. season began, O’Brien said he worked out with Palmer several days a week “wherever we could find grass” around Los Angeles.

They did drills, worked on footwork and threw to whatever receivers they could find — sometimes former professionals like T. J. Houshmandzadeh or Danny Farmer, sometimes high school kids.

“I caught some, but I didn’t do too much route running,” the 51-year-old O’Brien said. “That would really throw off his timing.”

Palmer was stoic about his situation with the Bengals during the workouts — “He stuck to his guns, but we didn’t talk much about it,” O’Brien said — and the two traded text messages after the news broke that the Raiders were pushing to trade for Palmer as a replacement for Jason Campbell, who broke his collarbone last week.

O’Brien said the one thing observers would most notice about Palmer was that “he is totally healthy now,” a development O’Brien said he believed would allow Palmer to return to the upper tier of quarterbacks in the league.

How quickly that can happen, however, is a subject of more significant debate. Many Raiders fans, and maybe even some members of the Raiders organization, want to see Palmer right away. But if he plays Sunday, O’Brien cautioned, it has to be seen in perspective. There is a large gap between the speed of a workout and the speed of an N.F.L. game, and that is something players struggle with even after they have gone through a full training camp. Palmer had no camp at all.

“There’s no doubt he’s going to get back to form,” O’Brien said. “It’s just a matter of getting his timing down. To be really comfortable? It’s going to take some time to get used to it.”

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Three and out: Palmer to start for Raiders

NFL.com Staff | Tags: Three and out, Carson Palmer, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Joseph Addai, Oakland Raiders, Peyton Hillis

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Palmer taking first team reps: Barely 24 hours since joining the Silver and Black, Carson Palmer has already assumed the duties of Oakland’s starting quarterback and all indications are that he will be the man under center on Sunday against Kansas City. The Chiefs have been rather generous to fantasy quarterbacks this year, allowing more than 18 points per contest. But keep in mind that Palmer hasn’t thrown a pass in anger in more than nine months, so you can expect a reasonable amount of rust.

But it’s not all bad for the Raiders’ offense. After all, there’s still Darren McFadden, who is not only one of the league’s top runners, but has proven himself to be a capable receiver out of the backfield. And you shouldn’t be afraid to throw Darrius Heyward-Bey in your lineup. Palmer undoubtedly recognizes who his playmakers are and combined with K.C.’s horrid secondary, DHB should see a number of tosses in his direction.

Hillis still uncertain vs. Seattle: The weekly status of Peyton Hillis is quickly climbing the charts as 2011's Greatest Fantasy Headaches. Pardon us if you’ve heard this song before, but coach Pat Shurmur says Hillis isn’t a sure thing for this week’s game against Seattle. The hamstring that might (or might not) have been the reason for his extended stay on the bench last week kept him off the practice field on Wednesday. If he doesn’t go, it will be another week of Montario Hardesty. Even if Hillis is available, recent weeks have shown that he’s no lock to get most of the carries. Either way, the Seahawks have been pretty stout against the run, so you might want to skip a Browns running back altogether.

Addai misses practice: The status of Joseph Addai remains up in the air after sitting out practice with a tender hamstring. With Addai out last week, Delone Carter and Donald Brown split carries. And although neither did particularly well, keep in mind that it was against the very stout Bengals defense. Then again, Indy lines up against the Saints this week and New Orleans has been even tougher on fantasy running backs. If you’re desperately in need of a bye-week replacement at running back, Carter’s worth a flex look. But overall, you are better served by looking elsewhere.

– Marcas Grant

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Raiders' QB Situation Has Chiefs Guessing

Whether it's Palmer or Kyle Boller starting in place of the injured Jason Campbell, the Chiefs are hopeful of capitalizing on an unsettled Raiders quarterback situation. Palmer hasn't played since he guided the Cincinnati offense last season.

When the news of Palmer's trade from the Bengals to Oakland came down on Tuesday, the Chiefs quickly went to the videotape. They last faced Palmer on Dec. 27, 2009. This time, Palmer would be working with new teammates after missing training camp and the opening six weeks of the 2011 season.

Last year, Kansas City showed a knack for disrupting opponents' emergency quarterbacks. The Chiefs hope they do it again Sunday against Oakland amid speculation the Raiders will start the newly acquired Carson Palmer.

Whether it's Palmer or Kyle Boller starting in place of the injured Jason Campbell, the Chiefs are hopeful of capitalizing on an unsettled Raiders quarterback situation. Palmer hasn't played since he guided the Cincinnati offense last season.

"It sounds like Carson has been working extremely hard to be ready if something came up," Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. "This isn't a one- to two-year guy you're talking about. This is a guy who has a bunch of years under his belt."

When the news of Palmer's trade from the Bengals to Oakland came down on Tuesday, the Chiefs quickly went to the videotape. They last faced Palmer on Dec. 27, 2009, when they limited him to 139 yards passing. However, his 6-yard touchdown pass to Chad Ochocinco with 2:03 remaining snapped a 10-10 tie and lifted the Bengals to a 17-10 victory.

This time, Palmer would be working with new teammates after missing training camp and the opening six weeks of the 2011 season.

"The thing about this league is that you think you have an advantage sometimes — less preparation from another team or another guy. But everybody is a professional. He's going to get ready to play," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "He's a smart guy and this is a copycat league. I'm sure he'll fit right in."

Oakland coach Hue Jackson maintained that he wouldn't decide on his starting quarterback until thoroughly evaluating Palmer in practice this week.

The Chiefs faced two backup quarterbacks in their opening six games last year and were able to use key interception returns for touchdowns against Cleveland's Seneca Wallace and Jacksonville's Todd Bouman as a springboard to victories over the Browns and Jaguars. Brandon Flowers victimized Wallace with a 33-yard TD return and Johnson had a 15-yard scoring return against Bouman.

Asked specifically if the Chiefs would be inclined to come with additional pressure packages against a rusty quarterback, Haley replied: "I don't think I'd give much of that out, as much as I could help it."

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was a college roommate of Palmer's at Southern California. When he heard that Palmer had been traded to the Raiders, Cassel called Palmer and left a congratulatory message.

"Carson is a great guy and a great friend of mine," Cassel said. "I'll be a fan of his every day but two when we play them."

Cassell said he has never faced the type of situation Palmer may find himself in Sunday — starting for a new team having had just a couple of days to get ready. "I'm sure if anybody can do it, Carson can," Cassel said.

Whether his team faces Palmer or Boller, Haley's overriding message is that the Chiefs can't be consumed by Oakland's change at quarterback.

"First and foremost, we have to stop one of the best running attacks in the league, one of the best backs (Darren McFadden) in the league," Haley said. "If we don't do that, it will be a long day for us. It won't matter really who's playing quarterback. We've got to stay focused on the specific strengths of their team."

Johnson agrees that all the Palmer talk will merely become a subplot if the Chiefs' defense fails to take care of its primary goal of taking away the run.

"Carson Palmer is a guy who can beat you with his arm. He's a guy who's very seasoned at the quarterback position, but they run the ball," Johnson said. "That's their bread and butter."

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N.F.L. Roundup: Carson Palmer Gets Going With Raiders

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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N.F.L. Roundup: Raiders Looking for Help at Quarterback

“If you’re a quarterback out there and you want to come play for the Raiders, give us a call,” Jackson said Monday.

The Raiders have lost Campbell for a significant period of time after he landed on his shoulder at the end of a scramble late in the first half against Cleveland on Sunday.

Campbell hopes to play down the stretch for the Raiders, but Oakland needs help now with Boller and the rookie Terrelle Pryor the only quarterbacks on the roster.

The Raiders have looked into possible trades and free-agent signings, although one option was eliminated Monday. Oakland contacted the former Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard, but Garrard’s agent confirmed a Fox Sports report that Garrard will need back surgery and would not be available for four to six weeks.

Other free-agent possibilities include Trent Edwards, who was in Oakland’s camp this summer; Charlie Frye, who spent the past two seasons with the Raiders; and the former Baltimore quarterbacks Troy Smith and Todd Bouman, who have worked with Jackson on the Ravens. Oakland also could look into making a trade for Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer or Denver’s Kyle Orton before Tuesday’s deadline.

INJURY UPDATES It was a rough weekend for quarterbacks — and coaches.

Sam Bradford of St. Louis is questionable with a high left ankle sprain, and Matt Schaub of Houston has a chest bruise but is not likely to miss Sunday’s game against Tennessee.

New Orleans Coach Sean Payton had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and a fractured bone in his left leg, a day after one of his players was tackled into him on the sideline. And the Tampa Bay defensive backs coach, Jimmy Lake, injured his left knee celebrating Tanard Jackson’s interception during the Buccaneers’ win over Payton’s Saints.

Bradford is in a walking boot, and A. J. Feeley is likely to take most of the snaps when the winless Rams resume practice. Bradford’s status for Sunday’s game at Dallas is in question.

Schaub had a magnetic resonance imaging test, and Texans Coach Gary Kubiak said his quarterback was “just beat up.”

Payton has said he expects to call plays from the booth when the Saints host Indianapolis on Sunday night.

Also:

¶ Detroit Coach Jim Schwartz said running back Jahvid Best started showing concussionlike symptoms after a loss to San Francisco.

¶ Dallas running back Felix Jones has a high ankle sprain, and left guard Bill Nagy has a broken ankle and is likely out for the season.

¶ Washington left guard Kory Lichtensteiger is out for the year with torn ligaments in his right knee. Coach Mike Shanahan also indicated that tight end Chris Cooley’s season might be over after he broke the left index finger in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia. Left tackle Trent Williams is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a severely sprained right ankle.

GRUDEN STAYING PUT Jon Gruden agreed to a new contract with ESPN that is could to keep him in television — and out of coaching — for the next five years.

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Raiders Acquire Carson Palmer From Bengals at Trade Deadline

The deal was a bold one for both teams, but it was a steal for the Bengals. Their owner, Mike Brown, had vowed for months that he would let Palmer, a former Heisman Trophy winner who had grown disenchanted with the sometimes dysfunctional team that drafted him first over all in 2003, retire rather than trade him.

After Palmer demanded a trade, Brown maintained that there was a principle at stake, that players should honor the commitment to a team they made by signing a contract, even though those contracts are not guaranteed and teams can cut or trade players on a whim.

Palmer, who has never spoken publicly about the situation, sold his home in the Cincinnati area and had appeared willing to forfeit the $11 million in salary he was due. (His contract with the Bengals went through the 2014 season.) He essentially quit, and even in recent days, the Bengals said that they would not trade him.

Brown’s reputation for stubbornness paid off, allowing him to maintain bargaining leverage. That was enhanced when the rookie quarterback Andy Dalton led the Bengals to a 4-2 start and the Raiders’ starter, Jason Campbell, broke his collarbone Sunday, sending the Raiders scurrying for a new quarterback less than two weeks after the death of Al Davis.

In a statement, Brown referred to Dalton’s emergence as one reason the Bengals were willing to deal Palmer. “We also find ourselves rather suddenly in position of being able to receive real value for Carson that can measurably improve our team — which is performing well and is showing real promise for this year and years to come.”

The Raiders, with the first-year coach Hue Jackson now leading the way on personnel decisions, gave the Bengals their first-round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional draft pick in 2013 that is a second-rounder unless the Raiders win a playoff game, when it would become a first-rounder, according to Fox Sports, which first reported the trade.

“If you know Hue, you don’t get recruited any harder,” Palmer said. “For the past six weeks, I thought I was retired. Before the start of the season, I was training like it was a normal off-season. Week 1 hit, I thought I have got to find what the next phase of my life would be.

“I’m honored,” he added. “I don’t know a lot about this organization, but I know it’s dedicated to winning. I know where this organization has been and where it wants to get back to.”

After so many years of losing, the Raiders showed their players they were not willing to give up on the season. But the Raiders paid a staggering price for the 32-year-old Palmer, whose recent play has not approached his early success.

Palmer is a two-time Pro Bowler, but he missed much of the 2008 season with an elbow injury, and there have been concerns about diminished arm strength and accuracy ever since. During the lockout, many talent evaluators around the league doubted that Palmer would be worth even one first-round pick. Last season, he completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, matching a career high, as the Bengals sank to 4-12.

But Jackson has a long relationship with Palmer, whom he helped recruit at Southern California and whom he worked with when he was a receivers coach for the Bengals. And the Raiders are flush with speedy receivers who will present Palmer with viable options.

The Raiders’ next three games are against division rivals. After a game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, in which Kyle Boller will probably start, the Raiders have a bye, which would give Palmer three weeks of practice before starting against the Denver Broncos and then the San Diego Chargers.

Jackson was noncommittal about whether Palmer might play this week.

“Would this have happened if Jason was here?” Jackson said. “Probably not.”

The Raiders believe they can win now. At 4-2 and one game behind the Chargers, they may be right. They better be. The new collective bargaining agreement makes first-round picks economically friendly to teams, and the Raiders have potentially given up their next two. They currently do not have second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2012. The fourth-rounder was given up for Campbell, who now becomes expendable. He will be a free agent next year.

And if Palmer does not play well, Jackson, who has gained significant influence within the Raiders in the wake of Davis’s death because of the team’s success, figures to lose some of his credibility on a team that will probably hire a general manager after the season.

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Three and out: Raiders show interest in Palmer, Garrard

NFL.com Staff | Tags: Three and out, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Felix Jones, Jahvid Best, Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders

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Raiders start QB search: After Jason Campbell left Sunday’s game with a broken collarbone, Oakland immediately went on the hunt to find a new signal-caller. The first name to emerge in the search was the apparently-retired Carson Palmer, but the perimeter has been widened to include former Jaguars QB David Garrard. The flurry of activity suggests that coach Hue Jackson is not ready to hand the reins to Kyle Boller or Terrelle Pryor – especially not with the Raiders at 4-2 and with a very real shot at the playoffs.

But for fantasy purposes, Campbell’s injury will have a very real impact on receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford – all of whom were starting to find a nice rhythm. Until Jackson finds a quarterback he can trust to throw the ball 25 to 30 times a game, expect Oakland to lean more heavily on Darren McFadden, making any of their wideouts a dicey proposition for the foreseeable future.

Shakeup in the Dallas backfield?: In the first half of Sunday’s loss to New England, Cowboys running back Felix Jones left the game with an apparent leg injury that has since been diagnosed as the dreaded high-ankle sprain. Because such injuries are tricky to diagnose, there is no definite timetable for his return. And because the Cowboys have already had their bye, there are no more off weeks for Jones to get healthy.

Normally it would mean more touches for Tashard Choice or DeMarco Murray, but with reports that Dallas is taking offers for Choice, it could leave Murray as the main man in coach Jason Garrett’s backfield. In Week 7, the ‘Boys face the St. Louis Rams and their sieve-like run defense. Whoever ends up getting most of the carries on Sunday could be in line for a big day. It’s just a matter of figuring out who it’s going to be.

Best suffered concussion: There’s no doubt that Jahvid Best is the featured back in Detroit, but that could be on hold for the time being after the running back suffered his second concussion this season against the 49ers on Sunday. Expect his status for Sunday against Atlanta to be in doubt, with updates coming as the week progresses. Best has not only shown his worth as a running back, but as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Concussions have been an issue for Best dating back to his college days at Cal and adds to his growing narrative of injury issues. If he can’t go, it moves veteran Maurice Morris to the top of Detroit’s depth chart.

– Marcas Grant

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Source: Raiders contact former Jaguar QB David Garrard

UPDATE: Garrard needs immediate surgery on herniated disc in his back; this according to a reliable NFL source – Jay Glazer from FOX Sports.

The Raiders have reached out to free agent quarterback, ex-Jaguar David Garrard after Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone in Sunday’s 24-17 win over the Browns, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Garrard and his agent, Al Irby, plan to discuss the situation and get back to the Raiders on Monday afternoon, the source said. Free agent Josh McCown also has been contacted by the Raiders.

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Terrelle Pryor Returns to Practice With Raiders

With his suspension now complete, Pryor finally got the chance Wednesday to practice once again with his new Oakland Raiders teammates.

"He's very talented," coach Hue Jackson said. "I thought he did some good things but we'll continue this week to do that, to get him back in the mix with his teammates so that I can see him a little bit more and evaluate that talent and see where I can put it."

Pryor was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the supplemental draft Aug. 22 and signed a four-year contract with the team three days later.

Pryor had to serve the suspension when he was allowed to participate in the supplemental draft. Pryor left Ohio State instead of serving a five-game ban after being involved in a cash-for-memorablia scandal that has put the Buckeyes under NCAA investigation.

Pryor declined to talk to the media but his teammates said he's glad to be back in the fold.

"I think he's just excited to be back on the practice field," starting quarterback Jason Campbell said. "Having to sit out for five weeks and, obviously, not receive a paycheck for five weeks, I know kind of stings, too. But I think he's obviously excited about being out there with his teammates and getting to learn football and getting to learn our offense and grow together."

Pryor is an impressive physical specimen, measuring 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds and being clocked at 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his pro day.

Pryor is coming off his best season statistically at Ohio State, throwing for 2,772 yards and 27 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He ran for 754 yards and four TDs and helped the Buckeyes win the Sugar Bowl.

Pryor played mostly on the scout team Wednesday as Campbell and backup Kyle Boller are entrenched ahead of him on the depth chart. Pryor will get some time working with the Raiders offense as well.

He took part in three practices during preseason but has only been allowed to attend meetings and do individual drills on his own since the end of the exhibition season.

Jackson said Pryor had been very attentive in the meetings, took notes and asked lots of questions.

"Just like you'd like for a young quarterback to be," he said. "He spent a lot of time out here preparing himself and getting ready. I could not be a part of this. Our coaching staff could not be a part of it but the young man, I can tell, he did a lot of work prior to today. It shows that he's gotten better."

Campbell described Pryor as mostly quiet in those meetings but not afraid to speak up if he felt it was needed.

"He'll come up with suggestions. He'll write it on the board — 'I think we should do this on this play,'" Campbell said. "So I said, 'What are you, our consultant now?'"

The Raiders have a one-week exemption before Pryor counts on the 53-man roster.

Notes: The Raiders had only 10 men on the field for Michael Huff's game-ending interception against Houston, with S Jerome Boyd mistakenly running off the field. Mike Mitchell said he and fellow S Tyvon Branch were the only players who realized it. "But we couldn't do anything. We had to play it out, and we didn't want to be too crazy because then they would realize it," Mitchell said. ... Starting MLB Rolando McClain did not practice because of an ankle injury and was limping during the open media window. ... CB Chris Johnson, who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, returned to practice on a limited basis. ... RB Rock Cartwright (calf), CB Chimdi Chekwa (hamstring), TE Richard Gordon (hand), FB Marcel Reece (ankle) and DE Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder) all missed practice.

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Video: CBS NFL Week Four Patriots vs. Raiders Preview

After a tough loss last week over the Bills, the Patriots will look to rebound as they prepare to take on the Raiders on Sunday afternoon. NFL.com’s Pat Kirwan joins Jason Horowitz to preview this game. Watch the game at 4:15 PM ET on CBS.

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The Raiders QB Job Finally Set – For Now

So it’s definite now, Jason Campbell will be the starting QB.  Just to confirm, you are out, right Bruce G?  Ok, so we’re certain now, Campbell is the QB.  Got it, good.

The continual carousel finally stopped today when Bruce Gradkowski’s 3rd-degree separated shoulder closed out another injury plagued season for the veteran QB.  And now it’s back to Campbell, the guy the organization traded a 4th round pick for, who was named the starter during pre-season and lasted only 1 1/2 game and was the QB during their 3 game winning streak.

Look, Tom Cable decided last year that if he was going down, he was going to give Gradkowski the reigns and go out in a blaze of glory.  When the team responded by playing inspired ball, even though the team didn’t win any more games, there was a feeling that this team could be better than it had shown in the since 2002.  And when the team was slow out the gate offensively this year, he went right back to Gradkowski for the spark.

The problem is that Gradkowski is just that, a spark.  He is not a starting QB.  A) He’s injury prone B) has specific throws that he just can’t make C) is a career below average statistically including wins and loses.

Cable knew all this, and despite the preference of the management (Mr. Davis), decided that Gradkowski was his man.

So now he’s back to Campbell, the man he benched, and more importantly for Cable, the man who will determine the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Because if they go 3-2 and miss the playoffs by 1 game, Mr. Davis will wonder if they would not have won more with him and blame the coach.

Because if they 2-3 or 1-4 and end with another losing season, Mr. Davis will wonder if the QB changing was the reason and blame the coach.

Eeny Meeny…..

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Raiders pull Campbell in favor of Gradkowski

Published: November 21st, 2010 | | Tags: Bruce Gradkowski, Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders, Tom Cable

UPDATE: For now, at least, it doesn’t appear that Campbell’s starting job is in jeopardy. Cable gave Campbell a vote of confidence, saying during his postgame news conference he will remain the starter against the Dolphins next week.

***

After riding a hot hand in Jason Campbell, Raiders coach Tom Cable has decided that hand has cooled off. Cable has pulled Campbell during the third quarter against the Steelers, looking for a spark from Bruce Gradkowksi.

According to the Raiders, Campbell is not injured. This is a coach’s decision.

The Raiders’ recent offensive success has come to a halt against the Steelers. Nearing the end of the third quarter, they’ve managed three points, 83 total yards and 19 rushing yards.

Campbell had led the Raiders to wins in their last three games, throwing for 843 yards with five touchdowns and an interception.

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Oakland Raiders: Just Your Average Team

Before we go from the euphoria of the overtime win at home to Kansas City two weeks ago to the dismay of Sunday’s blowout loss at Pittsburgh, keep in mind that this Raider team is an average team. Meaning, you win some, you lose some. In the AFC West, that may be enough to win a division, but let’s not get any delusions of grandeur: this is not a Super Bowl team. This is, more than likely, an 8-8 team.

I could be wrong. They could go in the tank, not rebound from this poor drubbing, and finish at 6-10, extending their NFL record of seasons with at least double-digit losses to eight.

I could be wrong the other way as well. They could put together another winning streak and finish at 10-6. Tom Cable could get the team to, once again, put on a miserable performance like the one against the Steelers behind them. Like the 49ers game a month ago, the Raiders looked lost and ready to throw in the towel on the 2010 season. Instead, they put together two dominating performances against Denver and Seattle, before the OT win against the Chiefs propelled them into a tie for the division lead.

More than likely, though, they’ll finish somewhere in between, and at this point that looks like 8-8—which, by definition, in the NFL, is average. That’s because, among other things, they still can’t get consistent play from the quarterback position, whether that be Jason Campbell or Bruce Gradkowski. Both, at times, can look like a bona fide #1 QB in the NFL. At other times, it appears as if they’ve never played the position past high school. Somewhere in between would be nice. Somewhere in between exceptional and poor play. Somewhere in between, which would be average.

Raider fans should be jumping for joy at being average. When you’ve been as bad as they’ve been the past seven seasons, average is the first step towards being good. And from good you take that next step to great. It’s a natural progression.

Am I saying it’s time to write off this season? Of course not. The Raiders have a very winnable game on Sunday vs. the Dolphins, and from there, who knows how the season will play out?

It’s just that before we can get back to a Commitment to Excellence, let’s admit to being average. For now, there’s nothing wrong with that.

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Four Downs: Veldheer a spark for red-hot Raiders

I’ve emerged from a couple of days in the film room, and wanted to share four items that caught my attention as I went back and watched each of the games from Week 10. Let’s roll …

1. The Raiders are on a three-game winning streak since rookie Jared Veldheer has been the starting left tackle, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. He’s the best LT the Raiders have had since Barry Sims, and he might be even better. He’s 6-foot-8, which is really too tall to play tackle, but has great knee bend, is very athletic, stays on his feet and has a great jam. He was very good against Kansas City’s Tamba Hali two weeks ago and a big reason why Jason Campbell was able to complete the 47-yard pass to Jacoby Ford in overtime of that game.

If you’re watching the Raiders-Steelers this week, one of those classic throwback rivalry games, watch Veldheer and James Harrison go at it. The Raiders don’t give Veldheer a lot of help, and Harrison is as good as there is in this league at coming off the edge. I want to see how Veldheer does, because I think it will be a great test. It will help determine the outcome of the game if he can give Campbell time to throw.

2. I thought this one was fascinating. One of the biggest plays between the Giants and Cowboys last week was the 101-yard interception return by rookie Bryan McCann off Eli Manning. McCann, a rookie free agent out of SMU, was only on the field in the first place due to Mike Jenkins being injured. McCann was lined up against Giants WR Hakeem Nicks, who entered the game with a league-high nine TDs. Nicks, however, has a “tell” in his game that the Cowboys diagnosed. Against press man-to-man coverage, when Nicks goes outside he splits his feet first and then releases. If he’s going inside, he pumps his feet first. McCann watched this on tape. So when Nicks pumped his feet on the play, McCann trusted his eyes and his tape work — he knew Nicks was going inside — and jumped the route. What a huge spot in a huge game for an undrafted rookie. It’s not just about film study, though, it’s about attention to detail.

3. The Chiefs made a subtle change last week that went largely unnoticed when they started Jamaal Charles over Thomas Jones. Over the last two weeks, teams have been stacking the line of scrimmage against the Chiefs in order to force Matt Cassel to beat them. Even though he threw the ball for 469 yards last week against the Broncos, Cassel couldn’t complete a third-down pass to keep the Chiefs on the field when the game was still close. So the strategy worked. Still, there are certain runs that work against eight- and nine-man fronts, and the Chiefs have them. The Power-O can cut the defense in half  and really attack where there are fewer defenders. Charles is very good at running the play behind a pulling guard, and I suspect that’s what the Chiefs will do this week. I predict he’ll have a great game and the Chiefs will be successful running the football.

4. The Think Tank for the NFL is college football. What you see in college football right now will eventually make its way to the NFL. The league is evolving and changing at a pace faster than it ever has before, and the Pistol formation is the latest example. Jason Garrett implemented the Pistol twice last week, where the QB is in a short-shotgun snap about four yards behind center, and the running back is two yards behind him. Nevada started it on the college level and now many teams use it.

The advantage is there are no keys between run and pass. The Cowboys ran it on back-to-back plays, running the exact same play each time. Felix Jones ran for 9 yards, and then 3 yards. You’re going to see this formation often, and you’re going to see options and option-passes off of it. It’s going to take off subtly, a little like the Wildcat did. When quarterbacks like Vince Young and Michael Vick are involved, teams will have to defend two or three runners on every play, and they won’t know if it’s a run or pass.

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Raiders’ OC has hand in McFadden’s success

The Raiders are putting up offensive numbers this season that have not been seen in years in Oakland, and the straw that is stirring the drink right now is offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.

I’ve known Jackson since his days in Cincinnati, and he’s a phenomenal coach. He helped turn QB Carson Palmer and WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh into household names, and also mentored Ravens QB Joe Flacco during his first two seasons in Baltimore. Jackson is a great communicator, knows how to challenge players and has a great sense of tapping into their strengths.

Talking with Jackson leading up to last weekend’s broadcast against the Chiefs, I asked him about RB Darren McFadden and his increase in production this season. McFadden had one 100-yard rushing game his first two seasons, and he’s had four 100-yard games through the Raiders’ first eight games this season.

During the offseason, Jackson asked McFadden what he could do to help the running back be the player he wanted to become. McFadden voiced that in his first two seasons, he was used primarily on zone running plays. His best success at Arkansas, however, came when he was used on power plays up the middle and sweeps on the edge. Jackson recognized this, and told McFadden then that he would give him that chance.

Jackson knows what happens when a player tells a coach what they need to succeed. When a coach listens, players feels compelled and empowered to go out and make it happen.

In his two-plus seasons in the NFL, I’ve never seen McFadden finish off runs the way he did against the Chiefs. He was a beast, and had so much power running behind his pads. Jackson has given McFadden the runs designed to do what he said he needed, and the recipe to go out and get 1,000 yards. Now, McFadden feels like he has to make it work. He told Jackson what he needed, it was given to him, and now he’s got to take care of it.

You can tell by the way that McFadden is playing that Jackson’s touch is paying off. He has had a similar impact by empowering FB Marcel Reece, WRs Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford while TE Zach Miller and WR Louis Murphy have missed time. It’s no surprise that several of the Raiders told me they love playing for Jackson.

Never underestimate an offensive coordinator who has the mindset that winning games is really about running the ball. It’s about giving out bloody noses and being explosive at the same time. Jackson and coach Tom Cable share the same philosophies about how to win, and there’s no doubt Cable hired the right guy.

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Raiders lose Branch to concussion

Published: November 7th, 2010 | | Tags: Oakland Raiders, Rolando McClain, Week 9 injuries 2010, Tyvon Branch

The Raiders, already playing without MLB Rolando McClain, will also be without starting SS Tyvon Branch for the remainder of Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.

The team announced during the third quarter that Branch suffered a concussion.

Branch was injured while making a tackle on kick coverage during the third quarter when he launched himself at the ball carrier and appeared to take a shot on the side of his helmet. He was able to leave the field under his own power, but he won’t be back on it the rest of the game.

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