Earlier today it was reported by two separate sources that new General Manager Reggie McKenzie had decided to fire Jackson. First ESPN’s Adam Scheffter broke the news, then again it was reported by Bay Area News Group reporter Monte Poole. I spoke to one of my “inside sources” and he too confirm that Hue Jackson is no longer the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

A previously schedules press conference is still set for 2 pm. today. Originally the plan was to announce the hiring of former Green Bay executive Reggie McKenzie as the Raiders new GM. As reported here back in October, McKenzie was highly recommended by former Raiders brain-trust Ron Wolf.

More details as it becomes available.

Home Games:
Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, Cleveland, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, & Tampa Bay.

Road Games:
Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Cincinnati, & Miami,

That’s a tough looking road schedule that includes four playoff teams.

Actual dates & times will be announced later this year.

I could go on and on about my frustrations, for example leaving MLB Rolondo McClain in on 3rd down only to get beat by a tight end or wide receiver. McClain wears #55 and plays middle linebacker, the same number & position as former Raider Matt Millen. Granted McClain is a bit faster than Millen, but as middle linebacker their primary job is to clog up the middle on running plays. Would former Raiders defensive coordinator Charlie Sumner have kept Millen in to cover a guy like Kellen Winslow? Absolutely not.

Then there is this matter of the running backs, or lack there of. While I understand not wanting to put McFadden on the IR in case he came back, there is a roster issue I’m curious about. Without McFadden the only outside threat from the running back spot was Taiwan Jones. He lasted about one game before getting hurt, leaving the Raiders with only Michael Bush, Reece, Tonga, & Cartwright. Three fullbacks & one running back, none of which threaten the outer perimeter of the defense. Why didn’t they put Jones on the IR & sign a speedy free agent? Why not utilize Tyrelle Pryor’s speed? Once defenses realized that virtually every Raiders running play was sent up the middle the Raiders rushing attack became a shadow of it’s former self.

So rather than listening to me complain about the state of the Raiders I’ll let you hear it straight from the Hue’s mouth.

How do you feel coach?
“To say I’m pissed off is an understatement. Obviously, we got beat here at home, and it didn’t’ look like a football team that was hungry enough to go win the AFC West title.”

Did you think you had your team ready to play?
“I thought this team was ready to take the next step. We didn’t get it done. It’s my responsibility, and so I understand that, and I’m pissed, to say the least.”

Who specifically are you mad at?
“I’m pissed at my team. At some point in time, as a group of men, you go in the game, and you can say whatever you want about coaches, you win the game. Here’s your time. Here’s your time to make plays. We didn’t get ‘em stopped. And we didn’t make enough plays. So, yeah, I’m pissed at the team. I’m also, like I tell them, I’ll always put it on me, but I am pissed at my team. Because when you have those kinds of opportunities, you’ve got to do it, and we didn’t do it.”

At this point of the post-game press conference Hue starting getting specific.
“I’m not making no more excuses for nobody. I’ve taken this thing on all year and, look, bottom line is, we don’t tackle very well in the secondary, we don’t make the plays that you have to make in the secondary to be very successful. We’re not where we need to be yet. It’s my job, and I’m going to get it fixed.”

When asked about the future status of Raiders defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan Jackson said he would not answer those questions at this time. He did say that the Raiders defense needed to play better as a unit, more cohesive, and that some players need an “attitude adjustment” .

We learned from Jon Gruden that the best way to do this is to start cutting guys. TV commentator Rich Gannon mentioned this as well, “It’s the only way to really get their attention”.

If you read between the lines of his comments it’s clear that Jackson has some philosophical differences with Bresnahan, which doesn’t bode well for Bresnahan’s long term future in Oakland.
“Chuck knows how I feel. I’m disappointed over there. I have been. It’s not like we haven’t had conversations. Chuck knows what I feel, and it’s not good enough. When you play defense in the NFL, man, you got to hunt. You can’t give up 28, 29 points and expect to win. You’re not going to do that. I’ve challenged our guys, I’ve challenged everybody and, obviously, we’re not responding to it. We got to get better.”

Then came an interesting comment that you know never would have been said if Al Davis was still alive.
“I’m going take a stronger hand in this whole team, this whole organization. There ain’t no way that I’m going to feel like I feel today a year from now, I promise you that. There’s no question. Defensively, offensively and special teams. I aint feeling like this no more. This is a joke. To have a chance at home to beat a football team that is reeling after being beaten by Detroit, is one of your rivals, and come in and beat us like that … yeah, I’m going to take a hand in everything that goes on here.”

I admire your sentiment coach, but that’s why you pay assistant coaches. This leads me to my final point.

Yesterday during the TV telecast former Raiders QB Rich Gannon made reference to an interesting comment made by current QB Carson Palmer. Gannon was paraphrasing Palmer and said that “Coach Jackson was so busy during the week that we haven’t been able to spend enough one on one time together in meetings.” Then Gannon added, “Maybe this is why the Raiders have to waste so many timeouts on offense”.

If this is the case, then the last thing Hue Jackson needs to do is to take on the added responsibility of the defense. Instead fire Bresnahan & get a respected defensive coordinator that shares your philosophy. It’s called delegating.

Perhaps later I will asses Hue Jackson in more depth, but I will say that I’m confident in his ability to lead the Raiders. It was interesting to hear coach speak so candidly, it’s just unfortunate it took such a devastating loss to get him to do so. We must remember this is his first year as the head coach of a football team at any level. He will make mistakes, learn from them, get better, and hopefully so too will the Raiders.

Some teams control their own destiny, others need help. Let’s take a look.

In the NFC:
-Green Bay has locked up everything, home field throughout the playoffs.
-SF 49ers should be able to beat the Rams to clinch the #2 spot in the NFC guaranteeing them a bye in the 1st round & at least one home game.
-New Orleans wins the South, guaranteed at least the #3 seed, & still could sneak into the #2 spot with a win & a 49ers loss.
-Detroit & Atlanta are locked in as Wild Card teams, A Detroit win or Atlanta loss clinches the #5 seed for the Lions. The #5 seed will play at the winner of Dallas/NY Giants. The #6 seed will play at SF or New Orleans in the 1st round.
-Dallas & NY Giants will play Sunday night to determine who wins the East, & earns the #4 seed.

Likely 1st Round NFC Matchups:
Detroit at (Dallas or NY Giants)
Atlanta at (New Orleans or SF)

In the AFC:
-New England needs a win to lock up home field advantage.
-Houston has won the South, & most likely the #3 seed, needs several things to happen to get the #2 spot.
-Baltimore wins the North & the #2 seed with a win at Cincinnati.
-Pittsburgh could still capture the North with a win & a Ravens loss. At worst they are locked in as a Wild Card at the #5 spot.
-Whoever wins the West will be the #4 seed & get one home playoff game.
-Denver wins the West if they beat Kansas City.
-Oakland needs a win & a Denver loss the win the West. They still have a chance at a Wild Card.
-Cincinnati clinches the #5 Wild Card seed with a win vs. Baltimore. A loss doesn’t eliminate them, but they would need help.
-Tennessee & NY Jets need help but still have a chance to earn a Wild Card.

Likely 1st Round AFC Matchups
#5 Wild Card (Baltimore or Pittsburgh) at West champion (Denver or Oakland)
#6 Wild Card (Cincy, Oakland, Tenn., or Jets) at Houston

To give you an idea of how complicated the AFC picture is, consider that as many as five teams could end up with a 9-7 record. Ultimately things could end up going to the 4th tiebreaker, record vs. common opponents.

Attention Raiders Fans:
Since so many of you are fans of the Silver & Black I’ll give you the specifics. WR Jacoby Ford was back at practice this week & may play after missing several weeks with ankle problems. McFadden will not be available yet again.

Oakland clinches AFC West Division:
1) OAK win + DEN loss or tie
2) OAK tie + DEN loss

Oakland clinches a Wild Card spot:
1) OAK win + CIN loss + TEN loss or tie
2) OAK win + CIN loss + NYJ win

“Suck For Luck”
(a.k.a. 1st Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft)
-Indianapolis clinches the #1 pick with a loss to Jacksonville. They’ve won 2 in a row so it’s possible they could screw up with a win.
-St. Louis could earn the #1 pick with a loss & an Indianapolis win.

Should be an interesting Sunday!

Playoff Lineup in Review:
A total of 12 teams qualify for the playoffs, 6 teams in the AFC & 6 in the NFC (4 division winners & 2 Wild Card teams). Each conference will rank the teams 1 thru 6. The top ranked team will have home field advantage as long as it continues to win, & the top 2 earn a 1st round bye. Teams ranked 3 & 4 will be the other division winners. They will host a Wild Card team.

#1- Home field advantage throughout & a first week bye
#2- First week bye
#3- Will host team #6
#4- Will host team #5

Wild Card Weekend = Saturday & Sunday, January 7th & 8th
Divisional Playoffs = Saturday & Sunday, January 14th & 15th
Conference Championships = Sunday January 22nd
Super Bowl XLVI = Sunday February 12th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN

If the season were to end today here is who’s in & who’s not:

AFC
East- New England 9-3
North- Baltimore 9-3
South- Houston 9-3
West- Denver 7-5 (6-3 vs. AFC)
Wild Card- Pittsburgh 9-3
Wild Card- Cincinnati 7-5 (6-4 vs. AFC)
*Baltimore wins division because of head-to-head vs. Pittsburgh
*Denver wins division because of a better record vs. division

Teams still with a chance-
Tennessee 7-5 (5-4 vs. AFC)
Oakland 7-5 (5-5 vs. AFC)
New York Jets 7-5 (5-5 vs. AFC)
San Diego 5-7 (4-5 vs. AFC)
Buffalo 5-7 (3-5 vs. AFC)
Kansas City 5-7 (3-6 vs. AFC)

*Home Field Advantage in the AFC is complicated & the NFL tiebreaking rules don’t directly address the procedure for determining slotting teams for the playoffs. Baltimore has the edge over Houston due to head-to-head. New England has a slight edge over Baltimore vs. the AFC, but Baltimore has a better division record. It could come down to record vs. common opponents.

NFC
East- Dallas 7-5
North- Green Bay 12-0
South- New Orleans 9-3
West- San Francisco 10-2
Wild Card- Chicago 7-5 (6-3 vs. NFC)
Wild Card- Atlanta 7-5 (5-4 vs. NFC)
*Chicago wins Wild Card over Detroit because of better record vs. NFC
*Chicago wins Wild Card over Atlanta because of head-to-head
*Atlanta wins Wild Card over Detroit because of head-to-head

Teams still with a chance-
Detroit 7-5 (5-5 vs. NFC)
New York Giants 6-6 (3-6 vs. NFC)
Seattle 5-7 (4-4 vs. NFC)
Arizona 5-7 95-5 vs. NFC)

*Home Field Advantage clearly goes to Green Bay, while both the Packers & 49ers would earn a 1st round bye.

There are still 4 weeks remaining, including some key divisional matchups. Weather may begin to play a factor as we enter the winter months. The only thing we know for certain is to expect uncertainty!

Former Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf said in an interview that former Raiders linebacker Reggie McKenzie would be an ideal fit as the Raiders general manager. Wolf, who also used to work for the Raiders, said McKenzie, the Packers director of football operations, is an astute judge of talent and every bit as qualified as former Packers general manager Ted Thompson.

“Reggie’s a tremendous evaluator,” Wolf told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He can tell you who can play and who can’t play. That’s what it’s all about. Some can write reports but can’t tell you who can play. Whatever that is, he has that. He has a feel.”

McKenzie’s name has surfaced as a potential candidate, once Raiders owner Mark Davis gets around to hiring a general manager to fill the void created by the death of Davis’ father, Al Davis. Wolf said he doesn’t know if Mark Davis is interested in McKenzie. Mark Davis’ hiring of a general manager isn’t expected to happen until after this season, once those employed by other teams are free to interview with other teams, and Davis has had time to map out what direction he wants to go with the Raiders Tom Gamble (49ers), Eric DeCosta (Ravens) and Jimmy Raye (Chargers) are other names that have been bandied about, without any named sources being attached to stories.

McKenzie interviewed for general managers vacancies witht the Houston Texans in 2006, the Tennessee Titans in 2007 and the Atlanta Falcons in 2008. Each time, he was passed over. Wolf said teams are missing out on a great opportunity by not hiring McKenzie.

“I see some of these people that are being named,” Wolf said. “You’re talking about a team that has won more games in the NFC since 1992 than any other team, and Reggie McKenzie was a huge part of that. I think that would make him very, very attractive. He’s more than qualified.”

McKenzie told the Journal Sentinel that he is interested in working for the Raiders, but only if it’s in a general manager-like capacity. He said there is “absolutely no way” that he would leave Green Bay without a promotion.

“People don’t know how great it is here,” he said. “We’ve got a great team. I think the whole organization is headed for greatness. It would be tough not to be a part of it. But opportunity is opportunity, and you’ve got goals.”

Wolf said he spoke with Mark Davis at Al Davis’ funeral. He added that he will assist Davis in whatever capacity, if asked. It seems clear the first name that Wolf will throw out if asked by Davis.

Mark Davis has declined interview requests to this point. For now, Davis, coach Hue Jackson and chief executive Amy Trask are conspiring on personnel moves and other decisions.

– AFC Playoff Picture –
AFC East – New England 6-3
AFC North – Pittsburgh 7-3
AFC South – Houston 7-3
AFC West – Oakland 5-4
Wild Card – Cincinnati 6-3
Wild Card – Baltimore 6-3

*#1 & #2 seeds earn a playoff bye week, this would be Houston & Pittsburgh (Texans get the #1 seed by virtue of their week 4 victory over the Steelers.

*Cincinnati gets the higher Wild Card seed by virtue of a better conference record.

Who moved up- Patriots, Steelers, Raiders, & Bengals
Who moved down- Bills, Ravens (to Wild Card), Chargers, & Titans

– NFC Playoff Picture –
NFC East – NY Giants 6-3
NFC North – Green Bay 9-0
NFC South – New Orleans 7-3
NFC West – San Francisco 8-1
Wild Card – Chicago 6-3
Wild Card – Detroit 6-3

*#1 & #2 seeds earn a playoff bye week, this would be Green Bay & San Francisco.

*Chicago gets the higher Wild Card seed by virtue of a better conference record.

Who moved up- Giants, Saints, & Bears
Who moved down- Redskins, Buccaneers

– Playoff Matchups –
As it stands right now the Wild Card Weekend playoff matchups would be as follows.
Baltimore at New England
Cincinnati at Oakland
#1 seed Houston – bye week
#2 seed Pittsburgh – bye week

Chicago at NY Giants
Detroit at New Orleans
#1 seed Green Bay – bye week
#2 seed San Francisco – bye week

Obviously with seven weeks to go much can and will change. For example the Bengals play the Ravens this weekend, the winner will earn a huge advantage in the Wild Card race. Other teams that are on the outside looking in might be factors as well, such as Buffalo, NY Jets, Atlanta, & Dallas.

We’ll be watching…

The very first game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos occurred on October 2, 1960 at Bears Stadium in Denver. The Raiders lost that game, the starting QB’s were Tom Flores & Frank Tripucka. On the final day of the ’60 season the Raiders notched their first ever win against the Broncos 48-10 at Candlestick Park. Over the course of the next 51 years fans & players alike have come to cherish the battle between these two rivals. There have been many memorable games played by some of the greatest players, I thought it might be fun to put together a list of my Top 10 Raders-Broncos games.

Only twice during their long history have they met in the playoffs, the ’93 Wild Card game & the infamous 1977 AFC Championship. You won’t find the ’77 game on my, or any other Raiders fan’s list because we were robbed that day. Robbed on the non-call of a Rob Lytle fumble at the goal-line that the officials incorrectly called a TD. There is a picture of Lytle at the 1 yd. line with the ball already gone from his hands. We should have won that game, could have won that game, but the bad call was the difference. In an article written years later by ex-Raiders DE Pat Toomay he also blamed John Matuzak who was “up all night” and as a result was “completely gassed midway through the 3rd quarter”. Had the Raiders won that game they would have gone to back-to-back Super Bowls and the historical significance to the team and it’s players would have altered the lives of many.

Of course this list is quite subjective, a Denver fan would have a completely different list. Feel free to add your favorites in the comment section below.

Top 10 Raders vs. Broncos Game:

#1 -1993 Week 18 Denver at Los Angeles
Raiders 33, Broncos 30 in O.T.
Four times the Raiders trailed by 17 pts. in a game they had to win to make the playoffs. Jeff Hostetler leads a furious comeback, tying the game with no time remaining on a pass to Alexander Wright. In O.T. Elway drives the Broncos only to have Elam’s FG attempt blocked. In the waning moments of O.T. Jeff Jaeger hits a 47 yd. FG to send the Raiders to the playoffs.

#2 – 1988 Week 4 Los Angeles at Denver
Raiders 30, Broncos 27 in O.T.
The much heralded debut of the newly acquired Jay Shroeder started poorly. Down 24-0 at the half Mikje Shanahan’s Raiders mount an incredible comeback led by Shroeder & a pass catching fullback named Steve Smith. A Monday night game for the ages ends as Chris Bahr nails a 35 yd. field goal to stun the Denver crowd.

#3 – 1993 AFC Wild Card Denver at Los Angeles
Raiders 42, Broncos 24
Just 7 days after game #1 on this list the Raiders & Broncos meet again only this time in the playoffs. A wild 1st half ends tied at 21, the Raiders defense shuts down Elway & co. in the 2nd half. A game full of big plays: Tim Brown scores from 65 yards & James Jett makes a beautiful “Willie Mays-like” over the shoulder grab for 54 yards.

#4 – 2010 Week 7 Oakland at Denver
Raiders 59, Broncos 14
Most points ever scored by the Raiders. Hue Jackson’s 1st year as offensive coordinator dials up 532 yards including 196 & 4 TD’s by Darren McFadden. All this scoring in the first 3 quarters, they called off the dogs in the 4th.

#5 – It’s a tie between two game both played in 1985. The teams were so closely matched, the games were so tight that they simply must be listed together.

#5A – 1985 Week 12 Denver at Los Angeles
Raiders 31, Broncos 28 in O.T.
At a time when both teams were at the top of their game, and thay always played close games. Four times a team would lead by 7, fur times the other team would tie it up. In Marcus Allen’s MVP season he rushes for 173 yards including a highlight reel signature 61 yd. TD. Meanwhile Elway throws 3 TD’s and the Broncos score late to send the game into overtime. Chris Bahr ends it with a field goal.

#5B – 1985 Week 14 Los Angeles at Denver
Raiders 17, Broncos 14 in O.T.
Two week later these two meet again with the division crown on the line on a snowy day in front of a national TV aydience. Elway leads Denver to a 14-0 halftime lead only to see the Raiders tie it in the 3rd quarter. Both defenses shut down the passing game, Marc Wilson is intercepted 4 time, Elway 3 times. In O.T. Howie Long sacks Elway resulting in the fumble that leads directly to the game winning score.

#6 – 1970 Week 9 Oakland at Denver
Raiders 24, Broncos 19
In the midst of Blanda’s incredible MVP season George saves the Raiders again. This time he hits Biletnikoff with a 20 yd. TD pass in the final seconds, then kicks the extra point.

#7 – 1997 Week 8 Denver at Oakland
Raiders 28, Broncos 25
Leading by a slim 4 pts. Napoleon Kaufman busts loose on an 83 yd. run to cap his amazing 227 yd. rushing day vs. Elway’s Broncos. It’s the Raiders first victory in Oakland since their return.

#8 – 1877 Week 7 Oakland at Denver
Oakland 24, Broncos 14
After suffering a miserable defeat to the Orange Crush two weeks prior in which Tom Jackson taunted Madden the Raider decided to make a statement. They crushed the Broncos defense by rushing for 200 yards, led by Clarence Davis’s 105 & Mark van Eegham’s 82 yards. Stabler only attempted 14 passes the entire game as they opened up a 24-0 lead heading into the final quarter.

#9 – 2004 Week 12 Oakland at Denver
A snowy Sunday night affair starring Jerry Porter, who caught 3 TD passes. Kerry Collins had his best game as a Raider & Ronald Curry made one of those catches that left you wondering how he did it. On the game’s final drive Jake Plummer had the Broncos in position for an Elam FG, but the big hand of Langston Walker blocked it and the Raiders flew home happy.

#10 – 1973 Week 14 Denver at Oakland
Raiders 21, Broncos 17
Separated by just a half game it’s the first time these two meet with a division title on the line (they had battled to a tie earlier that year). Ken Stabler hits Mike Siani for the game winning score in the 4th quarter to win the West.

*For you vintage sports video collectors I do have the original broadcasts of the following games on this list: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5A, #5B, #7, & #9.

Unfortunately I don’t have #6, #8, & #10 but sure would love to find them.

Beat them Broncos!!!

Spelled…
Houshmandzadeh

Just be happy you aren’t the guy who has to put the silver letters on the back of his new uniform.

Did the Raiders really need a new wide receiver? Probably not. Unless there is an injury to one of our guys we aren’t aware of, or somebody pissed off somebody else, it seemed like the current crop of WR’s was set.

It’s not like any of the other 31 teams in the NFL were racing to sign T.J. so he’s obviously not what one would refer to as a commodity. Let’s be honest here, Hue was trying to make Carson Palmer happy.

I suppose one could argue that having “Hoosh-man-zadda” (it will be much easier to call him T.J. from this point on), might provide Palmer with a comfort receiver. An emergency exit when trouble arises. Some would call that a security blanket.

The other area of concern that nobody has mentioned is Hue Jackson. Don’t get me wrong I really like the guy. I have confidence in his ability to design an offense far superior to anything we’ve seen in Oakland in many years. However the way he handled Palmer in the KC game was a bit odd. Carson said he “had no idea” he was going to play in that game. He knew very few plays. Given the game scenario it reeked of an act of desperation. Wouldn’t it make sense to at least let Palmer know at halftime that he might be playing?

Perhaps Hue has a master plan I’m unaware of, but it seems like that situation could have been handled better. I will also give Hue a mulligan because of his lack of sleep given all he had to deal with since Al’s death & the Palmer trade.

IT’s DENVER WEEK!
Or as I affectionately refer to them as the “Donkeys”
Mr. Ed’s old team. You ever notice how much John Elway & Mr. Ed look alike?

Love to hate them, but let’s be honest, some of the great games in Raider history involve the Denver Donkeys. Later this week I’ll be posting my 10 greatest Raiders-Donkeys games so keep watching. Also feel free to offer any suggestions along that line. What is your favorite Raiders-Denver game?

(my spell-check just about had a stroke on this entry!)

Did the Raiders over-pay? Of course they did, but if they were going to get Cincinnati to pry loose of Palmer they had to over-pay.

While we think of Carson Palmer as an “older QB” he is only 31 years old. At the peak of his career in 2005 he suffered a devastating knee injury in the 2005 playoffs vs. Pittsburgh. At the time he was considered one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL. Since the injury his popularity in Cincinnati has dropped, in large part due to his poor performance in the playoff loss to the NY Jets in 2009. In his defense the Bengals receiving corps was mediocre (no speed & somewhat old) & his O-line was less than average.

This off-season Palmer announced that he wished to be traded or he would walk away from his 3 year contract that was to pay him $12 million this season. Mike Brown, the Bengals owner refused to trade him, and as recently as two days ago remained firm on his stance.

Jason Campbell will be out 6 to 8 weeks, and he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. His injury is unfortunate because he was just starting the get into a groove with this team. Like a similar problem that handicapped the progress of 49ers QB Alex Smith, this was the first year that Campbell had the same offensive coordinator in back to back seasons. Jason was performing at the highest level of his NFL career, but still he’s no Carson Palmer.

Question to Raiders fans? Would you rather keep the draft picks and take your chance with Kyle Boller, knowing your chances of making the playoffs this season are slim? Or give up the promise of two high draft picks and go for it all now with Palmer? Clearly the Raiders are pushing in all their chips and are going all in.

The other option was to trade a 5th or 6th round pick for Denver QB Kyle Orton. No thanks Denver, Kyle throws way too many red zone interception for my taste.

How does this help the Raiders?
Draft picks aside Carson Palmer will be the best QB to wear a Raiders uniform since Rich Gannon’s MVP season. He has seen at all, has a great arm, but his mobility is an issue. He’s the type of leader that could take the Raiders to the promise land.

If he doesn’t then the Raiders have paid a big price.

Consider the cost of the infamous NFL Draft of 2007:
Instead of selecting the player many thought was the clear #1 guy WR Calvin Johnson the Raiders drafted JaMarcus Russell. Imagine “Megatron” with the Raiders? JaMarcus was too cool to study or practice, and too stupid to remember the plays. The Raiders had to give up a 4th round pick to replace him with Jason Campbell. Still needing a long-term solution at QB the Raiders used a 3rd round pick to choose Terrell Pryor in this year’s supplemental draft. Campbell gets hurt so now the Raiders give up a 1st & a 2nd (potentially two 1st’s) to get Palmer. All this because of JaMarcus Russell.

However with all that said, somewhere Al is smiling. Palmer fits the perfect mold of Al’s prototype QB. He’s tall 6-5, strong arm, intelligent, from USC where Al coached, & he’s a Heisman Trophy winner. And we know how Al loved his Heisman Trophy winners…

FORGOT to mention…
Carson Palmer & Hue Jackson have history together. For 3 seasons Hue was the WR coach for the Bengals. They know each other well. Also in order to fit Palmer under the salary cap he had to agree to a $6 million pay cut.