Tag Archives: Carson Palmer
Bengals were the winners of the Palmer trade
Mike Brown worked one of the best deals in Cincinnati Bengals history when he traded quarterback Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders for their 2013 first round draft pick. With that pick the Bengals addressed a specific need on defense by picking up Dre Kirkpatrick.
The Bengals will also have a first or second round pick in 2014 based on the outcome of the Raiders record this season. Former head coach, Hue Jackson (a wide receivers coach with the Bengals from 2004 – 2006) worked this transaction personally with Bengals owner Mike Brown.
Could there be a New Quarterback in Oakland?
A lot of changes are on the horizon for the Oakland Raiders. For starters, ownership has a new face in Mark Davis (son of the late Al Davis), the Raiders have a General Manager for the first time, and finally, the Raiders hired a new head coach, Dennis Allen. With so many changes in key roles in the organization, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a change in the most significant role on the field, at quarterback.
When Reggie McKenzie was hired as GM, he made it clear that he wanted to bring in his own personnel. His first action was firing Hue Jackson, and bringing in former Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Although there are no previous ties throughout the league between McKenzie and Allen, it appears that McKenzie is going to let Allen assemble his staff and the two men will evaluate the roster and make whatever changes that they feel are necessary to the team.
Similar to the events taking place in Indianapolis, the Raiders will have to take notice of their quarterback situation. Even though the Raiders spent an abundant amount to acquire Carson Palmer, and even spent a 3rd round pick to draft Terrell Pryor in the 2011 supplemental draft, the Raiders may still want to further improve at quarterback. With various reports citing that QB Peyton Manning is very well on his way out of Indy, it won’t take much for a massive pendulum effect to take place involving various QBs. The Raiders obviously don’t have enough to trade to acquire Manning, nor do they have the cap room to pay him, but where Manning does eventually land, could leave a top-tier quarterback team-less. For instance, the New York Jets look to be the most interested and most capable of landing Manning. If that happens, it would put Mark Sanchez on the trade block, and available for a reasonable price and or trade opportunity.
Another quarterback that could possibly land in the bay area could be Vince Young of the Philadelphia Eagles. He has a winning record, and thrives on teams with a successful running game, and could operate in the spread offense or west coast offense, of which Oakland’s receivers are talented enough to adapt. Since he is a free agent and has a slightly blemished history, he wouldn’t be all to expensive to sign.
The biggest x-factor to consider regarding potential free agents is, what kind of offense does Coach Dennis Allen want to implement? If he is going to operate a spread offense he may want to bring a more mobile quarterback like Vince Young or go with 2nd year QB Terrell Pryor if he performs at a high level during OTA’s. Or, Coach Allen may want to stick with a west coast offense similar to what the Raiders ran last season, in which case, means that after a complete off-season, Palmer would be the perfect fit already in place.
Since Coach Allen is the first defensive minded coach the Raiders have hired since John Madden, its safe to assume that he may want to bring in an offensive coordinator familiar with Palmer, and the type of offense that will best utilize all the talent that is laced throughout this roster.
Even though the 2012 Oakland Raiders are close to the cap limit, and have very few picks in this upcoming draft, one can assess that the biggest roster improvement needed for this franchise isn’t on the field, it’s on the sideline with the right coaching staff. The Raiders narrowly missed the playoff this past season because of the defense giving away 2nd half leads. With a defensive minded coach, a savvy GM, and quarterback who has proven he can still perform at a high level, it’s no surprise that the 2012 Raiders are already being considered as preseason division favorites going into next season.
Gabriel Rideout is an NFL writer for The Penalty Flag. He can be contacted at GRideout@thepenaltyflagblog.com.
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AFC West Quarterbacks: Pick Your Poison
Now that the Denver Broncos have named Tim Tebow the starter for 2012, at least going into camp, it’s time to put you in the owner’s box of the AFC West teams. Ask yourself, going into the 2012 season, which starting quarterback grants you the most confidence that your team can win the division? Your choices: Tim Tebow, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, or Matt Cassel.
Denver Broncos’ Tim Tebow: This season’s Mr. Controversial, setting aside the likes of Michael Vick, Terrell Owens, and Randy Moss, Tim Tebow had horrific passing statistics, but still managed a positive win-loss ratio. Although putting up most of his numbers in the waning minutes of games, Tebow has still managed a 9-7 record in his first 16 starts. Seven of those wins have come while trailing at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Tebow has a motivating factor for his teammates and the fans that gives him an emotional edge late in games. However, in regards to statistics, throwing motion, and general command of the offense, Tebow is conceivable the worst quarterback in the NFL, let alone the AFC West.
San Diego Chargers’ Philip Rivers: Once one of the most feared quarterbacks in the league, his team has diminished around him and left him mostly unprotected and alone. Free agency has taken outlet receiving backs like LaDanian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles, as well as third wide receiver Legedu Naanee. Rivers’ limited options have lured him into throwing 20 interceptions this year. Those errors, combined with an attitude you would expect to see from an impatient 12-year old, lead the Chargers to an over-inflated 8-8 team record. In contrast, Rivers had thrown for over 4,000 yards and 27 or more touchdowns in four consecutive years.
Oakland Raiders’ Carson Palmer: Palmer was thrown to the wolves in his first start with Oakland this year, resulting in three interceptions in a half. That pattern would slow, but continue nonetheless. Palmer finished his partial season with 16 interceptions. However, in nine starts, Palmer threw for over 2,600 yards and 13 touchdowns. He holds ten team, game and career, passing records for his previous team, the Cincinnati Bengals. Although Palmer is a seasoned leader, he has no playoff experience in over his nine-year career.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Matt Cassel: Arguably the most statistically average quarterback in the NFL, Cassel has neither amazed nor disappointed the Chiefs since being traded from New England in 2009. Over the past three seasons, Cassel has an average quarterback rating of 79.8 with 53 touchdowns and 38 turnovers (interceptions and fumbles lost, combined). The Chiefs are 21-27 since Cassel took over as the starter, an unimpressive record, without presenting enough impetus to make a quarterback change. On the bright side, Cassel threw 27 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions in 2010 and put the Chiefs into the playoffs as the AFC West winner.
All four starting quarterbacks have their strengths and weaknesses, and none of them seem completely detrimental to their team. However, there also seem to be no “world beaters” in the AFC West, and it’ll be a matter of time until one of them will need to shine if this division plans to return to prior glories. Now, the question falls on the owners and general managers of who increases the likelihood of winning in 2012. You decide.
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Who is the Best Available Coach for the Oakland Raiders?
With Coach Hue Jackson out and new GM Reggie McKenzie taking over the reigns from owner Mark Davis, there almost seems to be more questions rather than answer in the black hole. The biggest question for this franchise that needs to be answered is “who is going to coach this team?”
