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Raiders Deal for QB Carson Palmer At Trading Deadline
Photo - QB Carson Palmer
In the true spirit of former Oakland owner/ GM Al Davis, the Raiders made a bold trade at the NFL deadline to acquire veteran QB Carson Palmer. The Bengals and Raiders completed a major trade for Palmer before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline that could have major impact on the AFC playoff picture especially the overcome in the Western division. The Bengals get the Raider’s first-round choice in the 2012 NFL Draft and either their first or second-round choice in the 2013 NFL Draft according to any postseason Raiders wins this year.
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Ironically, Al Davis passed away last weekend after decades at the helm for the Raiders as one of the NFL’s most controversial leaders. The major deal is the type of trade that Davis made repeatedly over his GM career especially during the Raider’s heydays of the ‘70s and ‘80s. He had a trade theory that if a team felt it was one player away from making a run at the NFL title, it was worth the price paid to acquire that right veteran. Palmer cost the Raiders a high price for the two time Pro Bowl passer, but he is a fine fit for their big play vertical passing game. With starting QB Jason Campbell out with a broken collarbone for six weeks from last weekend’s game, the efforts of the Oakland front office to trade for Palmer intensified this week.
Palmer has thus far sat out the 2011 season in a move to force the Bengals to trade him. He announced his retirement last spring in hopes of forcing Bengals GM Mike Brown to trade the disgruntled 31 year old veteran passer.
The Bengals have surprised this season with a 4-2 start that has them in playoff contention at the midseason point. The two high draft choices will be bumper selections for the young developing club that has started rookie QB Andy Dalton this fall. The future 2013 second-round selection will escalate to a first-rounder if the Raiders (4-2) win a divisional playoff game this postseason. Over his eight playing seasons, Palmer never won a playoff game during his Bengal career.
Bengals president Mike Brown changed his mind over recent weeks as a few NFL clubs inquired about the strong-armed veteran. With the emergence of rookie QB Dalton. getting two additional prime selections over the next two NFL Drafts was too enticing to refuse.
"Several factors made us believe that trading Carson to Oakland was the best move for the Bengals at this time," said Brown. "The principal development has been Andy Dalton, who has shown himself to be one of the best and most exciting young quarterbacks in the NFL.
"We also find ourselves rather suddenly in position of being able to receive real value for Carson that can measurably improve our team... When this opportunity arose, we felt we could not let it pass."
Palmer has the big arm and a blue-chip pedigree that has always been the Raider trademark going back to the Daryle Lamonica era by the Bay. In fact, the Raiders have already announced that Palmer will wear #3, the number Lamonica made famous in Oakland during the 1970s. Palmer was the #1 over pick of the 2003 NFL Draft after a highly publicized career at Southern Cal that ended with winning the Heisman Trophy award. He returns to the West Coast with a club in the middle of the AFC West race at 4-2 right behind the Chargers at 4-1.
Palmer is still in the prime of his career with a contract that runs through 2014 season. He could be their long sought answer here for the trigger man with the big arm to get the ball down the field. He reunites with Oakland HC Hue Jackson, who was the Cincinnati wide receivers coach recently during his Pro Bowl performances.
Palmer started every game during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, putting up big numbers annually. Over the 2010 season, he passed for 3,970 yards with 26 TDs and 20 picks for a 4-12 club and an aging receiving corps. He lead the club to AFC North titles in both 2005 and 2009, the only times Cincinnati made the playoffs over a 20-year period.
Oakland plays five of their eight AFC West games going forward including two with both Kansas City and San Diego. They also play struggling clubs like Minnesota and Miami over the soft second half schedule.
Palmer is reportedly in good shape, but has not thrown a pass in action in almost a year. With Kansas City coming to town this Sunday and a bye week the following weekend, Palmer will probably wait to start until the Nov 6th game at home vs the Denver Broncos. Veteran Kyle Boller will most likly get the starting assignment this week with rookie Terrelle Pryor as the backup.
The Raiders have not made the NFL playoffs since losing Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Bucs following the 2002 season. The Raiders have only their 5fth and 6th-round draft choices for the NFL Draft 2012 before any compensatory picks for losing veterans especially All-Pro corner Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency in August.