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2011 Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalists

Photo - CB Morris Claiborne - LSU

Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin and cornerback Brodrick Brown are two of 15 national semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back, it was announced today.

OSU joins Alabama as the only two schools with multiple players on the Thorpe Award semifinalist list. This week's SEC clash of Alabama and LSU will feature three defensive backs from the Thorpe award list. Most NFL scouts believe that as many as 8 defensive backs from this game will eventually start as pro defenders. Our highest rated cornerback Pro Prospect for the NFL Draft 2012 currently is Alabama defender Dre Kirkpatrick. He combines rare size and athleticism with speed and physical toughness to match up with premier receivers.

Maybe the best defensive player in the nation, sophomore Tyrann Mathieu of LSU was omitted from this list after a one game suspension in October. Teammate Morris Claiborne has excelled through the first two months of the 2011 season and will be center stage this Saturday night as the Tigers battle the Crimson Tide for undisputed claim for the #1 national ranking.

Cowboy defenders, Martin and Brown have factored prominently in Oklahoma State’s 8-0 start to the season and No. 3 ranking in both the Associated Press poll and BCS rankings. The two are leaders of a Cowboy defense that leads in the nation in turnovers gained, passes intercepted and fumbles recovered.

Martin is the top-ranked safety on Mel Kiper’s Big Board and ranks third on the team with 47 tackles. He adds 4.0 tackles for loss and seven passes deflected. His statistics are even more remarkable given the fact that most teams have avoided his side of the field this season.

Brown has been a key part of Oklahoma State’s turnover surge this season, ranking among the national leaders with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He has logged 25 tackles, two tackles for loss and ties with Martin for the team lead with seven passes defended.

University of South Carolina senior defensive back Antonio Allen was also named by the Jim Thorpe Association for the 2011 Jim Thorpe Award. Allen is a 6-2, 202-pounder who leads the Gamecocks with 62 tackles, an average of 7.8 per game, and has four games of 10 or more tackles this season. He has recovered three fumbles, has forced three fumbles and has three interceptions. He has scored a pair of touchdowns, returning a fumble against East Carolina and an interception at Georgia.

The presentation of the Thorpe Award will be featured on The Home Depot College Football Awards live on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN. The show, hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will feature the live presentation of nine player awards, along with the recipients of Disney’s Spirit Award; The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contributions to College Football Award; and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team.

Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalists

Antonio Allen - South Carolina
David Amerson - North Carolina State
Jonathan Banks - Mississippi State
Mark Barron - Alabama
Brandon Boykin - Georgia
Brodrick Brown - Oklahoma State
Morris Claiborne - LSU
Casey Hayward - Vanderbilt
Jayron Hosley - Virginia Tech
Tony Jefferson - Oklahoma
Dre Kirkpatrick - Alabama
Nigel Malone - Kansas State
Markelle Martin - Oklahoma State
T.J. McDonald - USC
Chase Minnifield - Virginia

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe etc for the past 18 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game.

LSU & Alabama Head For Showdown - Top Two Spots in Polls - Draft Insiders.com, AP and Coaches Top 25 Teams

This is DraftInsiders.com weekly 2011 season College Poll. We will have weekly polls thru the season & postseason in our College Football Mondays blog column.

Nov. 1

Team of the Week – Stanford

Photo - Andrew Luck - Stanford

Offensive Player of the Week – QB Andrew Luck - Stanford

Defensive Player of the Week - DT Fletcher Cox – Mississippi St

Draft Insiders.com Top 25 Poll
(This year’s record in parentheses)

1. LSU (8-0)
2. Alabama (8-0)
3. Stanford (8-0)
4. Oklahoma St (8-0)
5. Boise St (7-0)
6. Oregon (7-1)
7. Oklahoma (7-1)
8. Clemson (8-1)
9. Arkansas (7-1)
10. South Carolina (7-1)
11. Nebraska (7-1)
12. Virginia Tech (7-1)
13. Michigan (8-1)
14. Houston (8-0)
15. Michigan St (6-2)
16. Penn St (8-1)
17. Arizona St (6-2)
18. Cincinnati (7-1)
19. Georgia (6-2)
20. Kansas St (7-1)
21. Wisconsin (6-2)
22. Southern Cal (6-2)
23. Georgia Tech (7-2)
24. Southern Miss (7-1)
25. West Virginia (6-2)

AP Top 25 Poll
Rank / Name / W L / Previous
1. LSU - 8 - 0 / 1
2. Alabama - 8 - 0 / 2
3. Oklahoma St - 8 - 0 / 3
4. Stanford - 8 - 0 / 4
5. Boise St. - 7 - 0 / 5
6. Oregon - 7 - 1 / 9
7. Oklahoma - 6 - 1 / 3
8. Arkansas - 7 - 1 / 10
9. Nebraska - 7 - 1 / 13
10. South Carolina - 7 - 1 / 14
11. Clemson - 8 - 1 / 8
12. Virginia Tech - 8 - 1 / 16
13. Michigan - 7 - 1 / 17
14. Houston - 8 - 0 / 18
15. Michigan St - 6-2 / 9
16. Penn St - 8-1 / 21
17. Kansas St. - 7 -1 / 10
18. Georgia - 6 -2 / 22
19. Wisconsin - 6-2 / 12
20. Arizona St. - 65 - 2 / 23
21. Southern Cal - 6-2 / 20
22. Georgia Tech - 7 - 2 / NR
23. Cincinnati - 7-1 / 24
24. West Virginia - 6 - 2 / 25
25. Auburn - 6-3 / NR

Coaches Top 25 Poll
Rank Team (first-place votes) Record

1. LSU (41) - 7-0
2. Alabama (18) - 7-0
3. Stanford - 8-0
4. Oklahoma St - 8-0
5. Boise St - 7-0
6. Oregon - 7-1
7. Oklahoma - 7-1
8. Arkansas - 7-1
9. Nebraska - 7-1
10. South Carolina - 7-1
11. Virginia Tech - 8-1
12. Clemson - 7-1
13. Michigan - 7-1
14. Houston - 8-0
15. Penn St - 8-1
16. Michigan St. - 6-2
17. Wisconsin - 6-2
18. Arizona St - 6-2
19. Kansas St - 7-1
20. Georgia - 6-2
21. West Virginia - 6-2
22. Cincinnati - 7-1
23. Georgia Tech - 7-2
24. Southern Miss - 7-1
25. Texas - 5-2

Dropped out
No. 16 Texas A&M (5-3, lost to Missouri 38-31 OT), No. 22 Texas Tech (5-3, lost to Iowa State 41-7).

Others receiving votes
TCU (6-2) 55; Auburn (6-3) 41; Washington (6-2) 38; Texas A&M (5-3) 30; Ohio State (5-3) 21; Florida State (5-3) 11; Notre Dame (5-3) 9; North Carolina (6-3) 2; Missouri (4-4) 1.

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe and All-American teams. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards.

Pro Prospect Rankings

Wide Receivers Jeffery & Blackmon Top Talented Receiving Class for NFL Draft

Photo WR Alshon Jeffery – South Carolina

Offense
* Underclassmen

Wide Receivers:
1 * Alshon Jeffery - 6-4, 235 - South Carolina
2 * Justin Blackmon - 6-1, 210 - Oklahoma St
3 Dwight Jones - 6-4, 225 - North Carolina
4 Michael Floyd - 6-3, 220 - Notre Dame
5 Jeff Fuller - 6-4, 220 - Texas A&M
6 Nick Toon - 6-2, 215 - Wisconsin
7 T.Y. Hilton - 5-9, 185 - Florida International
8 Ryan Broyles - 5-11, 195 - Oklahoma
9 * Mohamed Sanu - 6-2, 220 - Rutgers
10 Jermaine Kearse - 6-1, 205 - Washington
11 Marvin McNutt - 6-3, 215 - Iowa
12 Chris Owusu - 6-0, 200 - Stanford
13 B.J. Cunningham - 6-2, 215 - Michigan St.
14 Jarius Wright - 5-11, 180 - Arkansas
15 DeVier Posey - 6-2, 210 - Ohio St
16 Greg Childs - 6-3, 220 - Arkansas
17 Kendall Wright - 5-10, 180 - Baylor
18. A.J. Jenkins - 6-1, 200 - Illinois
19 Joe Adams - 5-10, 190 - Arkansas
20 Mike Willie - 6-4, 215 - Arizona St.

Tight Ends:
1 * Dwayne Allen - 6-4, 255 - Clemson
2 Michael Egnew - 6-6, 245 - Missouri
3 Coby Fleener - 6-5, 245 - Stanford
4 * Orson Charles - 6-3, 245 - Georgia
5 George Bryan - 6-5, 255 - North Carolina St
6 Ladarius Green - 6-6, 240 - Louisiana-Laf
7 David Paulson - 6-4, 245 - Oregon
8 Rhett Ellison - 6-5, 245 - Southern Cal
9 Anthony Miller - 6-3, 260 - California
10 DeAngelo Peterson - 6-4, 240 - LSU
11 Garrett Celek - 6-5, 250 - Michigan St
12 Kevin Koger - 6-4, 255 - Michigan
13 James Hanna - 6-4, 240 - Oklahoma
14 Jake Byrne - 6-3, 255 - Wisconsin
15 Blake Ayles - 6-5, 265 - Miami

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe and All-American teams. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards.

LSU & Alabama Claim Top Two Spots in Polls - Draft Insiders.com, AP and Coaches Top 25 Teams

This is DraftInsiders.com weekly 2011 season College Poll. We will have weekly polls thru the season & postseason in our College Football Mondays blog column.

Oct 25th

Team of the Week – Texas Tech

Photo - RB Trent Richardson - Alabama

Draft Insiders.com Top 25 Poll
(This year’s record in parentheses)
1. LSU (8-0)
2. Alabama (8-0)
3. Stanford (7-0)
4. Oklahoma St (7-0)
5. Boise St (7-0)
6. Clemson (8-0)
7. Oregon (6-1)
8. Oklahoma (6-1)
9. Arkansas (6-1)
10. Michigan St (6-1)
11. South Carolina (6-1)
12. Nebraska (6-1)
13. Wisconsin (6-1)
14. Virginia Tech (7-1)
15. Kansas St (7-0)
16. Texas A&M (5-2)
17. Michigan (7-1)
18. Houston (7-0)
19. Texas Tech (5-2)
20. Penn St (7-1)
21. Arizona St (5-2)
22. Cincinnati (6-1)
23. Georgia (5-2)
24. Southern Cal (6-1)
25. West Virginia (5-2)

AP Top 25 Poll
Rank / Name / W L / Previous
1. LSU - 8 - 0 / 1
2. Alabama - 8 - 0 / 2
3. Oklahoma St - 7 - 0 / 6
4. Stanford - 7 - 0 / 7
5. Boise St. - 7 - 0 / 5
6. Clemson - 8 - 0 / 8
7. Oregon - 6 - 1 / 9
8. Arkansas - 6 - 1 / 10
9. Michigan St - 6-1 / 15
10. Kansas St. - 7 -0 / 12
11. Oklahoma - 6 - 1 / 3
12. Wisconsin - 6-1 / 4
13. Nebraska - 6 - 1 / 13
14. South Carolina - 6 - 1 / 14
15. Virginia Tech - 7 - 1 / 16
16. Texas A&M - 5 - 2 / 17
17. Michigan - 6 - 1 / 18
18. Houston - 7 - 0 / 21
19. Texas Tech - 5 - 2 / NR
20. Southern Cal - 6-1 / NR
21. Penn St - 7-1 / NR
22. Georgia - 5 -2 / NR
23. Arizona St. - 5 - 2 / 24
24. Cincinnati - 6-1 / NR
25. West Virginia - 5 - 2 / 11

Coaches Top 25 Poll
Rank Team (first-place votes) Record
1. LSU (41) - 7-0
2. Alabama (18) - 7-0
3. Stanford - 6-0
4. Oklahoma St - 6-0
5. Boise St - 6-0
6. Clemson - 7-0
7. Oregon - 5-1
8. Arkansas - 5-1
9. Oklahoma - 6-1
10. Michigan St. - 6-1
11. Wisconsin - 6-1
12. Kansas St - 7-0
13. Nebraska - 6-1
14. South Carolina - 6-1
15. Virginia Tech - 7-1
16. Texas A&M - 5-2
17. Michigan - 6-1
18. Houston - 7-0
19. Penn St - 7-1
20. Arizona St - 5-2
21. Georgia - 5-2
22. Texas Tech - 5-2
23. Cincinnati - 6-1
24. West Virginia - 5-2
25. Southern Miss - 6-1

Dropped out
No. 19 Georgia Tech (6-2, lost to Miami, Fla., 24-7), No. 21 Illinois (6-2, lost to Purdue 21-14), No. 23 Auburn (5-3, lost to then-No. 2 LSU 45-10), No. 24 Washington (5-2, lost to then-No. 5 Stanford 65-21).

Others receiving votes
Texas (4-2) 49; Georgia Tech (6-2) 39; TCU (5-2) 33; Baylor (4-2) 29; Illinois (6-2) 22; Washington (5-2) 20; Iowa (5-2) 14; Syracuse (5-2) 10; Brigham Young (6-2) 9; Southern Methodist (5-2) 7; Wake Forest (5-2) 6; Notre Dame (4-3) 5; Auburn (5-3) 3; Rutgers (5-2) 2; Florida (4-3) 1; Miami (Fla.) (4-3) 1.

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe and All-American teams. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards.

Vinny Curry Named Nagurski Weekly Defensive Player

DE Vinny Curry - Marshall
Marshall defender #99 Vinny Curry sacks Rice QB Taylor McHargue (16) during the CUSA game on Saturday, Oct. 15th in Huntington.

Marshall DE Vinny Curry was named the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for last weekend's games.

Curry, a 6-3, 263-pound senior from Neptune, N.J., made nine tackles, including four tackles for losses (3.5 sacks) along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Thundering Herd's 24-20 victory over Rice. Curry’s sacks were all on third down, halting critical Rice drives. His strip of Rice tailback Sam McGuffie set up the Herd offense at the Rice 23-yard line with 3:31 remaining in the game. Marshall scored the game-winning TD five plays later.

We have an in-depth Scouting Report on Vinny Curry and many prospects in our Pro Prospect Preview 2011 - 300 Scouting Reports - Available Now - Order Today

For the season, Curry leads the nation in tackles for loss with 17 and is second with 9.5 sacks. His contributions have helped Marshall lead the nation with 67 tackles for loss. Currently, we rank Curry a solid Top 50-75 Pro Prospect at the midseason point. He is on our Senior Bowl recommendation list and should warrant an invitation to the premier All-star classic in January 2012.

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe etc for the past 18 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game.

Curry is already on the 2011 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be presented to the best defensive player in college football on Dec. 12 by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. The keynote address will be given by Georgia head coach Mark Richt and Florida's Jack Youngblood from the Class of 1970 will receive this year's Bronko Nagurski Legends Award. Five finalists for the Nagurski Trophy will be announced on Nov. 17.

Each week during the 2011 season the FWAA All-America Committee has selected a national defensive player of the week from nominations made by the 11 Division I Bowl Subdivision Conferences and major independents.

Last season, Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers won the coveted Bronko Nagurski Trophy during the 16th season the FWAA named a national defensive player of the year.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is www.touchdownclub.com.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.

QB Brandon Weeden Tops 2011 Johnny Unitas Award Finalists

QB Brandon Weeden – OSU

The list of candidates for the 2011 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, Award has been narrowed to 10 top college quarterbacks, including Oklahoma St’s Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma ’s Landry Jones, Houston ’s Case Keenum, and Stanford’s Andrew Luck.
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Weeden is college football's oldest QB. He turned 28 years old last Friday, as old as half of the current starting NFL QBs. Weeden has only six on 260 passing attempts, while his touchdown total has soared up to 16. Last week against Texas, he set three new school records for passes (60), completions (47) and passing yards (438).

For the 2011 season after six games, he has completed 189 passes of 260 attempts for an amazing 72.7% for 2098 yards with 16 TDs and 6 interceptions. He is on pace to throw for over 4000 yards with 35+ TD passes leading the Cowboys potent passing attack.

2011 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Johnny Unitas award was narrowed from an original field of 25, to 10 college QBs in the running for the Golden Arm Award.

The 10 Finalists for the 2011 Golden Arm Award are:
· Nick Foles - Arizona
· Robert Griffin - Baylor
· Landry Jones - Oklahoma
· Case Keenum - Houston
· Andrew Luck - Stanford
· Kellen Moore - Boise St
· Ryan Tannehill - Texas A & M
· Brandon Weeden - Oklahoma St
· Russell Wilson - Wisconsin
· Tyler Wilson - Arkansas

Named after the man many refer to as the greatest quarterback ever to play football, the prestigious Golden Arm Award is presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. Candidates for the Golden Arm Award must be completing their college eligibility or be a fourth-year junior, on schedule to graduate with his class. Candidates are judged upon character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities, and athletic accomplishments.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award will be presented on Friday, December 9 in downtown Baltimore. A number of former Baltimore Colts teammates will be there, including Raymond Berry, Jimmy Orr, and Art Donovan.

Since 1987, past winners of the award include Colt McCoy ( Texas , 2009), Matt Ryan ( Boston College , 2007), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006), Matt Leinart (USC, 2005), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003), Carson Palmer (USC, 2002), Peyton Manning ( Tennessee , 1997). and Rodney Peete (USC, 1988).

Proceeds from the Golden Arm Awards help to support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky .

The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 TD passes and one that may stand forever – throwing a TD pass in 47 consecutive games.

Unitas was inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame in 1979. Further, the Hall of Fame, in commemorations of the NFL’s 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries selected Unitas as the top QB k of all-time. In turn-of-the-century listings, he was named to Sports Illustrated list of top 10 athletes, Time Magazine’s list of 10 most influential athletes, and ESPN’s series on the 50 greatest athletes of the century.

For more information, visit www.goldenarmfoundation.com

Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe and All-American teams. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards.

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.

Go to NFL News on Navigation Bar for all Traded Picks for the NFL Draft 2012 and 2013

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.