Carson Palmer To Start For Raiders This Weekend
Added on Oct 19, 2011 by Jack Thurman in
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Sources suggest that newly acquired Carson Palmer will start for the Oakland Raiders this weekend in their game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The move is likely a vote of confidence for the heady veteran but also represents the desperation of the Raiders’ quarterback situation at the moment. Palmer has plenty of experience, but as of today hasn’t played or practiced since last season. Palmer had been a holdout in Cincinnati and was acquired by Oakland on Tuesday for a couple of first round draft choices.
Palmer shared time with backup Kyle Boller on Wednesday and coach Hue Jackson is maintaining that he hasn’t decided who will start on Sunday. That doesn’t seem to be the case, however, as a number of sources are reporting that Palmer will get the nod. Palmer is currently listed as the starter on most major lines feeds and interestingly the betting line on the game hasn’t changed this week despite the early ambiguity over who exactly would be under center for the Raiders.
It’s not like Palmer has been sitting on the couch eating Doritos all year–he’s been working out on his own and is reportedly in top shape. Still, he admits that there’s no substitute for game action and that there might be a ‘learning curve’ in picking up the nuances of the Raiders’ offense and getting in sync with his teammates. Palmer will be helped by an underrated offensive line and arguably the best running back in the NFL in Darren McFadden. If all else fails, any quarterback could do much worse than just handing the ball to the brutally talented McFadden.
The Raiders have been one of the surprise teams of the NFL season–they were criticized for making the coaching change from Tom Cable to Hue Jackson in the offseason but the team has responded with a 4-2 record to open the season. More recently, they’ve leveraged the death of longtime owner Al Davis to a couple of emotional victories. Oakland is currently a -4 point NFL betting favorite over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs with the total on the game set at 42.
