Oakland Raiders: David Garrard and 7 Quarterbacks Who Can Replace Jason Campbell

Now that the Raiders are without Jason Campbell, they're going to be in need of another guy under center. No, I do not trust Kyle Boller or Terrelle Pryor to get the job done.

Campbell is not a great quarterback, but he's not one who makes a million mistakes every game. He's been able to put together respectable seasons in black and silver. With him having a broken collarbone, it's hard to imagine the Raiders maintaining their momentum and continuing to be victorious.

It's hard to find a new quarterback midseason, but it can be done if the guy is right for the job. These seven guys can step into the Radiers' system and save their 2011 campaign.

JaMarcus Russell

HA!  I'm just kidding everyone, just wanted to get some reactions.

Moving on...

Marc Bulger

Marc Bulger is apparently retired, but I'm not believing that. For the right price, he'd come back.

I understand that Bulger really started to show his age toward the last couple seasons of his career in St. Louis. After 2006, the following three seasons were riddled by injuries and inconsistency.

However, Bulger lost top-notch receivers in Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce and was left with essentially nothing. The Rams had no hope to begin with once 2006 ended.

He's thrown 30 more touchdowns in his career than interceptions and knows the game pretty well, despite missing 2010 (in a Baltimore uniform). He's not particularly accurate, but he's always had a great downfield arm and is very wise.

This would probably be the least likely to happen and a last resort in Oakland, but Bulger would certainly bring some wisdom to the team.

Charlie Frye

Okay, so Oakland gave Frye a shot before and it wasn't particularly successful. 

However, Frye is much similar to guys like Jason Campbell—they're not great, but they're not God-awful.  At times, he's shown capabilities of being a very accurate quarterback. His downfall has always been an inability to make good decisions.

Under pressure, Frye would panic and suddenly just fling the ball into traffic. Can't be done now, especially with the Raiders climbing the ladder.

Frye SHOULD be a last resort for the Raiders, but he is an option. He brings some sort of experience and a lot of potential with him. Unfortunately, they'll have to risk quite a bit of downside.

Tony Pike

Up to this point, Tony Pike has simply lived in a bad situation in the NFL. He was drafted by Carolina in the 2010 draft, just a few rounds after the team drafted Jimmy Clausen (don't get me started on how right I was about him).

Therefore, Pike was buried by Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen, and after the drafting of Cam Newton, he was sent packing. 

Pike had a tremendous career at the University of Cincinnati and was surrounded by a cast of players who never panned out in the NFL. I'm not saying all great quarterbacks have all-star casts around them in college, but he mowed through the Big East and took the team to consecutive BCS bowl games.

To have confidence in Pike, Raiders' fans need to investigate his college numbers. There's a lot of potential here, and Pike deserves a shot.

Patrick Ramsey

Patrick Ramsey has been a career backup after once being thought to be a franchise quarterback for Washington. Probably not a good way to justify a man's capabilities.

I'll be honest, this would be an absolute project for the Raiders, and odds are, it would be a flip of a coin every game between Boller and Ramsey. 

However, I don't mean to say Ramsey is not capable. He's started games before and has had some good ones. His pocket presence is at least decent, and he's not scared by pressure. This means he won't force many balls.

From that you get a smart quarterback. The reason Ramsey has historically been mediocre is because he's not been athletically gifted. His throws can be air-mailed or under thrown quite a bit.

Amid all this back-and-forth, he's a better option than Kyle Boller. The Raiders would be better off to stick Ramsey in, let him make a few throws and have him hand off to Darren McFadden.

Carson Palmer

With the trade deadline approaching quickly, this would have to go through pretty darn quick.

Mike Brown has held firm, and I don't know that this is even possible anyway given his stubbornness. 

Still, Carson Palmer's effectiveness and credentials speak for themselves. He's revived a city and a football team almost single-handedly. 

There's still a lot left for Palmer to give, but the Raiders will pretty much have to give up McFadden to get him. Not worth it, but no harm in making the effort.

Jake Delhomme

Jake Delhomme has certainly had a long and successful career, mainly in Carolina.

Now, it's hard to say what he really has left to give after his shortened stint in Cleveland. He started five games as a Brown, and while he did throw seven picks to only two touchdowns, he had a completion percentage near 70.

In terms of quarterbacks on the free agent market, Delhomme probably has the best mind. In his glory years, the man could work magic with a football.

Delhomme is aging, but his veteran presence and leadership can regroup this team. He may not have the same ability to throw for 4,000 yards, but he can still throw with the best.

David Garrard

If any of you ask me why he's still a free agent to begin with, don't expect an answer because I haven't the slightest clue.

Garrard can be a great veteran mentor, if not the starter for a lot of teams around the league.

He's been historically accurate throughout his career and is nowhere near mistake-prone. Even with sub-par receivers for the majority of his time in Jacksonville, Garrard was able to take the team to the playoffs multiple times.

With Garrard in Oakland, they would complete their offensive puzzle. He's not only the answer to fill in for Campbell, but also he can replace him altogether, at least for the next couple seasons. 

He's one of the top free agents still on the market, and Oakland would be better off to jump on him while they can. The asking price will be high, but the reward will be worth it for a talent like Garrard.

This should be a top-notch priority for the Raiders.