Tale of the Tape Concerning Carson Palmer's Turnovers

Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer was traded for in the middle of the 2011 season by then Raiders coach Hue Jackson to revive a Raiders offense that just lost then-starter Jason Campbell. 

Detractors of Palmer often complained of his high touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Now that he has been a Raider for about a full year, Palmer has had a chance to try and answer some of his critics and naysayers. Let’s see how Palmer compares to his previous seasons in Cincinnati.

Throughout his eight-year career, quarterback Carson Palmer has averaged 14 interceptions per season (compared to his average of 20 touchdowns per year)

While Palmer has nine interceptions so far this season, he has played well within the system that coach Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp have implemented for this 2012 Oakland Raiders team.

Palmer has not had the luxury of having seasoned veteran wide receivers while with the Raiders. There is no Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, T.J. Houshmandzadeh or even Chris Henry. Instead he is working with a young receiving corps and relying heavily on tight end Brandon Myers, wide receiver Denarius Moore and fullback Marcel Reece.

While Oakland’s receiving corps is young, Palmer and the Raiders lead the league in passing attempts with 377 (second to the Detroit Lions who have 401) and are fifth in the NFL in passing completions with 231.

And if you break down the numbers, Carson Palmer is on pace for the third-best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career:

SEASON	TD	INT	%
2004	18	18	100%
2005	32	12	38%
2006	28	13	46%
2007	26	20	77%
2008	3	4	133%
2009	21	13	62%
2010	26	20	77%
2011	13	16	123%
2012	15	9	60%
	20	14	69%

If you break down the tale of the tape, Carson Palmer is actually in a system that highlights his strengths while diminishing his weaknesses (interceptions). Do those weaknesses rear their ugly heads at the wrong time?

Maybe (hello Tampa Bay game), but Carson Palmer is the one stable presence in an less-than-stable offense.