Oakland Raiders' Coordinator: Carson Palmer to Start "As Long as He's Breathing"

The Oakland Raiders have a new quarterback on their roster, and they have no intention of keeping him on the bench.

Carson Palmer, who hasn't taken a snap yet this season since he "thought he was retired," is likely going to be on the field this week against the division rival Chiefs.

Pro Football Talk recounted a radio interview Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders had this morning, and he wasn't too shy about it.

When asked what Palmer needed to do to play, he said, "As long as he’s breathing."

He then followed it up with:

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"He walked out on the field yesterday, and everybody kind of looked at everybody and said, ‘You know what? This is a real quarterback.' That was the comment made by a couple people as they watched him throw. It just depends on how quickly he feels comfortable in what we’re doing, and that shouldn’t take too long."

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"Shouldn't take too long" means all of five days with the team before he makes a start on Sunday. 

The Raiders are in the thick of the AFC West and AFC Wild Card races and cannot afford to lose to a conference opponent, let alone a division rival.

The Chiefs may be hurting, but they've won their last two games and pose a threat to the Raiders every time they play.

Backup quarterback Kyle Boller has never been anything more than a backup, and rookie Terrelle Pryor is more likely to play wide receiver for this team than he is quarterback this year.

Oakland traded away two potential first-round picks to get Palmer, and they don't intend to waste any time.

The veteran quarterback has wanted nothing more than to move back West and get a fresh start for some time now.

His numbers last season may have dropped, but he at least will force the Chiefs to respect his arm in this game until he proves otherwise.

The Raiders' run game will be the focal point of their offensive attack (as always), and the Chiefs are in the bottom half of the league against the run as it is.

Palmer doesn't have to be great in his first game—he just needs to be better than Boller.

With just five days' practice time, it appears the Raiders believe he will be.