Oakland Raiders: Which Carson Palmer Are Raiders Hoping To Get?

Actually, the question should be, which Carson Palmer will they get?  Of course, the quarterback they hope to get is the one in 2005 that threw for 3,836 yards with 32 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while completing almost 68 percent of his passes.

If that Carson Palmer trots on to the field on Sunday or two weeks later after the bye, the Raiders are in great shape.

Oakland knows darn well it is not getting the 2005 Palmer, but that should be fine with them.

The Reality

It’s now two very bad injuries later and Palmer is 31 years old, a bit banged up and coming off the couch (kind of).

After the 2005 season, Palmer had reconstructive knee surgery and an elbow injury that could have used Tommy John surgery. The elbow injury sidelined Palmer for three quarters of the 2008 season. The knee injury, which seemed to almost destroy every part of his knee, only caused him to miss one game, due to the fact that it happened during a playoff game in 2006 and he used the offseason to recover.

Is Palmer the Difference Maker?

The talking heads have asked each other repeatedly in the last 48 hours if Carson Palmer makes the Raiders a playoff team.  Let's change the question again shall we? Are the Raiders once again a playoff team? Who’s to say they were not playoff bound before the Jason Campbell injury.

The team is likely aware that Palmer is not a magic potion that can be poured on the team and make them an instant winner.  The team was winning before he arrived.

Palmer was acquired so he could help the Raiders maintain their goal of playing a 17th game in 2011.  The Raiders should be looking big picture with the acquisition of Palmer.  With Campbell they were a team that would compete all year long and probably play in the postseason for the first time since the 2002 season.

It’s time for the question game again. If the Raiders were given the choice to begin the season with Palmer or Campbell, who would they have picked? Like I said, Campbell had the ability to lead the team to the playoffs, but let's face it, Palmer is more talented and gives the team a better chance.

Nobody’s trying to run down Campbell here, it’s just an unfortunate situation for the quarterback that afforded the Raiders a great opportunity.

What Does Palmer Bring to the Table?

This guy has Pro-Bowl caliber talent and the ability to take the Raiders deep in the playoffs.  Although he has not won a playoff game, he has been there and knows what to expect.  He can’t use his feet like Campbell did, but he is more accurate and can throw the deep ball just as well as Campbell if not better.

Then there are the intangibles.   He’s a tough son of a gun, and he’s has the fire of guys guys like Dan Marino and Peyton Manning.  He’s not afraid to go face mask to face mask with a player that he thinks needs to step it up.

What would Al Have Done?

Would Al Davis have given up what the Raiders did for Palmer? Well, I can’t really say, but if Al Davis sent you shopping for a quarterback and Carson Palmer was for sale, you better come back with the 6’5″ red head with a cannon for an arm in your shopping bag.

Palmer has Al Davis-type quarterback written all over him.