Before this turns into another Carson bitch sessions let’s also point out that on Palmer’s worst day he’s still better than 50% of the stiffs that call signals in the NFL (just don’t tell that to Ron Jaworski).

Jan 1, 2012, Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer (3) throws a pass against the San Diego Chargers at the O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

With Palmer there are certain allowances that must be made. Just take a look at his performance against Denver last season. In that game you pretty much saw all that Palmer has to offer. From his unreal TD toss to Marcel Reece to his overthrow of a wide open Denarius Moore it was all on display – the good and the bad of Palmer.

Palmer’s good is still good enough to border on great. That’s the good news.

The bad news is his bad is bordering on Rex Grossman awful.

Somewhere in between is where Dennis Allen needs his QB to be this season.

Unlike Jason Campbell, Palmer is completely unafraid of taking risks. That’s a great thing when you’ve got the weapons Palmer has around him. As much as I loved JC his paint-by-numbers approach just didn’t allow Oakland’s offense to be all it could. With Palmer pushing the pedal to the metal you feel like this team is on the verge of becoming a top 5 offense.

Of course with that mentality also comes some Favre-ian moments. Palmer’s placement of his high risk passes isn’t always the best and when your margin for error is none then…well…you just can’t err at all. That goes without saying.

So the real question now is how will Greg Knapp’s play calling get the most out of Palmer while also minimizing his tendency to try and do the impossible?

The reality is no matter Knapp’s play calling if Palmer sees a window to throw into then he’s going to make like a paperboy on a Friday and throw it without thinking twice.

That’s why Allen, Knapp and Raider Nation as a whole will just have to accept the good and bad of Palmer. The hope is simply that the good outweighs the bad. He might not be in the Aaron Rodgers category but he’s not anywhere near the Charlie Frye zone. Somewhere in between is a quarterback capable of leading a highly productive offense. The key is getting him to take calculated risks while also knowing when to just toss it out of bounds, take a sack or (God forbid) check it down.

McKenzie has got the Raiders franchsie in his hands.

Reggie McKenzie has hit the Easy Bay running (or swimming if you prefer) since becoming Oakland’s general manager. He wasted no time in firing Hue Jackson but has since taken his time in searching for qualified candidates. With names like Marty Mornhinweg and Mike Tice floating around the term “qualified” becomes a relative one. But that is a different topic.

No matter my opinion of the Raiders’ known candidates the fact remains that the business of football moves forward…rapidly. Already the NFL season is nearing its conclusion which means free agency and the draft are right around the corner.

Generally you need a head coach in place well in advance in order to get up to speed. But when you’re searching for your third head coach in as many years you’d hope McKenzie is taking his sweet time for a good reason.

As reports slowly filter out regarding just who the Raiders have interviewed the logical question every member of Raider Nation wants to know is when a decision will be made. Luckily Paul Gutierrez asked that exact question of McKenzie.

When Gutierrez asked McKenzie if a coaching announcement was in the cards for this week, the new football boss of the East Bay responding with the following.

Yeah. Yeah. It could happen. It could happen by Saturday.

Not exactly a quote to plaster across billboards but it at least indicates where McKenzie is in the process. Then again, the interview with Winston Moss passed by without so much as a blurb appearing on any of the NFL gossip sites.

So how do we know what is what? Well, it’s the Oakland Raiders. You’ll find out when they want you to. Now take your bread and get out of the line.
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We didn’t need Carson Palmer tossing picks juxtaposed against Aaron Rodgers throwing TD darts to know who is the better QB. Just as we didn’t need the Packers putting this one away with one running play to know who was the better team. Don’t fool yourself. Ryan Grant put this game to bed with a first quarter, first official play from scrimmage 47-yard house call that set the tone for an ugly 46-16 loss.

Make whatever excuse you want, Raider Nation.

Sure, Oakland was again short handed.

Ok…the Packers were gifted a few questionable calls.

None of that had anything to do with Hue Jackson’s men posting another effort only the Indianapolis Colts would envy. In fact, I’ve seen more heart from those winless Colts than I have the silver in black the last two weeks.

That sound you hear are the hopes of Oakland playing in the post-season slipping into the depths of the East Bay.

For now let’s forget about the playoffs. Instead let us focus on all the reasons why the Raiders aren’t a playoff contender any longer.

To begin with they continue to be their own worst enemies. All those pre-snap penalties are again the sign of an unfocused team. For Oakland’s defense to continually jump offside against Rodgers shows how insecure they were today. It proved that Chuck Bresnahan’s defense knew they didn’t have a chance. It also shows how much further this team has to go before being considered among the NFL elite.
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