The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. Palmer had the chance to dive into the playbook and some of his receivers stuck around to get in a little extra work. The past week of preparation has Palmer proclaiming that he’s good to go Sunday.

“There’s no comparison to last week, to last Wednesday. I’m comfortable with the entire playbook, comfortable with the guys, comfortable with the snap count, where to stand in the huddle. Every little bit that I’ve been around here, every second that I’ve had, I’ve just learned more and more.”

Good to know Palmer has the playbook down. Problem is that won’t be enough if Darren McFadden is out. Palmer is going to have to do more than make the right calls. He’s got to make plays too.
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As the Raiders were racing against the clock to secure key free agents before the lockout, Huff was left out. Now the safety has designs on returning to his native Texas to play for the Cowboys.

All signs indicate Huff could be a great fit for Jerry’s Boys. Huff is from Texas, went to school in Austin and for good measure his original NFL defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, will be on the sidelines for the Cowboys.

At the University of Texas’ pro day last week Huff made his case to be a Cowboy with Charen Williams of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

“That’s home, but you never know what’s going to happen. I’ve got to want to go there, but they’ve got to want me. There are a bunch of things that go into the process.”

But beyond his desire to return home, Huff wants to win more than anything else.

“That’s the only thing. Being here [at Texas], you get spoiled. You win all the time here and then you go there and have some tough years. Getting that Super Bowl ring is something they can never take away from you, like they can’t take away the national championship ring. That’s the next step, and I look forward to it.”

Now I’m not going to get into a debate as to who has a better shot at winning a Super Bowl in the near future. The last thing we need right about now is an asinine argument between Raider and Cowboy fans amid a lockout. But I will say this much. Huff would be a perfect fit for the Cowboys.
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welcomed

All this is based on the assumption that you will be the starter, Kyle. You know better than anyone that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, having lost your job on separate occasions to Rex Grossman and Brian Griese.

So, without further ado, here is a little advice for you, Orton, as you transition from the Second City to the Mile High City.

 1) Own the Chiefs and Matt Cassel – Nothing will make you more endearing to Bronco fans than sticking it to the QB who caused this whole mess in the first place. Consider Matt Cassel the Angelia Jolie to Jay Cutler’s Jennifer Aniston, Josh McDaniels as the Brad Pitt figure and Bronco fans as the children adopted by McD in his new union. After it’s all said and done, you’ll most likely just be a speed bump on the McDaniels express lane to Millenville (population: Denver and Detroit), but at least you’ll give the Danver fans a brief moment to like you by balling whenever Cassel is on the other side of the field.

2) Get the rock to Brandon Marshall – Lost in the entire Jay Cutler saga is the great toll this has taken on his former favorite target, Brandon Marshall. Marshall and Cutler had a relationship not unlike the onscreen connection shared between Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson in the 1994 film “The Chase”. Cutler played Swanson’s role of the drama queen and Marhsall played Sheen’s role of the felon. Good times for all in Donkey Town. Now, Kyle, it’s up to you to make sure Marshall doesn’t go T.O. and start to complain when you’re looking for Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler more than him. Take a page out of Cutler’s book and stare Marshall down for the entire play. Never mind scanning the field and reading the whole play, just wing it in there and act like you thought Marshall was open when McD is ripping you on the sideline. It will cost you a few INTs, but hey, it’s not like Cutler took care of the ball in Denver either.

3) Get to know Ed Hochuli – The whole world knows that Jay Cutler made Hoculi’s biceps bulge at the mere sight of Denver’s diabetic darling. The muscle bound flag thrower was so enamored with Jay-C that he actually gave the Broncos a cheap win over the Chargers back in 2008. Now that Cutler is gone, it will be up to you to make nice with Hochuli. My suggestion is this: Since you know Hochuli enjoys pumping iron, why not surprise him with a gift to aid him in his tiring workouts. I can put you in contact with Yuri Sucart. My man has some great connects to buy cheap “Tic Tacs” in the D.R.

 4) Keep the beard – Bronco fans still have a hard time accepting the fact that John Elway is no longer playing. Jake Plummer got smart and grew a Grizzly Adams so that anytime he pulled off his helmet after turning the ball over, Bronco fans would realize, “Hey! Since when did Elway grow a beard?” Eventually the reality set in that it was Plummer and not Elway on the field. Bronco fans embraced Jake the Fake, so why not you? Cutler had to live up to being the next Elway, while you only have to be the next Plummer. Sometimes having lowered expectations can be a great thing.

Truth be told, I’d be very surprised if McD doesn’t start the musical chair game at QB by week 4 in 2009. For now, the job is yours Kyle. Enjoy playing in Denver. At least you know your job is safe as long as you don’t make the Pro Bowl. However, should you actually become good enough to run a pro offense, set a franchise record for passing yards and earn a trip to Hawaii (or wherever the Pro Bowl is to be played) then all bets are off and McDaniels will be looking to ship you out for Mitch Mustian, Aaron Corp or Matt Barkley (whichever USC QB he’s is in love with).

Welcome to the AFC West, Kyle Orton!