Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Whew…that was close.

Earlier it was rumored that the Oakland Raiders were considering Kevin Kolb as an option should the entire Carson Palmer/Matt Flynn fiasco fall through. Thankfully the quarterback desperate Buffalo Bills fell on the Kolb grenade as reports are circulating that the overhyped and overpaid signal caller is taking his talents to upstate New York.

For the Raiders this was a brief flirtation with disaster. Bringing in Kolb to compete with Terrelle Pryor would have been a sure fire recipe for failure. Not that any of the moves made thus far have been geared towards winning but signing Kolb would have been a very French move (waving the white flag).

In Buffalo Kolb will rival Tarvaris Jackson for the throne vacated by Ryan Fitzpatrick’s release. In Oakland Kolb would have been another QB speed bump on the rebuilding road. Aaron Brooks, Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye…need I go on?

Now all attention returns to the B-list drama that is the Palmer contract dilemma and Flynn trade. Let’s be honest about this though. There are no winners in this scenario. There are only overpaid quarterbacks that will add to the jersey collection hanging in their man caves.

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Reggie McKenzie’s rebuild is looking more and more like a demolition. Understandably changes needed to be made in order for the Raiders to simply remain in business in the football sense. Every team is required to be in cap compliance as there is no means of exceeding the salary threshold such as the NBA allows.

With that said many of the moves the Raiders have made this offseason and in the first year under McKenzie have been of the WTF variety.

So hearing Kevin Kolb could be Oakland’s Plan C is about in step with what we have come to expect. If reducing Caron Palmer’s salary and trading for Matt Flynn doesn’t happen then Kolb could be the next option according to reports.

Pardon me while I swallow the vomit that bubbled up from my gut.

Kolb was released by the Arizona Cardinals this offseason as he predictably failed to live up to the ridiculous contract he signed just a couple years ago. Should the Raiders give Kolb another chance as an NFL starter it would surely signal another season of discontent.

Kolb did little to validate himself as an NFL starter while with the Philadelphia Eagles. But NFL teams are desperate for franchise quarterbacks so anyone that even briefly looks like one will get consideration as such. Kolb fooled the Cardinals and if things fall apart in the Flynn deal then he’ll get another chance to fool another franchise this time at deeply discounted rate at least.

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Let’s be completely honest about predicting the NFL. It’s impossible!

I don’t care how much football you watch. Whether you’re an NFL insider or a fan cruising the web for info, your chances are equal in guessing the outcome of a season.

Remember last year when the Philadelphia Eagles were self-glossing themselves (well…Vince Young really) as the “dream team”? If 8-8 is a dream then I’d hate to see what a Philadelphia nightmare looks like.

Remember how the Green Bay Packers were tearing through the league in route to a sure defense of their title? Maybe my memory isn’t so good but I recall those same Packers playing only one game in the postseason.

There was even a camp out there proclaiming the Arizona Cardinals as NFC West champs because of Kevin Kolb while others declared the 49ers chumps due to Alex Smith still being the signal caller.

I think you get the point.

More to the point of this post, ESPN’s John Clayton has predicted that the 2012 Oakland Raiders will once again fall into the land of 11 losses. Clayton has Oakland propping up the AFC West with a 5-11 record while the Denver Peytons will move to top of the division with a 10-6 record.

Normally I might be quick to jump on Johnny Good Times for his complete lack of respect for the talent on the Raiders roster. My Raider Nation instincts are great at sniffing out Raider Haters and putting them in their place.

But I’ll be totally honest this time around. I have no clue what to expect of this team.

Before I open up about my Oakland angst, let me point out that Clayton picked the Chargers to finish second at 9-7 then the Chiefs third at 7-9. We all know what this division is like and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the exact opposite of what Clayton predicted happened with the Denver Mannings dropping to 5-11. Let’s not just overlook the fact that we’re talking about a QB with a severe neck condition.

All that said we have no clue what these Raiders will be like under a new head coach with a new philosophy and with plenty of Band-Aids applied to positions that were a weakness last season. We have no idea what Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer will be like as a cornerback tandem. We’re not so sure Darren McFadden will remain healthy or if Carson Palmer will take a step forward. We don’t even know what Rolando McClain’s status will be come the start of the season.

So instead of jumping on Clayton I’m taking a big step back from my normal ramblings. I’m not going to use this as an excuse to bash ESPN for its continued Raider Hatred. I’m not going to take this opportunity to reference Sean Salisbury’s crypt keeper blast. I’m just going to take the wait and see approach just like Reggie McKenzie. Even he can’t be entirely sure what his team will look like in 2012 so how can I? I do know this much. No matter what I know what I’ll be doing every Sunday as soon as the season starts and no matter the results I’ll be doing the same thing the Sunday after that. It’s Raiders till I die, baby! That’s a prediction you can take to the bank.