Still, Sunday’s performance gave us an awful lot to digest as he showed flashes of brilliance peppered with moments of madness.

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly of Carson Palmer thus far.

The Good

Ummm…did you see his strike to Marcel Reece? Calling that throw good is an insult. It was great…beyond great in fact. The type of throw only a handful of men currently playing the game would have either the stones or skill to make. To be sure Palmer had no business trying to zip one into tight coverage in the middle of the field. Hell, if it were any other fullback besides Reece the freak you might want to give your QB a brain scan at the end of the game.

But that is what makes Palmer’s good so much better than many others. The greats have to take chances. This is big boy football and winning takes more than playing it safe. You have to take large risks in order to reap high rewards.

Something else that is telling of Palmer’s talent is how he’s already utilizing his weapons without knowing any of them. Jacoby Ford can ball…we knew this. But one game with Palmer throwing to him and you see all of Ford’s talent come into focus.
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If Boller’s 3 picks weren’t enough then Carson Palmer’s trifecta sealed the deal.

Blame Boller for being Boller. Blame Palmer for being rusty. Blame Hue Jackson for being stubborn. Just don’t blame Jason Campbell for breaking his collar bone. At least he went out giving it his all.

After today it is abundantly clear how important JC was to this franchise.

To be sure, losing Darren McFadden didn’t help at all. Just winning, baby, becomes incredibly difficult when you’re minus the league’s leading rusher. That being said Michael Bush did his thing and was more than effective in the absence of Run DMC. Oh…and can I see a little more of Taiwan Jones, please?

Despite the effectiveness of Bush, Coach Jackson stuck to Boller for far too long and dialed up too many passes long after the Chiefs were far too comfortable in coverage.
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Suddenly, the chance of two of the best prospects in the draft falling to the Oakland Raiders at pick #7 has become a very real possibility. I’m talking about Texas Teach wide receiver Michael Crabtree and Alabama left tackle Andre Smith. Both have seen their stock take a hit and now the free fall could begin.

My question is simple. Are we looking at a gift or could these two be a couple of strobelite honeys?

Michael Crabtree was listed at a Larry Fitzgerald-like 6’3″ at Texas Tech, but at the combine he measured up more like an Antonio Bryant-like 6’1″. Don’t get me wrong, Bryant can ball, but for a #7 pick I was expecting a franchise caliber wide out and not a guy who only looks great in a contract year.

My other issue with Crabtree is the spread offense. Sorry to go Ken Whisenhunt on this one, but it bothers me too. Yes, Crabtree does show some good ball skills and is a dynamo in the open field, but that offense just did him no favors with regards to running NFL routes. Sure, Crabtree put up some sick numbers at Teach but even Raja Bell was dropping 15 a night in Mike D’Antoni’s pick up game style of offense. Thanks for nothing Mike Leach! You and your 5 wide receiver sets did nothing for prepping this guy for being jammed at the line by Champ Bailey.

The other issue is that foot injury. A lot of you have told me that it’s “no big deal”. That it’s a “minor surgery” and “he’ll be fine”. Well, I want to know how he could not know about this until it came time for the biggest interview of his life. I mean, c’mon Texas Teach! You guys let the Ferrari make it all the way to the big car show in Indianapolis and it took the show’s curator to notice there was a flat tire. Maybe the injury itself is no big deal, but to not take action on this until the combine is just in poor taste.

As for Andre Smith…well…I’m not sure where to begin.

Just two weeks ago he was the guy that everybody wanted. Some said he was the best offensive lineman in the draft while others went as far as to say he was the best prospect regardless of position. His stock was soaring like Google but after his performance (or lack there of) at the combine it’s tanking like General Motors.

Let’s go all the way back to December of 2008 when Andre was suspended for the Sugar Bowl. I don’t even care why he was suspended, that’s not the issue. The issue is that this was his chance to do his thing on the big stage. It was supposed to be a savory appetizer meant to wet the appetites of NFL scouts who now doubt would be salivating for his appearance at the combine.  Instead, he invited a high society crowd to his party and served chicken fingers and warm beer when they expected veal and chilled wine.

So the fact of the matter is that this guy hasn’t suited up since the SEC championship game on December 6^th. This could go a long way in explaining why Smith showed up at the combine with a few extra pounds hanging around that soon-to-be million dollar waste line. Not only was Smith out of shape, but he was out of the loop. The guy was MIA when his number was called to run the 40. That’s right; Smith busted a Bobby Petrino and bailed in the middle of the night. At least Petrino left a note. Smith hopped on a 6am flight and was back home watching the combine on NFL Network before anybody realized he was gone.

Andre Smith didn’t work out at the combine because he was not prepared to. How is this possible? How did he not know that he was going to have to get a little prepared for the combine? This would be like getting an interview with Donald Trump for a multi-million dollar job offer and showing up late with a McDonald’s bag in hand instead of a resume!

Oh, by the way, Andre, there are a couple of other guys out there who interviewed with “The Donald” named Eugene Monroe and Jason Smith. Let’s just say “The Donald” seems to think they’re now finalists for The Apprentice and you’re now Rosie O’Donnell.

So to sum it all up, we’ve got quite a dilemma Raider Nation. We might (or might not) see Crabtree workout before draft day and Andre Smith has between now and his pro day to do a complete 180 and convince Al Davis that he’s worth a million dollar investment.

For what it’s worth, I say stay way from both these guys.

Yes, Crabtree might have the skill, but if Crabtree, his agent and the Texas Tech medical staff had no clue he needed surgery, then all I can say is the NFL needs a “lemon law”.

As for Andre Smith, well, I don’t feel like I need to make much of a case, but here it goes. If this guy had no motivation to get in shape with millions of dollars on the line, then what makes you think he’s going to be pumped up to play against the Houston Texans once he already has his millions in his pocket?

For my money I’ll take Hakeem Nicks over Michael Crabtree and Jason Smith over Andre Smith. Well, I’ll take Kwame Harris back over Andre Smith at this point, but that is another topic for another day.