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We all know that Reggie McKenzie has no desire to pay $13-million for a past-his-prime quarterback that looks likely to be entering his final year as an NFL starter. Carson Palmer’s contract is the elephant in the room everyone sees yet nobody within the Oakland organization is commenting on.

Already there was pressure on Palmer to restructure his contract when Michael Vick took a pay cut just to remain in Philly for another year. Now comes even more contractual encouragement as NFL golden boy Tom Brady has signed a cash saving extension that will open up millions for the Pats in cap space going forward.

Now don’t be fooled by the move. Brady is still going get his pay day. On paper he’s saving face and some cap space but ultimately he’ll still be clocking major coin. Just call it creative accounting.

However this is yet another move that puts Palmer’s lucrative deal in perspective. You could argue that Brady has enough money to last him a lifetime. But that has nothing to do making a move that helps the team. At this point Palmer is at the crossroads. His days as a starter could be over if the Raiders decide to release him. Certainly his days of earning eight figures have ended. You can take that to the bank.

Whether or not Palmer opts to restructure his deal is irrelevant. No matter what his pay is getting slashed. What he has to decide is whether or not he wants to play for less is Oakland or elsewhere.

August 13, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive back Gerald Sensabaugh (43) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter at O.Co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

Carson Palmer seems to be a natural leader. He spent his off season organizing workouts with widereceivers, meeting with new coaches, and studying his new playbook doing everything a rookie head coach would want. However leaders in the NFL don’t stay leaders for long when they throw more interceptions then touchdowns. Which leads to the question the Oakland Raiders have to be asking themselves, Can Carson Palmer lead in Oakland.

Its a little early to judge Palmer after only one preseason performance, but it isn’t very reassuring to start off the season with a overthrown pass into double coverage. One must wonder why the pass was even thrown. The intended receiver on the play was not Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, or even Denarius Moore. The intended receiver was all of 5″9 Jacoby Ford who couldn’t beat out Mini-me in a jump ball battle. So is Palmer still the interception plagued quarterback that he was in his final years at Cincinnati? As scary as that thought is sports commentators seem to enjoy talking about it, sending a shiver up the spine of Raider Nation.

The Raider in me has faith that Palmer can get the job done in Oakland. He might not be able to compete with the likes of Tom Brady, but so long as he can play on Alex Smith’s level the Raiders should have a chance. Darren McFadden and the new and improved Dennis Allen Defense will take care of winning games so long as Palmer doesn’t lose them. Considering the Raiders have the rest of the preseason for Palmer to work out his interception ticks I’d say hes fine. Despite all of the positive things that have come out of the silver and black’s off season turnovers are the one thing that could wreck playoff chances in Oakland with a healthy McFadden which is why Palmer absolutely needs to be on time with his passes.

Worst case scenario Matt Leinart will have a second shot at clearing his name as NFL bust. The former USC Trojan spent Monday night looking more like a playboy model then a quarterback, the man looked damn good working on his back. Leinart completed 11 of 16 passes for 98 yards and no turnovers. This can serve as small piece of reassurance to Greg Knapp who always has valuable veteran as a backup if needed. Tomorrow night will prove whether Oakland can fix their mistakes and capitalize on their achievements. The preseason might not hold any post-season value, but it certainly will be beneficial to carry some momentum into week one.

Matthew Emmons

Here we go again. It doesn’t matter that Reggie McKenzie is running things differently in Oakland. It doesn’t matter that Al Davis had officially checked out of the knucklehead market prior to his passing. It doesn’t matter the Raiders already have a crowded collection of talented and young receivers. None of that matters because Chad Ochcocinco is a free agent and the NFL offseason is hitting a lull in the news cycle.

So without fail, the moment the Pats parted ways with their $6-million mistake named Ochco the speculation of the Raiders being interested in his services began.

It’s the same tired and lazy approach Raider Nation has become used to. It will happen every offseason so long as there are knucklehead receivers looking for work the silver and black will forever be linked to said knuckleheads.

For the record I don’t in anyway associate Ocho with T.O., the two are totally different. Chad might walk around with his head in the clouds but he’s mostly harmless. Dude can’t seem to wrap his head around an NFL offense which only makes his success even more impressive. But otherwise Ocho’s antics are detrimental only to himself and none of his teammates. Terrell Owens is the exact opposite. His actions destroy teams.

Still, if I’m Reggie McKenzie I’m staying away from Chad.

There’s no need to disrupt the development of Oakland’s receivers that have been working with Carson Palmer all this offseason. Last year Hue Jackson selfishly brought in T.J. Houshmandzadeh to give CP3 a familiar face. All that did was take away reps that could have gone to receivers with more room for growth than Housh who is currently out of the game.

There’s no need to bring in a vet that couldn’t digest the playbook of a pass-happy offense. If Chad wasn’t motivated enough to play with Tom Brady in a career salvaging year then why would he be any different with Palmer? Chad knows Carson so that means he knows what he can get away with. Letting him lineup with Carson under center would only enable Ocho’s tendencies to Tweet instead of study.

There’s no need to waste money even if Chad is willing to play at a discount. No matter how much or little you pay for his services you know you’re only getting the 34-year-old Ochocinoc for a year at best. Why waste the cash? McKenzie and the Raiders are cash strapped. Save some of that for a rainy day and go to war with the men who have been there and done that in the black hole. Ocho is desperate and willing to play for pennies but that doesn’t make him a bargain. It makes him a money whore.

Reggie McKenize can and likely will say “thanks, but no thanks”. Just say no to Ochocinco.