Chiefs Get Acquainted With New QB Palmer as They Visit The Raiders

Sunday, October 23, 2011

by Aengus Moorehead

Chiefs Get Acquainted With New QB Palmer as They Visit The Raiders

Analysis:
Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson said he's excited with how well his football team is playing this season. It will be interesting to see if those emotions will be swayed now that quarterback Jason Campbell is expected to miss significant time with a broken collarbone.

Jackson wasn't lying either, as the Raiders made a big move before Tuesday's trade deadline by acquiring disgruntled former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. The Bengals finally granted Palmer's wish to be traded by sending him to the West Coast in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2012 draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2013. The 2013 pick would become a first-round selection if Oakland wins a divisional playoff game, something it hasn't accomplished since 2002.

The Raiders haven't officially announced if Palmer will start Sunday's matchup versus the AFC West-rival Kansas City Chiefs at the Oakland Coliseum, where the Silver and Black won for the second straight time with this past weekend's 24-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Kyle Boller had seemed to be the best candidate to get the start prior to the trade and was thrust into action when Campbell went down late in the first half against the Browns.

Campbell will undergo surgery and could miss up to six weeks, initiating the move for Palmer.

It's been almost a year since Palmer last took a snap, as he exiled himself from the Bengals during the offseason due to a lingering dispute with owner Mike Brown, who refused to grant his quarterback a trade. The former Heisman Trophy winner in turn decided to sit out the season despite having four years remaining on his contract.

Palmer has had issues with his knee and elbow in the past, but said he is confident in his arm and will be able to prove his health on the field. With Oakland's bye week coming up in Week 8, it's possible he could sit on Sunday to get the extra time to study the playbook before the Raiders get back into gear versus Denver on Nov. 6.

The USC product has been splitting first-team reps with Boller, however, and the Raiders have been mum on who will get the nod.

Jackson and Palmer have worked together before at both USC and with the Bengals. Jackson was the Trojans' offensive coordinator for part of Palmer's time there and later coached Cincinnati's wide receivers, including Chad Ochocinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. In his first year as a head coach, he has the Raiders at 4-2 after last week's victory over Cleveland.

Oakland, which hasn't reached the playoffs since losing to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII to wrap up the 2002 season, is off to its best start since winning its first four games of that campaign. It then lost four in a row before winning seven of eight contests to qualify for the postseason. The Raiders also began the 2001 season with a 6-2 mark.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are coming off their bye week and enter Sunday's matchup riding a two-game winning streak after starting the season 0-3. Unfortunately, the extra rest wasn't long enough to get running back Jamaal Charles back from a torn ACL, while general manager Scott Pioli had to douse rumors that head coach Todd Haley was on the chopping block.

Haley's job is secure for now, with Kansas City gunning for its first three- game winning streak since Nov. 21-Dec. 5 of last season. Perhaps Haley's latest scheme for building team chemistry will keep the defending AFC West-champion Chiefs in the win column and more loose. A bean-bag game involving two pieces of lumber with holes in each positioned exactly 33 feet apart has become a recent form of bonding, and so far the team is 2-0 since Haley instituted the drill.

There wasn't much to discuss after the Chiefs were outscored by an 89-10 margin by Buffalo and Detroit in the first two weeks of the season. A 20-17 loss at San Diego in Week 3 later got Haley thinking about new ways to break tension and get things loose.

Granted that wins over Minnesota and Indianapolis aren't much to brag about these days, but it's better than starting out 0-5.

The second half of the season is going to be a rough one for Kansas City, as it plays games against the rest of the AFC West as well as such heavyweights as New England, Pittsburgh, the New York Jets and Green Bay.

The Chiefs trail both San Diego (4-1) and Oakland (4-2) by more than a game in the AFC West standings, but can gain some ground on at least one of those foes and get back to .500 with a big win in a hostile environment on Sunday.

Time & Venue:
- 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, October 23, 2011. O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

Last Week's results:
- Kansas City Chiefs (+2.5) beats host Indianapolis Colts 28-24.
- Oakland Raiders (-6.5) beats visiting Cleveland Browns 24-17.

Last week's ATS:
- Underdog Kansas City (2-3) wins outright
- Favourite Oakland (4-2) wins and covers.

NFL Football Odds: Oakland -6, O/U 41.

Next up:
- Kansas City home to San Diego, Monday, October 31
- Oakland home to Denver, Sunday, November 6

Kansas City is hoping its momentum hasn't been stalled by its bye last week. The Chiefs have won their last two games after starting the season with three straight losses, but the wins came against the Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts, who are a combined 1-11. With Jamaal Charles already done for the season with a knee injury, Kansas City is hoping Le'Ron McClain and Jackie Battle can play after suffering neck and head injuries, respectively, against Indianapolis on Oct. 9.

Though they have plenty of time to prepare for this matchup, the Chiefs are 0-2 thus far after the bye week under Haley. Last year he allowed select veterans to run meetings, practices and even a scrimmage, though that didn't translate into success for Kansas City, which had two outdoor practices during the bye this time around before breaking for four days as per the new CBA rules. The Chiefs haven't won on the road after a bye since 1999.

Oakland paid a hefty price to get Palmer, sending next year's first-round draft choice and a conditional pick in 2013 that also could turn into a first-rounder should the Raiders reach the AFC Championship game. If Palmer starts and struggles, Oakland can turn to its running game. Darren McFadden leads the NFL in rushing with 910 yards and has four of the Raiders' league-high 10 rushing touchdowns.

Only three teams (Indianapolis, New Orleans and Carolina) have allowed more points than Oakland and Kansas City, who both have yielded 150. Three clubs (Miami, Jacksonville and St. Louis) have scored fewer points than the Chiefs' 77.

The Raiders have won eight straight matchups with fellow AFC West teams.

Kansas City has lost five of its last seven meetings with Oakland, including both showdowns last season.

Oakland is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Oakland is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Oakland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Kansas City is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing Oakland
Kansas City is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Kansas City is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Oakland

The Raiders apparently got the quarterback they wanted in Palmer, and it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that he'll be ready to run the offense and win the crowd over on Sunday. But even if Boller draws the start, Oakland still should have enough to get past a Kansas City team hasn't won the week following a bye since 2006. The results likely won't differ five years later.

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NFL Football Pick: Take Raiders.

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carson palmer - chad ochocinco - darren mcfadden - hue jackson - jackie battle - jamaal charles - jason campbell - kansas city chiefs - kyle boller - leron mcclain

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