October 18, 2011
Hue Jackson and the Oakland Raiders make an aggressive move to add disgruntled, semi-retired QB Carson Palmer from the death clutch of Bengals owner Mike Brown. The only way Oakland was able to pry Palmer from Cincinnati was 1. Hue Jackson wants to win now, 2. Jackson coached for the Bengals for a while and lastly they vastly overpriced for him. I mean a QB who has had a fairly decent career and has shown that he has potential to be an all-pro player year in and year out but has shown in recent years he is on the back side of his career or just that he was sick of being harassed by Chad Johnson (Ochocinco) is an awfully risky move made by the brash Hue Jackson for the price of possibly 2 1st round picks.
The thing that really bothers me about this trade is the affect this has on improving QB Jason Campbell who has developed to be the leader of this team on and off the field. Just when this guy has stability in his career his life gets turned upside down by one scramble for an attempt at a first down. He has developed a rapport with his receivers has a winning record with his time in Oakland BUT this is the cruel nature of this business. You have to think about what the players in the locker room are thinking about but hopefully the players believe in Hue Jackson which I’m 100% sure they are.
It might sound like I’m not a fan of this deal but I’m very excited to see what Carson Palmer can do here. It’s a hell of a lot more exciting than seeing Kyle Boller back there taking the snaps. But what we have here is a situation where we either get a guy who is refreshed and can lead this team for the next 3-5 years and be a playoff contender or a guy who is past his prime and injuries have caught up to him. But all in all we know our new leader Jackson wants to win just as much as the legendary Al Davis and he will give up all he can to make this team better so we can JUST WIN BABY!!!
