About five years ago, the Raiders had a player who was entirely indifferent to the team and made it clear he was not happy in Oakland. Yesterday, the Raiders signed Carson Palmer who comes to the Bay Area, from the brink of retirement, after he felt much the same way in Cincinnati. He seems eager to play for Oakland, which is a welcome change from the demeanor of most incoming players.
The arrival of Palmer heralds great potential for the Raiders whose hopes have previously been pinned on their running game and a quarterback whose role is largely supplementary. It will be interesting to see whether the offense will change to suit this new quarterback, who has a stronger presence on the field. Such a change might be unwise at this point in the season because it would hinge on Palmer’s success, whereas the current offense is essentially compatible with any quarterback, because it allows the position to take on a maintenance role rather than an assertive one. This inherent versatility might be reason to avoid gearing it to a specific quarterback, since Palmer can easily be slotted in, much the same way that Boller or any other decent quarterback could be.
Now that Palmer is joining the Raiders, it is worth noting that this is not the first time Palmer has eclipsed Kyle Boller. Both came from PAC 10 schools and were in the 2003 draft but Palmer was drafted first. Although Boller did well for himself in the draft, going second to the Ravens, he hasn’t had the same success as Palmer, and now, on the same team, might get overshadowed. Much hinges on this Sunday because since it seems Palmer will be seizing the starting position, this might be the beginning of the end for Boller.
