The Official Oakland Raiders 2011 Season Thread
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Oakland Raiders are thankful for Carson Palmer's arrival and presence
At the conclusion of the 2011 NFL draft, Raiders coach Hue Jackson assessed the young men chosen to join his team and practically squealed with delight.
"Merry Christmas to the Raiders," he boasted.
Jackson could not have known in April that the acquisition of another player, who would arrive in October, would ensure a happy Thanksgiving.
That's what Carson Palmer has done. Roughly one-third of the way through his first season in Oakland, the quarterback has rescued the Raiders from a season that went teetering on the ledge the moment starter Jason Campbell suffered a separated shoulder in a 24-17 win over Cleveland on Oct. 16.
Since being thrust into action the following week, when he played poorly, Palmer has rebounded with performances that can be judged from solid to spectacular.
"It hasn't been easy for him, coming here in the middle of the season," said punter Shane Lechler, whose 12 seasons in Oakland have spanned 18 quarterbacks. "We felt we were starting to get rolling when Jason went down. But (Palmer) has shown leadership. Some of the stuff he does in the game reminds me of (Rich) Gannon. He's doing it differently, but you can see he's doing more as he gets more comfortable."
The Raiders have won two of Palmer's three starts, during which he has shown the ability to make all necessary throws, long and short, hard or soft, vertical or horizontal.
That the Raiders sit alone atop the AFC West tells us Jackson is winning his gamble.
The loss of Campbell, who was 4-2 as a starter, presented Jackson with an emergency. The 2011 season hanging in the balance, he left O.co Coliseum that night searching for a solution.
On the roster was backup Kyle Boller, who had achieved little success over his nine-year NFL career and had barely played in 2011. There also was third-stringer Terrelle Pryor, a rookie who had not yet been activated.
At home, on his couch, was Palmer, a veteran with a solid resume whose performance had declined and whose health was perceived to be a factor.
Sitting out after refusing to report to the Cincinnati Bengals and hoping to force a trade, Palmer had neither practiced nor played this season.
"It took me some time to consider Carson," Jackson said Wednesday, "because I knew if I opened that vault, what I could be getting myself into -- from the media scrutiny, to how Jason would feel, to how fans would feel and how the team would feel. I thought through it all.
"So it took me some time. I went to dinner, just sat there and thought about things. I prayed about it. At the end of the day, I had to think about this team and what was best for it. And I think this team deserves the opportunity to win."
Within 24 hours of Campbell's injury, Jackson reached out to Palmer. The two have a relationship that dates back to 1997, when Jackson was an assistant at USC and recruited Palmer to the university.
On Oct. 18, Palmer was introduced as a Raider. Jackson, who assumed authority over the roster after the Oct. 8 death of owner Al Davis, dealt Oakland's first-round draft pick in 2012 and at least a second-rounder in 2013 (which becomes a first-rounder if the Raiders make either of the next two AFC championship games) for a rusty 31-year-old coming off two seasons in which the Bengals were a combined 14-18.
"It was, 'Oh, you think you're Al Davis.' Or, 'Oh, you're doing that or doing that.' I knew all that was coming," Jackson said. "So I had to saddle myself up to keep all that from filtering into me. What I had to do was tune out a lot of things and listen to my inner self and what I truly believed."
Still, there was the matter of persuading the organization that this was a risk worth taking -- one it pretty much had to take.
"I've seen organizations that get torn apart by one decision," Jackson said. "So I had to step back and make sure there was no danger of that. I wanted to make sure I could ... not sell it, but have it known by our players and the organization -- by everybody involved in this deal -- that we were doing the right thing, and for the right reasons."
Initial reaction, both inside and outside the franchise, ranged from overt criticism to muted skepticism. Palmer heard it.
"You can't help but hear it," he said. "I know people say they don't, but you can't help but hear it. But it doesn't matter what people are saying, especially people who never played football, never played quarterback, never played sports. I just knew I needed an opportunity, and that all the people who were doubting me, I would prove wrong."
There remain plenty of valid questions for these Raiders. Can they stay healthy enough to win the division? Can they deliver a complete 60-minute performance? Is the defense capable of doing its part over the upcoming six-game sprint toward the postseason?
The questions about quarterback, though, have faded away. Bringing in Palmer was, by all appearances, the smart move, no matter how desperate it looked at the time.
Contact Monte Poole at [email protected].
At the conclusion of the 2011 NFL draft, Raiders coach Hue Jackson assessed the young men chosen to join his team and practically squealed with delight.
"Merry Christmas to the Raiders," he boasted.
Jackson could not have known in April that the acquisition of another player, who would arrive in October, would ensure a happy Thanksgiving.
That's what Carson Palmer has done. Roughly one-third of the way through his first season in Oakland, the quarterback has rescued the Raiders from a season that went teetering on the ledge the moment starter Jason Campbell suffered a separated shoulder in a 24-17 win over Cleveland on Oct. 16.
Since being thrust into action the following week, when he played poorly, Palmer has rebounded with performances that can be judged from solid to spectacular.
"It hasn't been easy for him, coming here in the middle of the season," said punter Shane Lechler, whose 12 seasons in Oakland have spanned 18 quarterbacks. "We felt we were starting to get rolling when Jason went down. But (Palmer) has shown leadership. Some of the stuff he does in the game reminds me of (Rich) Gannon. He's doing it differently, but you can see he's doing more as he gets more comfortable."
The Raiders have won two of Palmer's three starts, during which he has shown the ability to make all necessary throws, long and short, hard or soft, vertical or horizontal.
That the Raiders sit alone atop the AFC West tells us Jackson is winning his gamble.
The loss of Campbell, who was 4-2 as a starter, presented Jackson with an emergency. The 2011 season hanging in the balance, he left O.co Coliseum that night searching for a solution.
On the roster was backup Kyle Boller, who had achieved little success over his nine-year NFL career and had barely played in 2011. There also was third-stringer Terrelle Pryor, a rookie who had not yet been activated.
At home, on his couch, was Palmer, a veteran with a solid resume whose performance had declined and whose health was perceived to be a factor.
Sitting out after refusing to report to the Cincinnati Bengals and hoping to force a trade, Palmer had neither practiced nor played this season.
"It took me some time to consider Carson," Jackson said Wednesday, "because I knew if I opened that vault, what I could be getting myself into -- from the media scrutiny, to how Jason would feel, to how fans would feel and how the team would feel. I thought through it all.
"So it took me some time. I went to dinner, just sat there and thought about things. I prayed about it. At the end of the day, I had to think about this team and what was best for it. And I think this team deserves the opportunity to win."
Within 24 hours of Campbell's injury, Jackson reached out to Palmer. The two have a relationship that dates back to 1997, when Jackson was an assistant at USC and recruited Palmer to the university.
On Oct. 18, Palmer was introduced as a Raider. Jackson, who assumed authority over the roster after the Oct. 8 death of owner Al Davis, dealt Oakland's first-round draft pick in 2012 and at least a second-rounder in 2013 (which becomes a first-rounder if the Raiders make either of the next two AFC championship games) for a rusty 31-year-old coming off two seasons in which the Bengals were a combined 14-18.
"It was, 'Oh, you think you're Al Davis.' Or, 'Oh, you're doing that or doing that.' I knew all that was coming," Jackson said. "So I had to saddle myself up to keep all that from filtering into me. What I had to do was tune out a lot of things and listen to my inner self and what I truly believed."
Still, there was the matter of persuading the organization that this was a risk worth taking -- one it pretty much had to take.
"I've seen organizations that get torn apart by one decision," Jackson said. "So I had to step back and make sure there was no danger of that. I wanted to make sure I could ... not sell it, but have it known by our players and the organization -- by everybody involved in this deal -- that we were doing the right thing, and for the right reasons."
Initial reaction, both inside and outside the franchise, ranged from overt criticism to muted skepticism. Palmer heard it.
"You can't help but hear it," he said. "I know people say they don't, but you can't help but hear it. But it doesn't matter what people are saying, especially people who never played football, never played quarterback, never played sports. I just knew I needed an opportunity, and that all the people who were doubting me, I would prove wrong."
There remain plenty of valid questions for these Raiders. Can they stay healthy enough to win the division? Can they deliver a complete 60-minute performance? Is the defense capable of doing its part over the upcoming six-game sprint toward the postseason?
The questions about quarterback, though, have faded away. Bringing in Palmer was, by all appearances, the smart move, no matter how desperate it looked at the time.
Contact Monte Poole at [email protected].
Raiders coach Hue Jackson promises to be smart about kicking to Bears’ Devin Hester
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, November 24, 11:04 AM
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The last time the Oakland Raiders faced Devin Hester and the Chicago Bears, former coach Lane Kiffin memorably promised to challenge the NFL’s most dangerous returner and did not pay the price for doing so.
There are not the same bold proclamations coming out of Oakland this week as the Bears prepare to play their first game with backup quarterback Caleb Hanie at the helm in place of injured starter Jay Cutler.
“With the situation they’re in right now, I am going to try not to let him touch it,” All-Pro punter Shane Lechler said. “Because they got a new quarterback this week, losing Jay, they’re looking for a spark somewhere. And I don’t want that spark to be against our punt team. I think the best thing to do is go neutral on this deal, and let’s play defense, and get through it like that.”
Coach Hue Jackson said Hester can change a game in the snap of the fingers and he wished he could have 20 players on his coverage units to contain him.
Jackson said he hasn’t decided yet whether he will kick to Hester but acknowledged that sometimes there is no choice because of the situation in the game, so the team must prepare for it.
“We’re not going to run from a challenge from anybody and that’s the way it is,” he said. “But we’ll be smart about the challenge. We’ll be smart about the fights we pick.”
The Raiders gave Hester eight chances to return the ball in their 17-6 loss in 2007. He returned one kickoff from 8 yards deep in the end zone and only managed to make it out to the 11. He also twice lost 4 yards on punt returns. Hester’s one big play, a 64-yard punt return, was wiped out by a holding call. He finished the day with 14 yards on six punt returns and 34 yards on two kickoff returns.
That was the only time since Hester’s rookie year that he had six punt returns in a game, as most teams choose either to kick the ball out of bounds, or high and short, to prevent him from getting a chance at another highlight. In his two six-return games as a rookie in 2006, he averaged 17.9 yards per punt return with an 83-yard touchdown against Arizona.
That’s why Lechler called Hester a “scary” guy to punt to and ranked him alongside Dante Hall as the most dangerous returners he has faced in 12 years in the NFL.
“He’s got top-notch vision,” Lechler said. “He sees cuts way down the field. He sets up blocks very well, probably one of the better guys that sets up blocks across the league. He’s just a guy that we want to try to neutralize and not let him hit the home run against us.”
Hester has more home run returns than any player in NFL history, with 17 in less than six full seasons. His 13.1-yard average on punt returns is the highest in NFL history.
Raiders safety Mike Mitchell called Hester the second-best return man in football, behind teammate Jacoby Ford, who has four kick returns for touchdowns in less than two seasons as a pro.
But Mitchell also said Hester should be as worried about Lechler’s big leg and the Raiders’ coverage unit as they are with him this week.
“We have a guy who can punt a ball 60 yards in the air. We’re going to take every advantage of that,” Mitchell said. “We have the biggest, fastest guys in the league covering our punts. We just have to get down field and outrun their protection team and make tackles. After he gets machine gunned a couple of times he’s not going to be too quick to return punts.”
The Raiders have allowed a pair of punt return scores this season, both to Denver. Oakland has allowed 14.5 yards per return, fifth worst in the league.
But the players on the coverage units welcome the challenge of facing Hester and see no need for the Raiders to kick the ball out of bounds.
“He’s going to be there no matter what,” linebacker Quentin Groves said. “You can kick it left, you can kick it right, you can kick it down the middle. He’s going to still be there. Everybody’s tried it. You see guys have tried to kick it away from him. They’ve tried to do everything, pooch kick, and it still doesn’t work. You just have to man up and be a man about it and just play.”
Bears coach Lovie Smith has seen all sorts of strategies when it comes to dealing with Hester and is not surprised teams still give him chances despite his record-setting success.
“I think it’s hard to go into meetings and tell your punt team that, ‘Hey guys, we don’t think you’re good enough so we’re going to have to kick it out of bounds because we don’t think you can tackle one guy down on the other end,’” Smith said. “I just don’t think you can go in and do that very often. So, I assume a lot of teams have kicked it to him and I think they’ll continue to do that, because he’s just an NFL player, like everybody else.”
And what does Smith think about that strategy: “Believe me, we love it every time that they do decide to do that.”
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, November 24, 11:04 AM
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The last time the Oakland Raiders faced Devin Hester and the Chicago Bears, former coach Lane Kiffin memorably promised to challenge the NFL’s most dangerous returner and did not pay the price for doing so.
There are not the same bold proclamations coming out of Oakland this week as the Bears prepare to play their first game with backup quarterback Caleb Hanie at the helm in place of injured starter Jay Cutler.
“With the situation they’re in right now, I am going to try not to let him touch it,” All-Pro punter Shane Lechler said. “Because they got a new quarterback this week, losing Jay, they’re looking for a spark somewhere. And I don’t want that spark to be against our punt team. I think the best thing to do is go neutral on this deal, and let’s play defense, and get through it like that.”
Coach Hue Jackson said Hester can change a game in the snap of the fingers and he wished he could have 20 players on his coverage units to contain him.
Jackson said he hasn’t decided yet whether he will kick to Hester but acknowledged that sometimes there is no choice because of the situation in the game, so the team must prepare for it.
“We’re not going to run from a challenge from anybody and that’s the way it is,” he said. “But we’ll be smart about the challenge. We’ll be smart about the fights we pick.”
The Raiders gave Hester eight chances to return the ball in their 17-6 loss in 2007. He returned one kickoff from 8 yards deep in the end zone and only managed to make it out to the 11. He also twice lost 4 yards on punt returns. Hester’s one big play, a 64-yard punt return, was wiped out by a holding call. He finished the day with 14 yards on six punt returns and 34 yards on two kickoff returns.
That was the only time since Hester’s rookie year that he had six punt returns in a game, as most teams choose either to kick the ball out of bounds, or high and short, to prevent him from getting a chance at another highlight. In his two six-return games as a rookie in 2006, he averaged 17.9 yards per punt return with an 83-yard touchdown against Arizona.
That’s why Lechler called Hester a “scary” guy to punt to and ranked him alongside Dante Hall as the most dangerous returners he has faced in 12 years in the NFL.
“He’s got top-notch vision,” Lechler said. “He sees cuts way down the field. He sets up blocks very well, probably one of the better guys that sets up blocks across the league. He’s just a guy that we want to try to neutralize and not let him hit the home run against us.”
Hester has more home run returns than any player in NFL history, with 17 in less than six full seasons. His 13.1-yard average on punt returns is the highest in NFL history.
Raiders safety Mike Mitchell called Hester the second-best return man in football, behind teammate Jacoby Ford, who has four kick returns for touchdowns in less than two seasons as a pro.
But Mitchell also said Hester should be as worried about Lechler’s big leg and the Raiders’ coverage unit as they are with him this week.
“We have a guy who can punt a ball 60 yards in the air. We’re going to take every advantage of that,” Mitchell said. “We have the biggest, fastest guys in the league covering our punts. We just have to get down field and outrun their protection team and make tackles. After he gets machine gunned a couple of times he’s not going to be too quick to return punts.”
The Raiders have allowed a pair of punt return scores this season, both to Denver. Oakland has allowed 14.5 yards per return, fifth worst in the league.
But the players on the coverage units welcome the challenge of facing Hester and see no need for the Raiders to kick the ball out of bounds.
“He’s going to be there no matter what,” linebacker Quentin Groves said. “You can kick it left, you can kick it right, you can kick it down the middle. He’s going to still be there. Everybody’s tried it. You see guys have tried to kick it away from him. They’ve tried to do everything, pooch kick, and it still doesn’t work. You just have to man up and be a man about it and just play.”
Bears coach Lovie Smith has seen all sorts of strategies when it comes to dealing with Hester and is not surprised teams still give him chances despite his record-setting success.
“I think it’s hard to go into meetings and tell your punt team that, ‘Hey guys, we don’t think you’re good enough so we’re going to have to kick it out of bounds because we don’t think you can tackle one guy down on the other end,’” Smith said. “I just don’t think you can go in and do that very often. So, I assume a lot of teams have kicked it to him and I think they’ll continue to do that, because he’s just an NFL player, like everybody else.”
And what does Smith think about that strategy: “Believe me, we love it every time that they do decide to do that.”
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.