The Official Oakland Raiders 2011 Season Thread
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Kurt Warner says Palmer impressive, better option than Campbell
By Steve Corkran
Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 2:13 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Raiders coach Hue Jackson has received a fair amount of criticism for engineering a trade for quarterback Carson Palmer two days after Jason Campbell suffered a broken right collarbone. Yet, there are those who think Jackson made a smart move in trading two high draft picks for Palmer.
One of those in Jackson’s corner is former standout quarterback Kurt Warner, who guided the St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls and the Arizona Cardinals to one during a career that might culminate with his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So, who better to break down Palmer than Warner, who now is an NFL Network analyst — he can be seen on the Thursday Night Kickoff, presented by Sears, pregame show, NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night Football and NFL Total Access on NFL Network throughout the Thursday Night Football schedule. In addition, he also is an analyst on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning.
Here is the transcript from a one-on-one, phone interview conducted with Warner before the Raiders-Chargers game:
Q: What are your impressions of the way Palmer played against the Broncos? Did you see him play?
A: “I did. I was extremely impressed. The thing that was most impressive is, how many balls they threw down the field and how many plays he made down the field in just his second game back and, really, his first full-time start. He played tremendously well. He looked like he was pretty comfortable within the offense. He wasn’t perfect, by any means, both mentally and physically. But, just the number of plays he made down the field, he was pretty accurate on some balls down the field, as well. The thing that impresses you is, that team hasn’t necessarily been that kind of team up to this point. They were based on more of the checkdown or the long balls. They weren’t based on those chunk throws. He made a number of those good chunk throws in this game that excites you about the possibility with him as your quarterback, especially when you get McFadden back. So, I was definitely impressed. Everybody wants to look at those three interceptions but, when you actually go back and look at them, one was on a go route with Champ, who made a tremendous play. One was tipped up in the air. And one was late in the game, when he was trying to make a play, he gets hit and the ball is way underthrown. He didn’t make a bunch of bad decisions, either. Those interceptions weren’t based on bad decisions. They were just some physical issues and some things that happened along the way that he’ll only get better at.”
Q: Does he gamble too often, is that just in his DNA? Is he taking too many chances?
A: “I don’t think it’s unwarranted chances. As a quarterback, you have to have confidence in your receivers. If your receiver is on a go route, and it’s one-on-one, you have to take that chance. You don’t get that very often in the NFL. You have to depend on your players to make plays. So, when I watched it, I didn’t see him really forcing throws. I didn’t see it, where a guy was in a horrible situation or there was a safety over the top, and he’s trying to fit throws in. He’s definitely a guy that has the mentality that, I want to make plays, I want to make them down the field and I want to use my big arm and what my strengths are to attack a defense. I didn’t see it to a fault. I didn’t’ see it where he was trying to just jam things in there when he shouldn’t have, more times than not. I won’t say he’s perfect. I didn’t notice that as kind a theme when I was watching the game. I noticed it as, hey, I’ve got one-on-one on the outside, I’m going to take that chance. The one, his receiver didn’t fight for it, Champ went up and got it, and it was intercepted. But I don’t, by any means, think it was a bad decision or something that I wouldn’t have done in the same situation had I had confidence in my receiver.”
Q: What can the Raiders expect from Palmer, given his lack of practice, playing time, knowledge of the playbook, etc.? Can he be good enough to lead them to a Super Bowl?
A: “Well, the expectations are going to be based off of what Carson Palmer does. Nobody really has a track record of what he should be doing because nobody has ever been here before. I don’t care what they tell you, nobody has ever sat out with no offseason and no training camp and come in halfway through the season and been asked to be the guy for your football team, especially on a team that has playoff aspirations. Nobody’s really been there before. I can tell you that, I had high expectations coming in that if he can be the Carson Palmer that we’ve seen, that the expectations for this football team would go up. I can’t say that I’m disappointed after watching him the other day. I know they lost the game, but with what I saw him do on the football field, my expectations kind of went up a little bit, saying, ‘If he can do that in his second game back, wow, he really can do some things two or three games down the road and especially the tail end of the season.’ That’s going to be the key, how well does he play early in this process? And the better he plays, the higher the expectations are going to be for him down the stretch to really give them a chance to make the playoffs.”
Q: We heard questions about his arm strength, the effects from his injuries, etc. What are your impressions? His arm sound?
A: “It’s funny because, I always watched Carson, and it’s funny because he’s always had the big arm and he can always make the big throws but he also throws a soft ball, if that makes sense. So, if you watch him in a game, he doesn’t look like an Aaron Rodgers, where the ball just comes out on a line every time. So, it’s hard to really tell whether he’s accurate. Sometimes, it almost looks like he’s just kind of laying it in there, like he’s not using his big arm. But when you watch that game, he made the throws down the field, he can make the throws in the hole, he had enough velocity to fit it in some tighter windows. But, it’s just hard to say because, unless you’re out there and you’re catching the ball, it’s hard to really tell how much is on the ball. It’s really similar to the way I played the game. I was built on anticipation and always felt like I never had to throw the ball as hard as everybody else did because I was more about placement and I could throw a softer ball. I could throw it hard and make all the throws but I didn’t need to do that. When I watch Carson, he’s kind of that same way. He has a big, strong arm, where he doesn’t have to gun everything. So, I watched some of the balls and I go, ‘Eeh, it’s not great velocity, but it gets there and it’s on time.’ So, that’s something more for a guy that’s actually working him and they can feel the velocity of the ball because, the ball can look like it’s not going that fast but still have a lot of zip on it and have a tight spiral, and be more of what Carson maybe was before that injury then I’m able to tell on film.”
Q: What does coach Jackson do if, when, Jason Campbell returns from his injury? Has Jackson already played his hand?
A: “Well, again, I look at it from a big picture. I look at Campbell, and he’s a great young man, a leader and really good at what he does. But when I look at Jason Campbell, I look at a quarterback that is a guy that is better at managing a game than taking over a game. The reason I say that is because, I believe that Carson Palmer gives them the ability to have a guy that can take over a game and win games in the passing game. That’s what this team needs. This team, as good as they are running the football, they are not great, top to bottom, offense and defense, to where they can solely rely on that and they can play with the big hitters in this league, and they play with the playoff teams. I don’t think that they can survive winning games like that, when it comes to playoffs time, when they have to do it week in, week out. With that being said, if Carson does what he did the other day and improves on that throughout the year, they have to go with Carson Palmer. Not only because of what they gave up for him but because of the possibility he gives them moving forward. He makes them a more dynamic team, he makes them more of a dual threat than Jason does. It doesn’t mean Jason can’t do a great job and it doesn’t mean they can’t win because they’ve obviously won with him. But everybody knows, when you get to the playoffs, there’s games where you have to outscore teams. There’s games where you don’t have you’re a game or you don’t run the ball well, you have to be able to win them in other ways. And I’m just not sure Jason is a guy that can really do that week in and week out, whereas Carson gives you that possibility if he gets back. You have to go that direction because you’re trying to win a championship and not just get into the playoffs.
By Steve Corkran
Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 2:13 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Raiders coach Hue Jackson has received a fair amount of criticism for engineering a trade for quarterback Carson Palmer two days after Jason Campbell suffered a broken right collarbone. Yet, there are those who think Jackson made a smart move in trading two high draft picks for Palmer.
One of those in Jackson’s corner is former standout quarterback Kurt Warner, who guided the St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls and the Arizona Cardinals to one during a career that might culminate with his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So, who better to break down Palmer than Warner, who now is an NFL Network analyst — he can be seen on the Thursday Night Kickoff, presented by Sears, pregame show, NFL.com/LIVE: Thursday Night Football and NFL Total Access on NFL Network throughout the Thursday Night Football schedule. In addition, he also is an analyst on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning.
Here is the transcript from a one-on-one, phone interview conducted with Warner before the Raiders-Chargers game:
Q: What are your impressions of the way Palmer played against the Broncos? Did you see him play?
A: “I did. I was extremely impressed. The thing that was most impressive is, how many balls they threw down the field and how many plays he made down the field in just his second game back and, really, his first full-time start. He played tremendously well. He looked like he was pretty comfortable within the offense. He wasn’t perfect, by any means, both mentally and physically. But, just the number of plays he made down the field, he was pretty accurate on some balls down the field, as well. The thing that impresses you is, that team hasn’t necessarily been that kind of team up to this point. They were based on more of the checkdown or the long balls. They weren’t based on those chunk throws. He made a number of those good chunk throws in this game that excites you about the possibility with him as your quarterback, especially when you get McFadden back. So, I was definitely impressed. Everybody wants to look at those three interceptions but, when you actually go back and look at them, one was on a go route with Champ, who made a tremendous play. One was tipped up in the air. And one was late in the game, when he was trying to make a play, he gets hit and the ball is way underthrown. He didn’t make a bunch of bad decisions, either. Those interceptions weren’t based on bad decisions. They were just some physical issues and some things that happened along the way that he’ll only get better at.”
Q: Does he gamble too often, is that just in his DNA? Is he taking too many chances?
A: “I don’t think it’s unwarranted chances. As a quarterback, you have to have confidence in your receivers. If your receiver is on a go route, and it’s one-on-one, you have to take that chance. You don’t get that very often in the NFL. You have to depend on your players to make plays. So, when I watched it, I didn’t see him really forcing throws. I didn’t see it, where a guy was in a horrible situation or there was a safety over the top, and he’s trying to fit throws in. He’s definitely a guy that has the mentality that, I want to make plays, I want to make them down the field and I want to use my big arm and what my strengths are to attack a defense. I didn’t see it to a fault. I didn’t’ see it where he was trying to just jam things in there when he shouldn’t have, more times than not. I won’t say he’s perfect. I didn’t notice that as kind a theme when I was watching the game. I noticed it as, hey, I’ve got one-on-one on the outside, I’m going to take that chance. The one, his receiver didn’t fight for it, Champ went up and got it, and it was intercepted. But I don’t, by any means, think it was a bad decision or something that I wouldn’t have done in the same situation had I had confidence in my receiver.”
Q: What can the Raiders expect from Palmer, given his lack of practice, playing time, knowledge of the playbook, etc.? Can he be good enough to lead them to a Super Bowl?
A: “Well, the expectations are going to be based off of what Carson Palmer does. Nobody really has a track record of what he should be doing because nobody has ever been here before. I don’t care what they tell you, nobody has ever sat out with no offseason and no training camp and come in halfway through the season and been asked to be the guy for your football team, especially on a team that has playoff aspirations. Nobody’s really been there before. I can tell you that, I had high expectations coming in that if he can be the Carson Palmer that we’ve seen, that the expectations for this football team would go up. I can’t say that I’m disappointed after watching him the other day. I know they lost the game, but with what I saw him do on the football field, my expectations kind of went up a little bit, saying, ‘If he can do that in his second game back, wow, he really can do some things two or three games down the road and especially the tail end of the season.’ That’s going to be the key, how well does he play early in this process? And the better he plays, the higher the expectations are going to be for him down the stretch to really give them a chance to make the playoffs.”
Q: We heard questions about his arm strength, the effects from his injuries, etc. What are your impressions? His arm sound?
A: “It’s funny because, I always watched Carson, and it’s funny because he’s always had the big arm and he can always make the big throws but he also throws a soft ball, if that makes sense. So, if you watch him in a game, he doesn’t look like an Aaron Rodgers, where the ball just comes out on a line every time. So, it’s hard to really tell whether he’s accurate. Sometimes, it almost looks like he’s just kind of laying it in there, like he’s not using his big arm. But when you watch that game, he made the throws down the field, he can make the throws in the hole, he had enough velocity to fit it in some tighter windows. But, it’s just hard to say because, unless you’re out there and you’re catching the ball, it’s hard to really tell how much is on the ball. It’s really similar to the way I played the game. I was built on anticipation and always felt like I never had to throw the ball as hard as everybody else did because I was more about placement and I could throw a softer ball. I could throw it hard and make all the throws but I didn’t need to do that. When I watch Carson, he’s kind of that same way. He has a big, strong arm, where he doesn’t have to gun everything. So, I watched some of the balls and I go, ‘Eeh, it’s not great velocity, but it gets there and it’s on time.’ So, that’s something more for a guy that’s actually working him and they can feel the velocity of the ball because, the ball can look like it’s not going that fast but still have a lot of zip on it and have a tight spiral, and be more of what Carson maybe was before that injury then I’m able to tell on film.”
Q: What does coach Jackson do if, when, Jason Campbell returns from his injury? Has Jackson already played his hand?
A: “Well, again, I look at it from a big picture. I look at Campbell, and he’s a great young man, a leader and really good at what he does. But when I look at Jason Campbell, I look at a quarterback that is a guy that is better at managing a game than taking over a game. The reason I say that is because, I believe that Carson Palmer gives them the ability to have a guy that can take over a game and win games in the passing game. That’s what this team needs. This team, as good as they are running the football, they are not great, top to bottom, offense and defense, to where they can solely rely on that and they can play with the big hitters in this league, and they play with the playoff teams. I don’t think that they can survive winning games like that, when it comes to playoffs time, when they have to do it week in, week out. With that being said, if Carson does what he did the other day and improves on that throughout the year, they have to go with Carson Palmer. Not only because of what they gave up for him but because of the possibility he gives them moving forward. He makes them a more dynamic team, he makes them more of a dual threat than Jason does. It doesn’t mean Jason can’t do a great job and it doesn’t mean they can’t win because they’ve obviously won with him. But everybody knows, when you get to the playoffs, there’s games where you have to outscore teams. There’s games where you don’t have you’re a game or you don’t run the ball well, you have to be able to win them in other ways. And I’m just not sure Jason is a guy that can really do that week in and week out, whereas Carson gives you that possibility if he gets back. You have to go that direction because you’re trying to win a championship and not just get into the playoffs.
i think it has to do with the coaching more than anything. one thing is for sure mcclain is a huge part of our d, the way our run d played today compared to when he wasnt there last week is crazy, he might not be top 5 top 10 lb in the league but he's a big part of our defense.
the d-line went nuts today, wimbleys shoulder lean was unstoppable today. imagine once we get shaughnesey going next year and houston getting even better, its gunna be somethign vicious. but like seymour said we're 5-6 mistakes away on d from being a great d. those 5-6 play where they get big gains kill us.
the d-line went nuts today, wimbleys shoulder lean was unstoppable today. imagine once we get shaughnesey going next year and houston getting even better, its gunna be somethign vicious. but like seymour said we're 5-6 mistakes away on d from being a great d. those 5-6 play where they get big gains kill us.
Defense played pretty Damn good tonight. I'm pretty sure people would be scared of our defense based on how they played tonight. With that being said, the d has been very inconsistent. If they can get pressure like they did tonight, and play solid against the run like they did.... We will be feared.... Big IF.
I'm glad that my prediction was wrong.
The team played much better than I expected. Glad they went heavy run this game. Made those plays for Carson much easier.
Huge difference in the defense with McClain back.
Anyone see Curry absolutely destroy that SD o-lineman? He blew some coverages but that's what he does. He can hit people though and he showed it, hopefully next time it's the ball carrier and not a blocker. haha
Great win for the Raiders. Long week of rest should help out a lot.
The team played much better than I expected. Glad they went heavy run this game. Made those plays for Carson much easier.
Huge difference in the defense with McClain back.
Anyone see Curry absolutely destroy that SD o-lineman? He blew some coverages but that's what he does. He can hit people though and he showed it, hopefully next time it's the ball carrier and not a blocker. haha
Great win for the Raiders. Long week of rest should help out a lot.
Raiders notes, quotes
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, November 11th, 2011 at 5:18 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Subbing for Steve Corkran . . .
Better late than never as I got off a plane not long before the Hue Jackson press briefing and then had to tend to print responsibilities. Some news, notes and observations from Thursday night and Friday:
– Quarterback Carson Palmer thinks Michael Bush helped soften up the San Diego defense for his deep passing. Palmer averaged nearly 15 yards per pass attempt, a staggering number.
“He wears down the safeties,’’ Palmer said. “They don’t want to get back in coverage. They don’t want to turn and run quite as quickly because they’re getting hit by a guy that’s 40 pounds, 50 pound heavier than they are.’’
– Perception changes radically in the NFL. The Raiders were the subject last week of a Profootballtalk.com story which alleged locker room issues and a borderline-out-of-control coach Hue Jackson.
“You lose and things get said, and I hear them, but I never felt it in the locker room,’’ Jackson said. “I know everyone else was concerned. I wasn’t.’’
Second-year linebacker Rolando McClain and left guard-turned center Stefen Wisniewski are getting the hang of how perception changes week to week in the NFL.
“We never worry about what everybody says,’’ McClain said. “We have a good sense of each other in this locker room and that’s all that matters. We believe in each other.’’
Said Wisniewski: “Early in the year, everyone was talking about how good we are. And then we suck after a couple of losses. And now we’re good again. It’s a heavily criticized job, but that’s the nature of the business.’’
– He won’t win or probably even contend, because offensive linemen never do, but it’s hard to imagine many rookies playing better than Wisniewski, who took over at center for Samson Satele and was conspicous with some downfield blocks on screens to Michael Bush as well as his usual solid play inside.
Great draft pick, and to think there were pundits who thought Wisniewski wasn’t physical enough and had essentially peaked out as a college player because he lacked the athleticism to get much better.
– Another unsung hero from Thursday night _ left guard Stephon Heyer. Heyer approached Jackson last week and told him he was up to the challenge if Wisniewski needed to slide over and play center. Jackson decided to go with the veteran over Joe Barksdale and Heyer was part of the Raiders’ line dominance.
– The Raiders dominated both sides of the line so clearly it’s amazing the Chargers were even in position to tie late in the game. Their physical dominance was such that the game shouldn’t have been close.
– Here are the top five performances in Raiders history in terms of yards from scrimmage:
The top five yards from scrimmage games in Raiders history:
Date/Player/tcb-yds/pc-yds/Yards/
10-20-63/Clem Daniels/27-200/1-56/256/
9-15-63/Clem Daniels/13-76/3-172/248/
12-22-63/Art Powell/0-0/10-247/247/
11-10-11/Michael Bush/30-157/3-85/242/
11-30-87/Bo Jackson/18-221/1-14/235/
Bush is in the last year of his contract and it will take some creative contract work to get him back in the fold next year. He’ll be much like Lamont Jordan and Michael Turner _ a complentary back that a team will spend big money on to make a lead back.
– Wide receiver Jacoby Ford said Friday he didn’t think his sprained ankle was serious and that it was a different kind of sprain than the one that’s kept Darren McFadden on the bench.
The Raiders have a 10-day break before their next game in Minnesota. They don’t practice Saturday or Sunday.
– Chalk up another strategy the Raiders have been reluctant to embrace in recent years _ having Stanford Routt follow Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson much of the night. Jackson was targeted seven times and caught one pass for 22 yards.
Jackson appeared to give a half-hearted effort on Philip Rivers’ interception to Matt Giordano in the end zone when the Chargers were attempting to tie the score. Tight end Antonio Gates, meanwhile, looks older and slower, much as recent published reports have suggested.
San Diego was missing some important players _ guard Kris Dielman, wide receiver Malcom Floyd, outside linebacker Shaun Phillips and defensive end Luis Castillo among them _ but this was not a top-of-the-line San Diego team by any means.
Having seen all the teams in the division now, the Raiders ought to be very disappointed if they don’t win the AFC West.
– Hue Jackson said he threw the challenge flag on Carson Palmer’s fumble in the third quarter even though he knew it wouldn’t be overturned and ruled an incomplete pass.
Jackson said he wanted to give the defense a rest and figured he’d take a shot and hope for a judgment call. If not, he was willing to trade the timeout for the break so the defnese could compose itself.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, November 11th, 2011 at 5:18 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Subbing for Steve Corkran . . .
Better late than never as I got off a plane not long before the Hue Jackson press briefing and then had to tend to print responsibilities. Some news, notes and observations from Thursday night and Friday:
– Quarterback Carson Palmer thinks Michael Bush helped soften up the San Diego defense for his deep passing. Palmer averaged nearly 15 yards per pass attempt, a staggering number.
“He wears down the safeties,’’ Palmer said. “They don’t want to get back in coverage. They don’t want to turn and run quite as quickly because they’re getting hit by a guy that’s 40 pounds, 50 pound heavier than they are.’’
– Perception changes radically in the NFL. The Raiders were the subject last week of a Profootballtalk.com story which alleged locker room issues and a borderline-out-of-control coach Hue Jackson.
“You lose and things get said, and I hear them, but I never felt it in the locker room,’’ Jackson said. “I know everyone else was concerned. I wasn’t.’’
Second-year linebacker Rolando McClain and left guard-turned center Stefen Wisniewski are getting the hang of how perception changes week to week in the NFL.
“We never worry about what everybody says,’’ McClain said. “We have a good sense of each other in this locker room and that’s all that matters. We believe in each other.’’
Said Wisniewski: “Early in the year, everyone was talking about how good we are. And then we suck after a couple of losses. And now we’re good again. It’s a heavily criticized job, but that’s the nature of the business.’’
– He won’t win or probably even contend, because offensive linemen never do, but it’s hard to imagine many rookies playing better than Wisniewski, who took over at center for Samson Satele and was conspicous with some downfield blocks on screens to Michael Bush as well as his usual solid play inside.
Great draft pick, and to think there were pundits who thought Wisniewski wasn’t physical enough and had essentially peaked out as a college player because he lacked the athleticism to get much better.
– Another unsung hero from Thursday night _ left guard Stephon Heyer. Heyer approached Jackson last week and told him he was up to the challenge if Wisniewski needed to slide over and play center. Jackson decided to go with the veteran over Joe Barksdale and Heyer was part of the Raiders’ line dominance.
– The Raiders dominated both sides of the line so clearly it’s amazing the Chargers were even in position to tie late in the game. Their physical dominance was such that the game shouldn’t have been close.
– Here are the top five performances in Raiders history in terms of yards from scrimmage:
The top five yards from scrimmage games in Raiders history:
Date/Player/tcb-yds/pc-yds/Yards/
10-20-63/Clem Daniels/27-200/1-56/256/
9-15-63/Clem Daniels/13-76/3-172/248/
12-22-63/Art Powell/0-0/10-247/247/
11-10-11/Michael Bush/30-157/3-85/242/
11-30-87/Bo Jackson/18-221/1-14/235/
Bush is in the last year of his contract and it will take some creative contract work to get him back in the fold next year. He’ll be much like Lamont Jordan and Michael Turner _ a complentary back that a team will spend big money on to make a lead back.
– Wide receiver Jacoby Ford said Friday he didn’t think his sprained ankle was serious and that it was a different kind of sprain than the one that’s kept Darren McFadden on the bench.
The Raiders have a 10-day break before their next game in Minnesota. They don’t practice Saturday or Sunday.
– Chalk up another strategy the Raiders have been reluctant to embrace in recent years _ having Stanford Routt follow Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson much of the night. Jackson was targeted seven times and caught one pass for 22 yards.
Jackson appeared to give a half-hearted effort on Philip Rivers’ interception to Matt Giordano in the end zone when the Chargers were attempting to tie the score. Tight end Antonio Gates, meanwhile, looks older and slower, much as recent published reports have suggested.
San Diego was missing some important players _ guard Kris Dielman, wide receiver Malcom Floyd, outside linebacker Shaun Phillips and defensive end Luis Castillo among them _ but this was not a top-of-the-line San Diego team by any means.
Having seen all the teams in the division now, the Raiders ought to be very disappointed if they don’t win the AFC West.
– Hue Jackson said he threw the challenge flag on Carson Palmer’s fumble in the third quarter even though he knew it wouldn’t be overturned and ruled an incomplete pass.
Jackson said he wanted to give the defense a rest and figured he’d take a shot and hope for a judgment call. If not, he was willing to trade the timeout for the break so the defnese could compose itself.
some people here on the sicc were saying after the gamre how Routt is suspect, Routt completely shut down Vincent Jackson... when Al was alive we would leave each corner to stay on one side of the field all game... I never understood why we wouldn't let our best CB cover the best receiver... finally we're doing that... if only Nnamdi were still here... Routt has been playing well though, don't understand why some fans criticize him so much, he's no Nnamdi or Revis, but who is (besides Nnamdi and Revis, of course)