Raiders- Chiefs Game 7

As far as cliches go, "What a difference a week makes" applies to the Raiders like no other.  The euphoria brought on by a 4-2 start, was tempered by the loss of Qb. Jason Campbell for the season with a broken collarbone. Moving with steadfast purpose, The Raiders signed Carson Palmer, the Bengal's holdout quarterback. All seemed well, the loss of Campbell would be a mere hiccup. Judging by Kyle Boller's disaster free outing against the Browns, why would the Raider faithful think otherwise. 

That sinking feeling set in almost immediately. On their first drive, into Kansas City territory, the Raiders attempted a trick play with Terrelle Pryor lining up as a wide receiver.  As Pryor moved to take a direct snap from center, he was whistled for illegal motion. On the next play Kyle Boller completed his first pass to Kendrick Lewis, who of course plays for Kansas City.  Lewis ran the interception in for a touchdown and just like that the Raiders were down 7-0.

Boller would then throw another interception resulting in a score for Kansas City. That gave the Chiefs a 14-0 lead and essentially the game. After his third interception, the Kyle Boller era came to an end. In the second half Carson Palmer strapped on his helmet and promptly threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Boller would finish  7-14, 61 yds. passing, while Palmer was 8-21, 116 yds.  The Chiefs didn't set off any fireworks on offense, but they did coast in for a 28-0 win.

Carson Palmer is the future quarterback for the Raiders, he'll knock off the rust and his game management will improve. As for Kyle Boller.... WTF was that?, it's not like he doesn't know the offense or has never started a game before.  To make matters worse, Darren McFadden left the game with a foot injury after just two carries. Kevin Boss went out with a concussion and Sebastian Janikowski did not dress up due to a hamstring injury. When if fucking rains.... if fucking pours!

Raider Notes:

Jason Campbell claims that he learned about the Carson Palmer trade watching television. I guess the man doesn't have an iPhone or a Twitter account. The story made the sports ticker, but it's a non-issue. Campbell was fooling himself if he thought the Raiders wouldn't make some kind of move. All this does is sour his relationship with Hue Jackson, who according to some sources was not entirely sold on Jason Campbell as the starter.

The Raiders don't play again until Nov. 6th at home against Denver. The bye week comes at a good time. Palmer should get up to speed, though it remains to be seen if McFadden, Janikowski or Boss will be ready.  The Raiders have faced Tim Tebow before, the chosen one made his rookie debut against Oakland in 2010. As we witnessed in the Miami-Denver game, Tebow can play poorly, but if they're within striking distance, he's a very dangerous quarterback.  

It's funny how the loss of a starting quarterback will cause a team's defense to totally collapse. Indianapolis for instance, Peyton Manning is out for the season and suddenly their defense can't stop anybody. Minus Chad Henne, the Dolphins' defense turned into arm waving zombies as Tim Tebow ( who must have deceptive speed because he appears to move in slow motion) made them look foolish.

The Raiders need to take a long look at the Qb. situation, Kyle Boller is basically nothing more than an emergency back-up... to be used with caution. Terrelle Pryor will not be ready this year and we're just one injury away from either one becoming the starter. Almost midway through the season, backup Qb. is still an unsettled issue. In retrospect, letting Bruce Gradkowski go, was a critical mistake and he signed with the Bengals, of all teams.

Highlights:   Are you fucking kidding me?

Lowlights: Boller, that was some sad shit. 

The Other Side: K.C. had the game handed to them, so of course they start taunting, as Hue Jackson said "We play them again"

Thoughts on a bad day:

“We’re not blinking, This football team is not going to blink. We have to play better. We have to play better offensively. I take full responsibility.”  Hue Jackson

"Definitely not my best outing. I feel bad for my teammates. I feel like I let my teammates down. There’s not much to say. The play speaks for itself.”  Kyle Boller

“It was just an awful feeling walking off the field to be beat like that in the fashion that we were beat, we need to regroup.”    Carson Palmer

"This bye week couldn't be at a better time''  Carson Palmer