The general consensus is that the Raiders are certifiable for sending what could amount to two first-round draft picks the Bengals' way in exchange for mothballed quarterback Carson Palmer.
I would have tossed in two more No. 1's and a shoeshine to cinch the deal.
With starting QB Jason Campbell out with a broken collarbone and the thought of handing the keys to the offense to Kyle Boller surely scaring the Bobby Hoying out of coach Hue Jackson (and anyone else with an emotional investment in the Silver and Black), the Raiders did the absolute best thing they could have done to save a promising season from going Donald Hollas on them.
They grabbed a proven pocket passer in Palmer who knows the system, knows his coach (having played under Jackson both at USC and Cincinnati) and can step right in (possibly after all of three practices) and command the offense as if it were of his own creation.
Somewhere Al Davis is pumping his fist and smiling.
The vast majority of ESPN's and NFL Network's card-carrying Mensa members raked Oakland over the coals for paying such a hefty price — a first-round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional second-round pick in 2013, which could become a No. 1 — for a quarterback with a bum knee and a creaky elbow.
For them, I have just 11 words: JaMarcus Russell, Robert Gallery, Fabian Washington, Phillip Buchanon and Derrick Gibson. All were first-round misses over the last decade and serve as proof that the war isn't always won on draft day.
The same rules apply to fantasy football.
To the poor saps who drew the Kyle Orton and Donovan McNabb straws on draft day, Palmer offers hope and the ultimate mulligan.
Sure, Palmer's detractors say his best days are behind him, that his arm hasn't been the same since the elbow injury that limited him to just four games in 2008, and point to his uneven 2009 and 2010 performances as proof.
First off, there's no way a deal goes down without every medical question regarding Palmer's arm receiving a satisfactory answer to the Raiders. Secondly, Palmer no longer has to deal with Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens, whose me-myself-and-me antics have crushed many a quarterback's spirit and desire.
In Oakland, the former Heisman Trophy winner is surrounded by talent up front (the Raiders' line has been as steady as any in the NFL), in the backfield (Darren McFadden is the NFL's leading rusher) and on the wings (speed demons Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Louis Murphy have proven they can get behind any secondary).
And Palmer won't have to carry this team, even though he clearly can. He will, however, make everybody around him better, from both a reality and fantasy standpoint. Defenses won't be able to key exclusively on McFadden, tight end Kevin Boss will surely become more involved at the receiving end of the passing game, and Oakland's third-down conversion percentage will increase, which will prolong drives and keep a hard-hitting defense fresh.
From a purely fantasy standpoint, Palmer, at the very least, should be good for 200 yards and a TD per week. At best, he'll take to his new surroundings, click with his new teammates and carve up defenses for 300 yards and two scores per contest, which any fantasy owner would love to have, much less those who, for one reason or another, didn't get their pick of the QB litter.
From a fan's perspective, Palmer's arrival has the potential to be so much more than a one-shot, go-for-broke deal.
Palmer is only 31 (he'll be 32 in late December), which makes him roughly the same age as fellow NFL signal-callers Tony Romo, Drew Brees and Michael Vick and Eli Manning, not one of whom is considered a candidate for the nursing home. Palmer can solidify himself as Oakland's starter for the next half-decade with a strong showing.
Thirty-one years ago, Jim Plunkett stepped in for an injured Dan Pastorini and, against all odds, led the Raiders to an improbable Super Bowl championship that represented the first "greatest moment" in my then-10-year-old life.
Like Palmer, Plunkett's previous stops subjected him to brutal physical and mental beatings, but he was able to do what most said he could not and would not once surrounded by a cast of equals in terms of heart and ability.
Whether Palmer becomes a fixture in Oakland or is simply passing through, the Raiders could not afford to pass on him, and neither should fantasy owners.
My 6-0 Week 7 lineup — QB: Drew Brees (Colts); RB: Rashard Mendenhall (at Cardinals) and Mark Ingram (Colts); WR: Steve Smith (Redskins) and Marques Colston (Colts); TE: Jason Witten (Rams); K: Billy Cundiff (at Jaguars); D/ST: Lions (Falcons). Byes: RB Fred Jackson, WR A.J. Green and K David Akers.
Bee fantasy sports columnist Stu Rosenberg can be reached at srosenberg@modbee.com or 578-2300.
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