Just when you thought no one was as lackadaisical in their use of a first-round pick as the late Al Davis, someone exhibits even greater carelessness with two picks. What a surprise — it just so happens to be the Oakland Raiders.
The Cincinnati Bengals traded Carson Palmer to the Raiders for a 2012 first-round pick and a conditional 2013 first-round pick Oct. 17. The top dogs in the Raiders organization are either geniuses or have rabies.
The Raiders’ belief that they can go deep into the playoffs with Palmer is preposterous. Palmer struggled last year with a multitude of weapons, throwing 20 interceptions. How do the Raiders expect him to succeed with a receiving corps that is unproven? The Raiders won’t get far behind a washed-up quarterback. Jason Campbell isn’t the answer either. So why trade away the chances of acquiring a quarterback in the draft for a quick hem that will still leave Oakland’s pants ripped towards the end of the race?
Meanwhile, Mike Brown is looking like a genius in Cincinnati. The organization gets out of this deal, at the very least, a first-round pick and a second-round pick. That’s a high payoff for a quarterback that was nowhere in the Bengals’ plans. The Raiders are notorious for making decisions such as these. I’m sure Davis is smiling down from the clouds at the trade. He would have done the same thing, possibly trading a few more picks.
The Raiders aren’t the first team this year to make a brash, over-extended decision in order to get a playoff win. The Atlanta Falcons gave up five picks, two of which were in first-round, to move up 21 spots in order to pick up college stud Julio Jones. Then you have the Jacksonville Jaguars who, in an attempt to ensure a losing season, cut former starting quarterback David Garrard five days before the season opener. That’s right. I’m not going to let that one go.
The season has been crazy thus far, there are perplexing trades and cuts, the Detroit Lions having a winning record (I know! Crazy, right?) and Jack del Rio is still employed. The Raiders aren’t the first and won’t be the last team that is overly aggressive and makes a stupid decision in an attempt to succeed in Super Bowl aspirations. The bottom line is while Carson Palmer suffices as a quick fix for the up and coming Raiders, he is not the long-term answer and will not win the Raiders a Super Bowl. The Raiders might turn out to be geniuses this year, but history says otherwise. At least they won’t have the chance to mess up any first-round selections in the next two years.
