In this case, less than 12 hours after the Raiders had lost to the Chargers on Monday night, I was eager to here what the talk radio host had to say about the game.
And then, I was stunned.
The sad part is that it was the same stunned feeling I got reading tweets, message boards and comments during and immediately following the game.
I was stunned was because the same Oakland Raider fan base that had entered Monday night with so much hope, excitement and anticipation had left it with disappointment, accusations and negativity, despite a pretty decent performance, all things considered.
Sure, the Raiders lost to the Chargers—that stings, and will continue to sting all season. But when we look beyond just the score and into how the game played out, we'll see that Raider fans have plenty of reason to enter Week 2 with the same hope, excitement and anticipation that they had Week 1.
As with any football team, things all begin with the quarterback, and in Oakland it's absolutely no different.
Riddled with criticism for his poor play last season, his inconsistent play this preseason and his inability to avoid turning the ball over, Carson Palmer had more eyes on him than almost any quarterback in the league this week.
And at the end of the day, he played pretty damn well.
Sure fans and analysts are going to criticize his decision making, especially the fact that he "checked down" or "dumped it off" on most of his passes, but we've got to remember the situation he was put in.
For starters, look at who lined up at receiver.
Obviously Darrius Heyward-Bey was his number one threat, but beyond him, Oakland was starting an undrafted rookie and a guy they added fou...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
