Signing washed-up quarterback Carson Palmer was a mistake for the Oakland Raiders. He may still have some touchdown passes left in him, and he may still be the only quarterback who can throw three interceptions in one half of professional football and be let off the hook.
But to think that Palmer is going to lead the Silver and Black Attack to the top of the AFC West, or to the Super Bowl for that matter, is to be a poor student of history.
Palmer had seven seasons to prove he was a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback in Cincinnati, but year after year fell short. Blame his teammates, his coaches, injuries and what have you.
At the end of the day, Palmer was never an elite player. A very good quarterback with bursts of brilliance, sure, but a franchise's savior he is not.
This brings us to washed-up wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who signed a one-year deal worth about $910,000 with the Raiders on Tuesday. This deal was pushed for by none other than Carson Palmer.
We all see where this is going, right?
Throw in ex-Bengals wide receiver coach and current Raiders head coach Hue Jackson, and what seems like a random collaboration of veterans starts to smell a little like pseudo-nepotism.
These three men are not related by blood, but it cannot be said that Palmer and Houshmandzadeh were reunited with Jackson in Oakland and given loads of money due to merit.
What about Houshmanzadeh's performance over the past few years would suggest that this is the best strategy for the Oakland Raiders to pursue?
Was it the 30 receptions Houshmandzadeh had with the Baltimore Ravens last season that stood out to the Oakland coaching staff? Those three spectacular touchdowns? Wait, it has to be those intangibles. Got to love intangibles.
He'll be a good influence on Oakland's...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
