The football junkies at Pro Football Focus express their thoughts and expectations on the Raiders new QB Carson Palmer. Their is no consensus among their five analysts—well other than he is a big upgrade over Kyle Boller. One analyst goes as far as to say he will be a top 5-10 passer, while another thinks he is only a slight upgrade over Jason Campbell.
Jump over for their thoughts. Let me just say that Neil is clearly the brightest and most astute analyst on the PFF staff.
Sam: Average expectations to match the average QB he’s become. About the best thing you can say for Palmer is that he’s better than Kyle Boller, which I suppose makes it a healthy upgrade for a team who want to make a run at the playoffs this season, but the compensation given up was insane. What is of huge importance is if Palmer has managed to rid himself of the crazy mistake throws that marred his last season in Cincinnati.
Neil: He’s certainly not the player he was immediately before his injury but I’m not sure how much all the shenanigans in the offense with Chad, T.O. and the constant shuffling on the offensive line affected him. If I’m honest, after a settling in period I expect him to be back to something approaching his best by season’s end. What is that? I’ll guess a top 5-10 passer.
Ben: Considering all factors, my expectations would be low. He hasn’t graded terribly in the last two seasons, but he is coming in cold in the middle of the season having to learn a system that makes use of the vertical passing game where he hasn’t been terribly efficient of late. Will he be better than Kyle Boller? Of course, but I’m not sure if he will push the Raiders deep into the playoffs as a move like this really needs to do.
Nathan: In 2009 and 2010 we saw Palmer play better than the Oakland quarterbacks. Because he had better receivers in Cincinnati, I only expect him to be a slight upgrade over Jason Campbell, which is all they need to remain in the playoff race.
Khaled: Familiarity with Hue Jackson’s offense should make it a relatively smooth transition. I don’t expect him to wow us, but I don’t expect much of a drop off from Jason Campbell initially.
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