The Broncos have Peyton Manning and the Chargers have added a bunch of new players and the Chiefs seem to be on the upswing. But Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer remains optimistic.
“I think we’re a playoff team,” Palmer told Alex Flanagan of NBC Sports on Sunday, at the American Century Championship. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’ve been at it in OTAs and minicamps and now training camp’s around the corner. Guys have been studying hard and working on the new system. And it’s ‘go’ time. There is no cushion or a year to get kind of momentum going. We’re ready to come in to camp and go out and win as many games as we can.”
With offensive coordinator Greg Knapp bringing the Texans-style zone-based running and West Coast passing offense to Oakland, Palmer thinks the Raiders will have the firepower to score points.
“Exciting,” Palmer said. “With Darren McFadden in the backfield, an offensive line that is hungry. They’re gonna open up great holes for him. And then a lot of speed on the outside. Really fast receivers with a lot of play-action stuff. I’m excited. Having a chance to play for Coach Knapp, I’m excited.”
(Wait, was that Carson Palmer or Tim Tebow talking?)
Palmer added that the offense will be more of a run-based attack, with the team leaning on McFadden. Which makes sense, as long as McFadden can stay healthy.
Palmer needs to stay healthy, too. Then again, Knapp’s last team made it to the playoffs and won a game (nearly two games) with a third-string quarterback.
Then again, the Texans had a lot more at the other positions than the Raiders currently have.
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