Carson Palmer (3) is pressured by Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil (92) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 37-6. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports)
We’re back with Just Blog Baby’s editor Chris Shellcroft to talk about Thursday’s division matchup. The 3-9 Oakland Raiders are battling some demons right now, so I wanted to get Chris’s take on the future of the franchise, the week 4 meeting between the two teams, and how Dennis Allen’s absence at practice this week will have an effect on the Raiders.
Let’s go Inside the Villain’s Venue with Just Blog Baby.
Predominantly Orange: Head coach Dennis Allen is missing most of this week’s practice to attend to his ill father. What effect will this have on the Raiders’ preparation, especially on such a short week?
Just Blog Baby: Without Coach Allen it will be offensive coordinator Greg Knapp who takes over. That is anything but good news for the Silver and Black. Knapp’s vanilla offense has been one of the biggest reasons why this season has become such a horror show. His almost arrogant approach to changing everything that worked the previous season resulted in a healthy Darren McFadden being more useless than an injured Darren McFadden. Not to mention he’s grounded a vertical attack making tight end Brandon Myers are record setting check down option. Obviously are thoughts are with Coach Allen as he attends to his father. However I’m not so sure his presence would make much difference this week. The wheels have come off of this thing and the tracks ran out a mile ago. At this point we’re just hoping for a little damage as possible.
PO: Give me your thoughts on the last Broncos-Raiders meeting, a 37-6 Broncos’ win.
JBB: I can’t give you my honest thoughts on the last time these two rivals met. We want to keep this family friendly after all. About all I can say is it was one of the absolute worst performances I’ve ever seen by a Raiders team. I openly questioned whether or not Dennis Allen had already lost the locker room. The effort given was substandard for a DII college team, never mind a group of paid professionals. Not one man earned his check that day and it pretty much signaled the beginning of the end for yet another lost season in Oakland.
PO: What does the Raiders’ future hold? Will we see Carson Palmer back in a starting QB role next year?
JBB: The Raiders’ future is very much up in the air. Reggie McKenzie was hired so Mark Davis didn’t have his hands all in the cookie jar like his iconic father. Problem is there is nothing to indicate this team is getting any better at anything week in and week out. It is becoming very obvious that Davis is rethinking his non-involvement in football decisions based on how horribly the coaching staff has performed. There is no telling if Carson Palmer will be back next season. At this point there is no doubt that trade was an epic failure. Palmer has talent but none of the qualities required to be a franchise QB. He’s on pace to shatter some single season franchise records but his performance in the clutch has been hideous. On three separate occasions Palmer has been in a position to give his team a real chance at victory and in each one he’s thrown mind-numbing interceptions. From a business standpoint he’s not worth the money. However the reality is there aren’t any other options out there don’t scream “WE’RE REBUILDING ALL OVER AGAIN!”
PO: Finally, your prediction for this week’s game.
JBB: Gulp! I’m afraid this could be pay back for that demolition the Raiders dropped on Josh McDaniels in Denver a couple years ago. When last these two met the Broncos were just starting to get settled into the Peyton Manning era. Now they’ve got their feet up on the table and are going to the fridge without asking permission. This one could get ugly. I’m hoping its a respectable 42-24 showing by Oakland in another never-close contest.
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