"Five In Depth

1. Is Carson Palmer a good fit for the Oakland Raiders? Having watched every throw Palmer has made for the past few seasons, I have a knee-jerk reaction to the Raiders acquiring him: It's a shaky fit. It's incorrect to contend that Palmer can't make great throws any longer. He can and did on several occasions last year: Lasers that made you think his old throwing prowess was back. But he also failed on numerous occasions, launching wobblers destined to be easy interceptions when a wideout was open, but he just couldn't get the ball there. The Raiders famously (or apocryphally?) want to go vertical when they throw the ball. Will Palmer fill that bill the way strong-armed Jason Campbell (for all his faults) did? After all, the Raiders are averaging 7.25 yards per attempt this season, and last year Campbell averaged 7.26. Meanwhile, Palmer was 22nd in the league with a 6.77 average last season.

But to be truthful, 7.25 isn't a high number. It currently ranks 17th in the NFL. Maybe the Raiders don't go down the field as much as we all think in this supposedly vertical offense? Frankly, though, yards per attempt is kind of a lazy benchmark for such things."