The Oakland Raiders appeared to be a one-way street to a playoff berth through the first half of the 2011 season. Then they were beset by injuries and forced to acquire a seasoned quarterback. The team signed Carson Palmer and missed out on a trip to the postseason. Palmer will return next year, but many questions surround his role in 2012.
Introducing the SB Nation YouTube Channel | Subscribe Now | Follow @SBNStudios
Paul Gutierrez of CSN Bay Area reports that Palmer appeared on Sirius XM radio Wednesday. During his interview, Palmer touched on many aspects of his 2011 season with the Raiders, as well as the offseason ahead. He discussed what he's going to work on this season, as well as working with new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
I'm getting ready to head up to L.A. to train. The guy I've been training with for the last seven or eight years has a gym up there and that's where I spend the offseason, getting ready with him. I've been in contact with all my receivers and even guys like Marcel Reece and Kevin Boss, David Ausberry, some younger guys that Raider fans haven't heard of that they should be excited about. We'll get together in L.A. and have some throwing sessions set up before we get back to Oakland and before we get the playbook. Before we get to 7-on-7 sessions and the team drills that we're going to be doing in OTAs and minicamps. We have a chance to get our feet and just kind of get back in the swing of things before we're out in front of the coaches and in front of the organization, just to kind of get the rust off and get ready for those OTAs. We don't just show up at OTAs and say, all right, let's go. We want to be prepared and at least somewhat on the same page or as close to being on the same page as we can be heading into OTAs.
He was also asked how healthy he feels.
Health, 100 percent. Most quarterbacks this time of year, you're feeling probably as good as you're going to feel, I probably feel as good as I'm going to feel in all of 2012 and 2013. I was fortunate to come out of the season without any offseason surgeries or any big rehab concerns. I only played in a handful of games so I didn't have a chance to get beat up or worn down. We finished the year at the O in front of our fans and didn't finish the way we wanted playing against the Chargers, but after that, I felt as good as I've ever felt in my entire career at the end of the season because I only played barely half the season.
Palmer also talked about how he doesn't feel he needs a change of scenery, is excited about working with the team again this season and in particular praised young wide receiver Denarius Moore. He thinks there is a lot of room for growth with the young wideouts. We will see how their development comes along in 2012.
For all news and information regarding Carson Palmer and the Oakland Raiders offseason, please visit Silver and Black Pride.