Tragedy, Triumph, and Turbulence - Raiders in Rear-View

Just another day in the Raider Nation. Well, not quite.

This season has been nothing short of tremendous for the Raiders fans of the world who have patiently stood by the mediocre teams of the last decade, waiting for the shining moments that had favored the franchise for many years prior (off and on, admittedly).

The season got off to a great start with Jason Campbell in his finest form since his Auburn days. Throwing precision pass after precision pass, he was more prodigy than game manager and his completion percentage was off the charts. The rookie class of 2011, headlined by standouts Denarius Moore, Stefen Wisniewski, and Taiwan Jones were just beginning to take control of their own destiny, and Campbell was really clicking with the entire receivers unit all the while showing the elite stable of backs some much due love. Zone blocking, shmone blocking. The offense of Hue Jackson's Raiders team was built to run all over anything Tom Cable's supposed ingenious schemes could pull off. This was what we'd been waiting for!

In the middle of a shining moment, tragedy struck the organization all the way at the top. Beloved (to us, not them) owner Al Davis passed away the day before the Raiders were due to play the Texans in Houston. It was sudden, and it was as shocking as a death could seem for a man that up in his years. For the first time in many, many years, Al would not be watching this game from inside the same stadium as his beloved franchise. He essentially never missed a game, home or away (there's one or two exceptions). Few teams can say that of their owners. To honor Uncle Al, the Raiders went out and beat a team that was equally matched, if not better suited to win. They played with heart and they shared a good cry in the locker room afterwards. What a sight.

Just when the dust seemed to be settling from that travesty, more turmoil hit the dirt. With the Cleveland Browns in town, Jason Campbell decided to make a heroic grab at a first down and wound up losing his collarbone to the play instead. It didn't look good from the moment it had happened, but when news broke that it was likely season ending (otherwise: LATE in the season), the same old dread of years' past came rolling back. Our veteran backup? Mr. Kyle Boller. I don't like to talk trash about a Raider, past or present, but I wouldn't trust Kyle Boller to hold my groceries. How could this be our Number 2?! What happened to Gradkowski? Amazing, dependable, come-from-behind Bruce?! We let him go to greener pastures (read: more money) and now we were going to pay. The day after the game, I began tallying all the available QBs in my head and the list appeared grim, except for one name. One name that seemed about as far-fetched as Peyton Manning being out for an entire season watching his Colts flop like a fish out of water. Only one name was available that could make things right, and maybe even make them better.

A few days after these thoughts crossed my mind, I turned on the radio and heard old highlights of Carson Palmer's days with the Bengals being played over the air. I didn't have to hear the headline to know what had gone down. Hue Jackson, the chosen one, had done the impossible. Carson Palmer was a Raider. The hefty price tag made the news a bit tougher to chew, but the part of us that lives in the present felt overcome with hope that the season was not lost.

Anyone who saw the Raiders take on the Chiefs the week Palmer was signed was relieved that they wouldn't see Kyle Boller start any more games (god willing). Palmer is looking better every week, and the sky's the limit with the talent on both sides of the ball. It's been way too long since I've even been able to legitimately daydream about a notion like that.

This week, we take on a limping Bears team at O.Co that we have every reason to win. At least two of the division rivals can lose this week, and if the Chargers win and we do as well, our command on the AFC West title will grow even larger. We're in the driver's seat now, it's all about keeping the pace and not driving off the cliff. And please Carson, no head-first dives.