Coach Hue Jackson paid a high price to acquire a quarterback he knows well but who has struggled in recent years and refused to report the Bengals this season despite being under contract through 2014.

The Bengals had been adamant about not trading Palmer, who wanted to be dealt from a team that has had only two winning records in the last 20 years.

Owner Mike Brown repeatedly insisted he wouldn’t consider Palmer’s request for a trade because he didn’t want to reward him for holding out. He changed his mind after the Raiders offered a 2012 first-round pick and a second-rounder in 2013 for the 31-year-old quarterback.

The Raiders (4-2) became desperate for a quarterback after Campbell broke his collarbone during a win over the Browns on Sunday. Campbell had surgery Monday and was expected to miss at least six weeks, leaving the Raiders with only Kyle Boller and Terrelle Pryor on the roster.

Jackson’s mantra all season has been “the time is now,” and he backed that up by dealing for Palmer, who is coming off a 20-interception season last year with the Bengals.

Brown said the play of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton made it easier to trade Palmer.

“We also find ourselves rather suddenly in position of being able to receive real value for Carson that can measurably improve our team, which is performing well and is showing real promise for this year and years to come,” he said in a statement. “When this opportunity arose, we felt we could not let it pass and needed to take a step forward with the football team if we could.”

Palmer, who had been working out in Southern California, already reported to the Raiders’ facility and will immediately start learning the offense. Oakland hosts Kansas City on Sunday and then has a bye week.

While Palmer has not played or practiced since last season, he has a history with Jackson, who was his offensive coordinator for two years at USC and the wide receivers coach for three seasons in Cincinnati.

Jackson was with the Bengals when Palmer had his best season in 2005 when he threw for 3,836 yards with 32 touchdown passes and a 101.1 rating while leading the team to an AFC North title. Palmer tore up his left knee during a playoff loss to Pittsburgh that season.

He came back and had two solid seasons before partially tearing a ligament and tendon in his passing elbow during the 2008 season. He has not been an elite quarterback since, despite getting back to the playoffs in 2009.

Over the past two years, Palmer completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 7,064 yards, 47 touchdowns, 33 interceptions and a passer rating of 82.9 while posting a 14-18 record. Those numbers are comparable to what Campbell has done since the start of the 2009 season.

But the Raiders were not willing to trust their playoff chances with Boller, who had not started a game since 2009 and had lost his previous 10 starts since October 2007, or Pryor, a project who will need time before he can be an NFL quarterback.

“It’ll be a learning curve for him because he hasn’t played football in a while but I’m excited to have a leader on that side of the ball of his caliber,” Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Anytime you have an opportunity to acquire someone of Carson’s pedigree I don’t think it’s something that you can pass up on.”

This is the second trade the Raiders have made since the death of longtime owner Al Davis, who also served as general manager and oversaw the entire football operation. Jackson dealt last week for former No. 4 overall pick in 2009, linebacker Aaron Curry from Seattle.

The trade leaves the Raiders with picks only in the fifth and sixth round in next year’s draft. They traded their second-rounder during April’s draft to New England for the picks to draft offensive lineman Joe Barksdale and running back Taiwan Jones. They used their third-rounder to take Pryor in the supplemental draft in August. They traded their fourth-rounder in 2010 to get Campbell and the seventh-rounder for Curry.

Oakland is expecting to get compensatory picks after losing Nnamdi Asomugha, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery, Thomas Howard and Bruce Gradkowski in free agency.

The Bengals (4-2) have started well with Dalton taking Palmer’s place. The message board by the entrance to the Bengals’ locker room Tuesday had an anonymous scrawled message: “Let My People Goooooo!” Otherwise, there wasn’t much reaction from a team that had moved on from Palmer a long time ago.

“I don’t think even one player in this locker room’s even thought about that,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “We haven’t worried about it. We’ve gone forward with the guys we have and tried to play as good as we can and that’s all we can do.”

The Bengals severed ties with Palmer when the season started and he didn’t show up, giving his locker to Dalton, a second-round draft pick.

As recently as Monday afternoon, coach Marvin Lewis reiterated there was no change in the team’s position regarding Palmer. Then came the offer from the Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders made a bold move to replace injured quarterback Jason Campbell on Tuesday, trading two high draft picks to the Cincinnati Bengals for Carson Palmer.

Coach Hue Jackson paid a high price to acquire a quarterback he knows well but who has struggled in recent years and refused to report the Bengals this season despite being under contract through 2014.

The Bengals had been adamant about not trading Palmer, who wanted to be dealt from a team that has had only two winning records in the last 20 years.

Owner Mike Brown repeatedly insisted he wouldn’t consider Palmer’s request for a trade because he didn’t want to reward him for holding out. He changed his mind after the Raiders offered a 2012 first-round pick and a second-rounder in 2013 for the 31-year-old quarterback.

The Raiders (4-2) became desperate for a quarterback after Campbell broke his collarbone during a win over the Browns on Sunday. Campbell had surgery Monday and was expected to miss at least six weeks, leaving the Raiders with only Kyle Boller and Terrelle Pryor on the roster.

Jackson’s mantra all season has been “the time is now,” and he backed that up by dealing for Palmer, who is coming off a 20-interception season last year with the Bengals.

Brown said the play of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton made it easier to trade Palmer.

“We also find ourselves rather suddenly in position of being able to receive real value for Carson that can measurably improve our team, which is performing well and is showing real promise for this year and years to come,” he said in a statement. “When this opportunity arose, we felt we could not let it pass and needed to take a step forward with the football team if we could.”

Palmer, who had been working out in Southern California, already reported to the Raiders’ facility and will immediately start learning the offense. Oakland hosts Kansas City on Sunday and then has a bye week.

While Palmer has not played or practiced since last season, he has a history with Jackson, who was his offensive coordinator for two years at USC and the wide receivers coach for three seasons in Cincinnati.

Jackson was with the Bengals when Palmer had his best season in 2005 when he threw for 3,836 yards with 32 touchdown passes and a 101.1 rating while leading the team to an AFC North title. Palmer tore up his left knee during a playoff loss to Pittsburgh that season.

He came back and had two solid seasons before partially tearing a ligament and tendon in his passing elbow during the 2008 season. He has not been an elite quarterback since, despite getting back to the playoffs in 2009.

Over the past two years, Palmer completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 7,064 yards, 47 touchdowns, 33 interceptions and a passer rating of 82.9 while posting a 14-18 record. Those numbers are comparable to what Campbell has done since the start of the 2009 season.

But the Raiders were not willing to trust their playoff chances with Boller, who had not started a game since 2009 and had lost his previous 10 starts since October 2007, or Pryor, a project who will need time before he can be an NFL quarterback.

“It’ll be a learning curve for him because he hasn’t played football in a while but I’m excited to have a leader on that side of the ball of his caliber,” Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Anytime you have an opportunity to acquire someone of Carson’s pedigree I don’t think it’s something that you can pass up on.”

This is the second trade the Raiders have made since the death of longtime owner Al Davis, who also served as general manager and oversaw the entire football operation. Jackson dealt last week for former No. 4 overall pick in 2009, linebacker Aaron Curry from Seattle.

The trade leaves the Raiders with picks only in the fifth and sixth round in next year’s draft. They traded their second-rounder during April’s draft to New England for the picks to draft offensive lineman Joe Barksdale and running back Taiwan Jones. They used their third-rounder to take Pryor in the supplemental draft in August. They traded their fourth-rounder in 2010 to get Campbell and the seventh-rounder for Curry.

Oakland is expecting to get compensatory picks after losing Nnamdi Asomugha, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery, Thomas Howard and Bruce Gradkowski in free agency.

The Bengals (4-2) have started well with Dalton taking Palmer’s place. The message board by the entrance to the Bengals’ locker room Tuesday had an anonymous scrawled message: “Let My People Goooooo!” Otherwise, there wasn’t much reaction from a team that had moved on from Palmer a long time ago.

“I don’t think even one player in this locker room’s even thought about that,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “We haven’t worried about it. We’ve gone forward with the guys we have and tried to play as good as we can and that’s all we can do.”

The Bengals severed ties with Palmer when the season started and he didn’t show up, giving his locker to Dalton, a second-round draft pick.

As recently as Monday afternoon, coach Marvin Lewis reiterated there was no change in the team’s position regarding Palmer. Then came the offer from the Raiders.

___

AP Sports Writer Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

The Bengals had been adamant about not trading Palmer, who wanted to be dealt from a team that has had only two winning records in the last 20 years.

Owner Mike Brown repeatedly insisted he wouldn’t consider Palmer’s request for a trade because he didn’t want to reward him for holding out. He changed his mind after the Raiders offered a 2012 first-round pick and a second-rounder in 2013 for the 31-year-old quarterback.

The Raiders (4-2) became desperate for a quarterback after Campbell broke his collarbone during a win over the Browns on Sunday. Campbell had surgery Monday and was expected to miss at least six weeks, leaving the Raiders with only Kyle Boller and Terrelle Pryor on the roster.

Jackson’s mantra all season has been “the time is now,” and he backed that up by dealing for Palmer, who is coming off a 20-interception season last year with the Bengals.

Brown said the play of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton made it easier to trade Palmer.

“We also find ourselves rather suddenly in position of being able to receive real value for Carson that can measurably improve our team, which is performing well and is showing real promise for this year and years to come,” he said in a statement. “When this opportunity arose, we felt we could not let it pass and needed to take a step forward with the football team if we could.”

Palmer, who had been working out in Southern California, already reported to the Raiders’ facility and will immediately start learning the offense. Oakland hosts Kansas City on Sunday and then has a bye week.

While Palmer has not played or practiced since last season, he has a history with Jackson, who was his offensive coordinator for two years at USC and the wide receivers coach for three seasons in Cincinnati.

Jackson was with the Bengals when Palmer had his best season in 2005 when he threw for 3,836 yards with 32 touchdown passes and a 101.1 rating while leading the team to an AFC North title. Palmer tore up his left knee during a playoff loss to Pittsburgh that season.

He came back and had two solid seasons before partially tearing a ligament and tendon in his passing elbow during the 2008 season. He has not been an elite quarterback since, despite getting back to the playoffs in 2009.

Over the past two years, Palmer completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 7,064 yards, 47 touchdowns, 33 interceptions and a passer rating of 82.9 while posting a 14-18 record. Those numbers are comparable to what Campbell has done since the start of the 2009 season.

But the Raiders were not willing to trust their playoff chances with Boller, who had not started a game since 2009 and had lost his previous 10 starts since October 2007, or Pryor, a project who will need time before he can be an NFL quarterback.

“It’ll be a learning curve for him because he hasn’t played football in a while but I’m excited to have a leader on that side of the ball of his caliber,” Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Anytime you have an opportunity to acquire someone of Carson’s pedigree I don’t think it’s something that you can pass up on.”

This is the second trade the Raiders have made since the death of longtime owner Al Davis, who also served as general manager and oversaw the entire football operation. Jackson dealt last week for former No. 4 overall pick in 2009, linebacker Aaron Curry from Seattle.

The trade leaves the Raiders with picks only in the fifth and sixth round in next year’s draft. They traded their second-rounder during April’s draft to New England for the picks to draft offensive lineman Joe Barksdale and running back Taiwan Jones. They used their third-rounder to take Pryor in the supplemental draft in August. They traded their fourth-rounder in 2010 to get Campbell and the seventh-rounder for Curry.

Oakland is expecting to get compensatory picks after losing Nnamdi Asomugha, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery, Thomas Howard and Bruce Gradkowski in free agency.

The Bengals (4-2) have started well with Dalton taking Palmer’s place. The message board by the entrance to the Bengals’ locker room Tuesday had an anonymous scrawled message: “Let My People Goooooo!” Otherwise, there wasn’t much reaction from a team that had moved on from Palmer a long time ago.

“I don’t think even one player in this locker room’s even thought about that,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “We haven’t worried about it. We’ve gone forward with the guys we have and tried to play as good as we can and that’s all we can do.”

The Bengals severed ties with Palmer when the season started and he didn’t show up, giving his locker to Dalton, a second-round draft pick.

As recently as Monday afternoon, coach Marvin Lewis reiterated there was no change in the team’s position regarding Palmer. Then came the offer from the Raiders.

,,,

AP Sports Writer Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

AP

We kick off AFC West team needs with the Oakland Raiders. Don’t take too long a look at this picture to the right, unless you have a paper bag handy.

Otherwise, you might lose your lunch.

OL: The Raiders have ranked in the top six in sacks allowed for two straight seasons, and in the top 11 in six consecutive years. Offensive linemen apparently don’t run fast enough forty times for “Coach” Al Davis to deem them worthy of premium picks; he hasn’t drafted one earlier than round three since 2004. Barring an unlikely trade up, Davis may not buck that ugly trend this year because he already traded away his 2011 first-round pick. The Raiders will likely lose starting tackle Mario Henderson to free agency. (Not that he’s any good, anyway.) Center Samson Satele, right tackle/guard Langston Walker, and left guard Robert Gallery’s contracts are also up. The latter is Oakland’s top lineman.

CB: Free agent Nnamdi Asomugha’s likely departure gets the headlines. The Raiders are set at one corner spot with underrated Stanford Routt, but the position opposite him has too many question marks for comfort. Though Walter McFadden has the speed Davis craves, he earned all of 50 snaps last season. Oakland hasn’t shown much faith in veteran Chris Johnson in recent years, and there’s little behind them. The Raiders’ cornerback weaknesses are exacerbated by free agent safety Michael Huff’s probable exit. Huff had a breakout year in 2010.

QB: New coach Hue Jackson is high on Jason Campbell, so much so that the Raiders failed to tender Bruce Gradkowski as a restricted free agent. But Campbell is more stopgap solution than franchise quarterback, and is entering a contract year. Oakland has shown interest in Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, who figures to get serious consideration if he’s still available at the No. 48 pick in the draft.

LB: The Raiders should be set in the middle with 2010 No. 8 overall pick Rolando McClain, but there’s a hole across from strong-side ‘backer Kamerion Wimbley. Incumbent weak-side starter Quentin Groves is more of a situational pass rusher than every-down player, and former second-round pick Thomas Howard is no longer part of the Raiders’ plans.

Overview: The Raiders made noticeable strides last season, going 8-8 and undefeated in the division. Top to bottom, their roster is as strong as its been since the early 2000s.

But Davis must get serious about upgrading his offensive line. Campbell has a deliberate release that hinders pass protection, and the Raiders don’t have enough talent in front of him to make up for it. If Oakland does solve this weakness, it can become a true contender in the AFC.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Chargers are mortal in December, after all.

They found out at the hands of the Oakland Raiders, of all teams.

Jason Campbell ran for one touchdown and threw for another, Darren McFadden ran for 97 yards and a TD, and the Raiders took advantage of more mistakes by the Chargers to stun San Diego 28-13 on Sunday.

The loss puts a serious crimp in the playoff hopes for the four-time defending AFC West champion Chargers (6-6), who trail the Kansas City Chiefs by two games with four to play. Oakland (6-6) revived a running game that had been stopped cold in two straight losses, ripping through the Chargers for 251 yards. Michael Bush ran for 95 yards and a score.

San Diego gained just 21 yards rushing. Mike Tolbert, who had consecutive 100-yard games, was stuffed for 16 yards on seven carries. Rookie Ryan Mathews didn’t play, apparently still bothered by a high ankle sprain.

The Raiders swept the season series for the first time since 2001.

The Chargers’ streak of 18 straight December victories — which tied an NFL record for most victories in any month — came to a thudding end. Their last December loss was on Dec. 31, 2005. San Diego had been tied with the 1970-74 Miami Dolphins, who won 18 straight in Novembers.

The Raiders beat the Chargers 35-27 at Oakland on Oct. 10 when consecutive blocked punts early in the game led to a touchdown and a safety. That victory snapped Oakland’s 13-game losing streak to the Chargers.

The Chargers corrected their problems during a four-game winning streak, but then reverted to the form that showed during an ugly 2-5 start. San Diego had two early turnovers in this game, leading to a 14-0 Oakland lead.

Darren Sproles fumbled a punt early in the first quarter and Hiram Eugene recovered at the San Diego 18. On fourth-and-1 from the 9, the Raiders fooled the Chargers with a fake handoff to fullback Marcel Reece while Campbell ran a naked bootleg to the left for an easy touchdown.

On the next Chargers possession, Rivers overthrew Malcom Floyd and the ball went right to safety Michael Huff, who returned it 15 yards to the San Diego 41. Campbell completed the drive with a 4-yard TD pass to rookie Jacoby Ford in the right corner of the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

After San Diego’s Nate Kaeding kicked a 39-yard field goal, Campbell showed that the Raiders didn’t need a turnover to score. He led an 80-yard, 11-play drive that was capped by Bush’s 7-yard TD run, when he used a spin move and a strong second effort to power into the end zone for a 21-3 lead. Among the big plays on the drive, Reece hurdled safety Eric Weddle to finish a 22-yard catch-and-run, Darrius Heyward-Bey had a 14-yard end-around and Campbell had a 9-yard scramble on third down for a first-and-goal from the 10.

Campbell was back at quarterback after Bruce Gradkowski was hurt late in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s 33-17 loss to Miami, which led the Raiders to put him on injured reserve, ending his season.

After taking a 21-3 halftime lead, Oakland’s offense stalled and the Chargers cut the gap to 21-13 on a 33-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding in the third quarter and Philip Rivers’ 4-yard scoring pass to wide-open Antonio Gates with 9:59 left.

Campbell then led a drive capped by McFadden’s 7-yard run with 4:35 left. The highlight was Campbell’s 37-yard completion to Louis Murphy. McFadden carried 19 times while Bush ran 23 times

Campbell outgained the Chargers’ running game all by himself, with 38 yards on six carries.

Sproles sustained a concussion when he was knocked down by a helmet-to-helmet hit by Oakland’s Rolando McClain just before halftime. Sproles caught a pass from Rivers and was turning to run when he was hit by McClain. The Raiders linebacker led with his shoulder, but the side of his helmet hit Sproles’ helmet. Sproles was on the ground for a few minutes before walking off the field.

Kaeding was short on a 50-yard field goal try in the last minute of the second quarter.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

We start our 2011 draft previews with the only team that doesn’t have a first-round selection in this year’s draft. The Raiders are sitting the opening round out because they gave up their top pick two years ago in a trade for Richard Seymour. But as Chris Hansen of Raiders-Blog.com explains, not having an early pick isn’t always a bad thing.

1. How much does not having a first-round pick hurt this team?

I really don’t think it hurts the Raiders. Richard Seymour was acquired for the pick and continues to be a dominating force on the field and in the locker room.

It could also be said the Raiders are much better drafting later in the draft and the recent history backs it up. Matt Shaughnessy, Jacoby Ford, Lamarr Houston, etc.

2. The fact that free agency likely won’t take place until after the draft makes things particularly difficult this year. Do you think the Raiders will target players to replace guys like Nnamdi Asomugha and Michael Huff?

Yes and no. The team paid Hiram Eugene as a fringe starter and also have Stevie Brown, who played the second most snaps last season at free safety to Huff.

The team has said cornerback Jeremy Ware could eventually move to safety. If the Raiders don’t bring back Huff, the replacement will likely come from within.

Asomugha is a different case entirely. The Raiders were thin at cornerback last season and Huff had to step in and play corner at times. If the Raiders are content to move on without Asomugha and Huff they will likely target a cornerback in the draft.

3. Any chance they take a quarterback with that second-round pick?

The organization wants to get behind Jason Campbell and wants no part of another quarterback controversy like the one that transpired last season between Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski.

Drafting a quarterback early would invite a controversy, even if it made sense to draft a developmental QB like Ryan Mallett that Hue Jackson can mold.

4. Any chance they trade up into the first round?

Since next year’s picks and players can’t be traded, I don’t think Al Davis has enough to do it, but with Davis, you can never be surprised.

5. What’s their biggest need? Offensive line comes to mind.

Absolutely the offensive line is the greatest need. Outside of cornerback one could make a case that there are no other glaring weaknesses.

The only player that is assured a spot on the offensive line is Jared Veldheer.

Robert Gallery and the team decided to part ways and the rest of the players are free agents, unproven or may no longer fit the scheme of Hue Jackson.

If the Raiders don’t address the offensive line, it will be difficult for the team to improve its eight-win 2010 season.

Quarterback Kyle Boller, a ’03 first-round pick of the Ravens, flamed out in Baltimore but apparently has found a home in Oakland.

The Raiders re-signed Boller quietly last week to a one-year, $1.25 million contract to back up starter Jason Campbell. The Raiders made the move before the end of the league year on Thursday but never announced the deal.

New coach Hue Jackson, the team’s former offensive coordinator who also coached Boller in Baltimore, chose to retain Boller, who turns 30 in June, over former starter Bruce Gradkowski and journeyman Charlie Frye. The team will allow Gradkowski and Frye to become free agents.

Boller appeared in five games last year, completing 2-of-4 passes. Boller, in seven NFL seasons, has completed 56.7 percent of his passes with 48 touchdowns, 51 interceptions for a 70.4 passer rating.

The Raiders also re-resigned free safety Hiram Eugene and guard Daniel Loper, according to the Oakland Tribune. Eugene, 30, signed a four-year, $10.25 million contract, and he is seen as the likely successor to pending free agent Michael Huff. Loper, 29, could be the successor to pending free agent Robert Gallery. Loper signed a two-year, $3.9 million deal.

The Oakland Raiders quietly re-signed four players last week before the expiration of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, continuing their active offseason, the Oakland Tribune reported Tuesday.

Quarterback Kyle Boller, safety Hiram Eugene, guard Daniel Loper and Michael Bennett each inked deals to remain Raiders, who also gave a second-round tender to reserve linebacker Ricky Brown, according to the Tribune.

Boller, who saw limited duty in five games, received a one-year $1.25 million contract. Fellow quarterbacks Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye are unsigned.

Eugene, who appeared in 14 games, signed a four-year, $10.25 million contract that might signal the end of starting free-agent safety Michael Huff’s Raiders tenure, the Tribune reported.

Loper, who replaced Robert Gallery at left guard when Gallery was injured for four games, received a two-year, $3.9 million pact. The Raiders have said Gallery will not be re-signed.

Bennett received a one-year, $865,000 deal.

The Raiders have been among the NFL’s most aggressive teams this offseason, re-signing Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour and cornerback Stanford Routt to contracts exceeding $30 million, placing the franchise tag on linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, and resigning defensive lineman John Henderson and special teams standout Rock Cartwright.

In addition, the Raiders previously tendered contracts to tight end Zach Miller and running back Michael Bush.

The Raiders also voided the contract of Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

By Jerry McDonald
Oakland Tribune

It turns out it wasn’t that hard for the Raiders to find a defensive coordinator after all.

He’s been in the building for more than a month.

Chuck Bresnahan, hired on Feb. 1 as a “defensive coach,” was officially elevated to defensive coordinator Monday.

The Raiders won three consecutive AFC West titles, including an AFC title, with Bresnahan as defensive coordinator from 2000 through 2002. He was fired along with much of Bill Callahan’s staff after a 4-12 season in 2003.

Bresnahan replaces John Marshall, whose contract was not renewed after the 2010 season.

Raiders coach Hue Jackson was coy about the defensive coordinator position at the NFL scouting combine, joking at one point that “I am the defensive coordinator,” and saying the Raiders were focused on other priorities.

Jackson also said the Raiders hadn’t ruled out any outside candidates.

In a release announcing Bresnahan’s ascension, Jackson indicated he’d seen what he needed to see over the past month.

“The fact that I’ve had the chance to be in defensive meetings with Chuck and watch him lead the defensive staff made it an easy decision to name him our defensive coordinator,” Jackson said in a statement.

“I am impressed with his passion, attention to detail and energy. This staff gives us the opportunity to have one of the top defenses in the NFL.”

Bresnahan spent the last two years with the Florida Tuskers of the UFL, coaching linebackers

in 2009 and as defensive coordinator last season.

• Backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski said he has not been tendered a contract for the 2011 season after receiving a second-round tender a year ago. Center Samson Satele was tendered, although the level was not available. Tenders may or may not be applicable pending a new collective bargaining agreement.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders have officially hired longtime NFL assistant Al Saunders as their offensive coordinator.

The Raiders updated their coaching roster on their website Tuesday. The only newcomer on the list is Saunders, although there are still many other openings to fill, most notably defensive coordinator.

Among the coaches from last season’s team no longer listed on the site are offensive line coach Jim Michalczik, quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett, linebackers coach Mike Haluchak, assistant offensive line coach Chris Morgan, and passing game coordinator Ted Tollner.

Most of the other coaches from last season’s team are at the Senior Bowl in Alabama with new head coach Hue Jackson, who was hired to replace Tom Cable last week.

Saunders spent the past two seasons as an offensive consultant in Baltimore. He was on the same staff as Jackson in 2009. Jackson joined the Raiders this past season as offensive coordinator.

Saunders has been coaching in the NFL for nearly three decades. He went 17-22 in two-plus seasons as head coach for the San Diego Chargers from 1986-88 and has spent most of his career as a respected offensive assistant. He has interviewed in the past for openings in Oakland and finally got the job this time.

Saunders is already familiar with the top two quarterbacks on Oakland’s roster. He was offensive coordinator for two years in Washington with Jason Campbell and was the coordinator in St. Louis in 2008 when Bruce Gradkowski spent time with the Rams.

While Saunders is on board as the coordinator, Jackson will retain the primary play-calling duties in Oakland next season. Jackson helped oversee a vast improvement on offense this past year, as the Raiders finished sixth in the league in scoring with 410 points — more than doubling their total from 2009.

Along with the quarterbacks, Saunders will have a young group of skilled position players at his disposal. Running back Darren McFadden had a breakthrough season with 1,664 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns and teamed with Michael Bush on the league’s second-ranked rushing offense; tight end Zach Miller is going to the Pro Bowl after leading the team with 60 catches; speedy receivers Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey provide potential deep threats.

He spent eight seasons running offenses in Kansas City, Washington and St. Louis. His best success came with the Chiefs, who led the NFL with 380.9 yards per game and were second in scoring at 27.0 points per game during his five years running the offense from 2001-05.

 

Notes, quotes · Strategy and personnel · Inside slant

 

It’s appearing increasingly likely that Hue Jackson is set to become the Oakland Raiders’ ninth head coach in 17 seasons since returning to Northern California.

The team is interviewing assistant coaches, with the assumption they will work for Jackson’s staff, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jackson, who was the Raiders’ offensive coordinator last season, has been considered the frontrunner for the job since the team announced last week that Tom Cable would not be returning.

The news regarding Cable came the same day the Raiders granted permission to the San Francisco 49ers to speak with Jackson for their head coaching vacancy, since filled by Jim Harbaugh.

Cable was informed that his contract would not be extended on Jan. 4. If the Raiders had extended the contract, Cable would have been owed $2.5 million per season in 2011 and 2012.

Cable, whose contract expired at the conclusion of the 2010 season, posted a 17-27 regular season record as head coach of the Raiders.

Despite the Raiders’ improvement to an 8-8 record, the first time in seven years they didn’t have 11 or more losses, the move did not come as a major surprise.

Cable’s contract had expired with a two-year extension at the club’s option. At the same time, first-year offensive coordinator Jackson, hand-picked by Davis the year before, rejuvenated one of the NFL’s most inept offenses.

Given that Jackson is a minority candidate who satisfies the Rooney Rule, he was bound to attract notice as a head coaching candidate. It happened almost immediately when the San Francisco 49ers came calling.

Jackson’s stated goal is to become a head coach, something he and Davis no doubt talked about at length in the interview which brought him to the Raiders from the Baltimore Ravens.

Although Davis has not spoken at length to the media in 15 months other than a brief talk with Gil Brandt on Sirius Radio, his main issue with Cable is that although the Raiders improved to .500, he felt the talent was such that the Raiders should have been a playoff team.

The Raiders went 6-0 in the AFC West, a huge point of pride within the team, and were 2-8 outside of it.

There was also the handling of quarterback Jason Campbell, who Davis compared to two-time Raiders Super Bowl winning quarterback Jim Plunkett in the Brandt interview but was benched twice in favor of Bruce Gradkowski.

The first time came at halftime of a 16-14 win over St. Louis, with Gradkowski eventually sustaining a right separated throwing shoulder and giving way to Campbell, who was quarterback during a three-game win streak.

When the Raiders came off the bye with a 5-4 record and Campbell struggled against Pittsburgh in a 35-3 loss, Gradkowski was given back the starting role in a pivotal home game against Miami that the Raiders lost 33-17, dropping them back below .500.

Copyright (C) 2011 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

 

Notes, quotes · Strategy and personnel · Inside slant

 

It’s appearing increasingly likely that Hue Jackson is set to become the Oakland Raiders’ ninth head coach in 17 seasons since returning to Northern California.

The team is interviewing assistant coaches, with the assumption they will work for Jackson’s staff, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jackson, who was the Raiders’ offensive coordinator last season, has been considered the frontrunner for the job since the team announced last week that Tom Cable would not be returning.

The news regarding Cable came the same day the Raiders granted permission to the San Francisco 49ers to speak with Jackson for their head coaching vacancy, since filled by Jim Harbaugh.

Cable was informed that his contract would not be extended on Jan. 4. If the Raiders had extended the contract, Cable would have been owed $2.5 million per season in 2011 and 2012.

Cable, whose contract expired at the conclusion of the 2010 season, posted a 17-27 regular season record as head coach of the Raiders.

Despite the Raiders’ improvement to an 8-8 record, the first time in seven years they didn’t have 11 or more losses, the move did not come as a major surprise.

Cable’s contract had expired with a two-year extension at the club’s option. At the same time, first-year offensive coordinator Jackson, hand-picked by Davis the year before, rejuvenated one of the NFL’s most inept offenses.

Given that Jackson is a minority candidate who satisfies the Rooney Rule, he was bound to attract notice as a head coaching candidate. It happened almost immediately when the San Francisco 49ers came calling.

Jackson’s stated goal is to become a head coach, something he and Davis no doubt talked about at length in the interview which brought him to the Raiders from the Baltimore Ravens.

Although Davis has not spoken at length to the media in 15 months other than a brief talk with Gil Brandt on Sirius Radio, his main issue with Cable is that although the Raiders improved to .500, he felt the talent was such that the Raiders should have been a playoff team.

The Raiders went 6-0 in the AFC West, a huge point of pride within the team, and were 2-8 outside of it.

There was also the handling of quarterback Jason Campbell, who Davis compared to two-time Raiders Super Bowl winning quarterback Jim Plunkett in the Brandt interview but was benched twice in favor of Bruce Gradkowski.

The first time came at halftime of a 16-14 win over St. Louis, with Gradkowski eventually sustaining a right separated throwing shoulder and giving way to Campbell, who was quarterback during a three-game win streak.

When the Raiders came off the bye with a 5-4 record and Campbell struggled against Pittsburgh in a 35-3 loss, Gradkowski was given back the starting role in a pivotal home game against Miami that the Raiders lost 33-17, dropping them back below .500.

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