ALAMEDA - Are the Oakland Raiders becoming Bengals-West?
The Raiders traded for Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer two weeks ago and signed former Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe.
Tomorrow the Raiders will workout former Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Houshmandzadeh hasn't played this season after spending 2010 with Baltimore.
Raiders coach Hue Jackson was Houshmandzadeh's position coach - in Cincinnati.
And who was the lone NFL receiver Palmer worked out while waiting to be traded? Right - Houshmandzadeh.
(For the record, Chad Ochocinco and running back Rudi Johnson aren't on their way out here).
"I haven't asked Carson one thing about T.J.," Jackson said. "Anything I need to know about T.J. I can ask myself. I coached him. I know what he is and what he isn't. And what I need to do is find out what he is."
Jackson said he would have liked to have brought in Houshmandzadeh during training camp but the timing now is better and it's just coincidence Palmer is now a Raider.
But the benefits are obvious. Houshmandzadeh knows what Jackson wants do on on offense and he knows Palmer.
That Houshmandzadeh is 34 isn't that big a deal since his game was never based on speed.
The Raiders might not sign "The Housh" but if they do, it would be the first veteran the team has turned to since Javon Walker.
More Palmer
Those extra days of working out with Palmer paid dividends during today's light workout after the bye. The Raiders begin preparing for Denver Wednesday after Tuesday's normal day off.
"I thought (Palmer) looked really sharp today," Jackson said. "He did some really good things today. He really has a grasp of what we're trying to accomplish. I think when I heard of what those guys did on those two days, spending time together really showed out here. Guys were able to make some plays that I think for the first couple of days, really didn't. So that was improvement, like I said, he's a pro, he understands what he needs to do, he's go to adjust his game a little bit to them and they've got to adjust their game to him. I think that process is underway."
Wide receiver Jacoby Ford said the extra work helped develop chemistry with Palmer.
"Being here those extra few days with him, you just kind of get things down," Ford said. "Now he knows where we're going to be and we know what we have to do for him. It's all built on trust, so wherever the ball needs to be, that's where we need to be."
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