Ostler: Is Carson Palmer still the answer?

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As reality checks go, this one was unreal.

Or maybe surreal? Too real?

The Raiders wanted to test themselves, see if they could hang with the big boys, the NFL's biggest boys, and the Raiders got slapped upside the head with the tundra-cold truth: No can do.

The bottom dropped out almost instantly. On the game's sixth play from scrimmage, Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer threw an interception, and after a penalty, the Packers turned the pick into an insurmountable 7-0 lead.

Palmer threw two more interceptions before halftime, and another in the second half. The Packers are a pickoff-happy team, but these were bad chucks.

Now the question is: Is Carson Palmer the answer?

When Hue Jackson, the Raiders' rookie head coach and de facto general manager, boldly traded draft picks for Palmer, prying him out of temporary retirement, Jackson called it "probably the greatest trade in football."

He was kind of kidding, but if Palmer could lead the Raiders to the playoffs, Jackson will be buffing his fingernails on his lapel.

However, Palmer has struggled two games in a row, and Jackson didn't hold back Sunday.

"I am disappointed in the four picks," Jackson said. "I think you have someone who is pressing and trying to make plays for a football team, and that isn't what he needs to do."

Now, seemingly from out of nowhere, Jason Campbell re-enters the discussion.

Campbell started the first six games, and the Raiders went 4-2. Teammates were talking up Campbell's improved leadership and confidence. He sustained a separated shoulder in Game 6.

Palmer was acquired, took over the job halfway through Game 7 and threw three interceptions. He was still rusty the next Sunday and lost his first start, against the Denver Tebows, then won three in a row. Teammates were talking up Palmer, citing a new level of leadership at quarterback -- no offense, Jason Campbell.

Now, two embarrassing losses in a row.

Palmer didn't shirk from the blame Sunday.

"I did not give us a chance to win; I did not play well enough," Palmer said. "I made way too many mistakes."

It's been years -- actually a decade -- since the Raiders and their fans have been able to settle into enjoying one quarterback in whom they have full confidence. The skittishness was exacerbated by the JaMarcus Russell era, as scary as any Hitchcock movie.

So it's no surprise that by the middle of the first half Sunday, some fans (via tweets and blogs) were clamoring for Terrelle Pryor. Terrelle Pryor? Yep, the rookie third-stringer who has yet to take a snap in a game and is more of a project than that bicycle you will be putting together on Christmas Eve after seven eggnogs.

Pryor isn't going to happen, not this season. However, Campbell has been recovering, quietly, and at any time, he could be pronounced ready to roll. The Raiders and Jackson are offering no meaningful updates on Campbell's rehab.

If Campbell were to become game-ready this week or next, whom would you prefer?

The rap on Campbell was that he was too cautious, too hesitant to pull the trigger. Yet that type of patience might have served the Raiders well in Green Bay.

The rap on Palmer is that he might be too eager to unload the ball. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is 9-to-13.

In defense of Palmer, he has yet to share a huddle with the Raiders' No. 1 playmaker, Darren McFadden. Also hurt and sidelined: deep-receiving threats Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore. MIA: the Raiders' running attack.

Also, you can't blame Palmer for the Raiders' 11 penalties for 89 yards, plus three others that were declined. So maybe you understand if Palmer is trying to force the action a bit.

The Raiders are struggling; they're running out of gas and time. It's probably too late to change quarterbacks, even if Campbell gets healthy, but when you're in must-win mode, it would be nice to have a Jason Campbell in the bullpen.

(E-mail Scott Ostler at sostler(at)sfchronicle.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)

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