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Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Raiders in 2012.

Dream scenario (9-7): Maybe the Raiders get the Carson Palmer whom the last staff envisioned and he regains his form from years ago. Although the tight end position is a nightmare, Oakland’s core of young wide receivers could burst onto the scene this season. Denarius Moore could be a superstar, and Juron Criner could be an ideal complement. Switching schemes can be dicey, but the Raiders’ offensive line looks better off going to a zone-blocking scheme and should be especially improved on the interior. Oakland absolutely must cut down on penalties, and drastically reducing such mistakes seems like a reasonable and reachable goal. Also, only four teams threw more interceptions than the Raiders last season. Reducing picks along with having an exceptional pair of kicking specialists could greatly aid Oakland in winning the hidden-yardage battle.

Nightmare scenario (4-12): The Raiders have poor depth. They are also breaking in a new head coach and new schemes. As the season goes along, their depth will surely be tested -- and I don’t expect it to respond kindly. Oakland absolutely needs Darren McFadden to stay healthy this season. Of course, that has been a problem for its spectacular running back. When healthy, few in this league produce like McFadden, but the right tackle position looks like a trouble area. There also could be a drop-off coming on defense. The defensive line overall is strong, but where are the top edge pass-rushers and top cover men? In a passing league, that is a massive problem in my eyes. The best I can forecast for Oakland is to have great luck with injuries and sneak into the playoffs as a wild-card team, while their nightmare scenario could be selecting in the top five of next year’s draft.

Terrell Owens is campaigning to get back into the NFL, and his current targets are his first team and the team in which his previous quarterback plays for.

Owens went on “The Drive” on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, in an interview that will air Monday, and said he’d like to play for either the 49ers or the Raiders. Let’s get this straight: Owens would like to play for any team. But thus far, there have not been any takers. Owens was out of football in 2011, and he turns 39 in December.

Yes, he’s a hard sell.

Yet, he is pushing for a chance to reunite with quarterback Carson Palmer. They played in Cincinnati together in 2010, and Owens worked out with Palmer and some Oakland receivers this offseason.

“If I had to prefer a team, I’d probably want to end where I started, but other than that, that’s not possible, but at the same time, anything can happen. That being said, there’s really only one team left in the Bay Area who I haven’t played for, that really, at this point in time is a viable option, and that’s the Oakland Raiders,” Owens said, “Given the opportunity, if that’s on their radar for me to come in and help them win some ball games, and ultimately help them try to win a championship, then I’ll take that challenge on.

"I definitely feel I have a lot of football left in me. I think Carson knows that. The guys that saw me running around, those receivers, they saw me first hand, so it’s just a matter of someone giving me an opportunity to make that happen. If that’s the case with the Raiders, I’ll assess that when the time comes.”

The reality is, it doesn’t matter if Owens is interested in playing for the Raiders. There are a lot of people in the world who would like to play for the Raiders. What matters is what Oakland’s brass wants. Thus far, it appears Oakland is satisfied with its young core of receivers. As I have expressed often, I think it is the right call.

Let’s see what fifth-round pick Juron Criner can do. Taking away repetitions from him in favor of a rusty 38-year-old with a history of being a locker-room distraction doesn’t make any sense.

In other AFC West news:

Tight end Dallas Clark reportedly visited the Patriots this week. He recently visited the Chiefs.

In an Insider piece, Mel Kiper says he thinks Kansas City linebacker Justin Houston will build upon his strong rookie season.

Denver signed fifth-round pick Malik Jackson. He is the team’s second draft pick to sign.

According to the fine folks who took our AFC West poll this week, new Oakland backup quarterback Matt Leinart is the best backup in the AFC West.

We asked readers this week who they think is the best backup quarterback in the division. All four backups are new in 2012. In addition to Leinart in Oakland, Caleb Hanie is in Denver, Brady Quinn is in Kansas City and Charlie Whitehurst is the backup in San Diego.

Overall, it is not a good group that backs up a good group of starters in the division. Still, in our poll, Leinart received 38 percent of the vote as of 2:05 p.m. ET Wednesday. Quinn received 35 percent of the vote, Whitehurst received 15 percent and Hanie received 11 percent. Yes, that adds up to 99 percent. That means the final percent was split too evenly to be assigned to one player.

I can see why Leinart won the vote. He fits the West Coast offense and he has history with Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and starter Carson Palmer. Still, like any of these backups, I don’t see Leinart having long-term success if he has to spell Palmer for an extended period.

This is how I listed the group in a recent post: Quinn, Leinart, Hanie and Whitehurst. But they are closely bunched so I can’t argue too much with these poll results. Thanks to everyone who played along.

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed safety DeQuan Menzie. He was a fifth-round pick. The Chiefs have six of their eight draft picks signed.

The Chiefs also announced they signed free agents, defensive back Dominique Ellis, tight end Martin Rucker, offensive lineman Rich Ranglin and linebacker Leon Williams. Rucker and Williams are former draft picks of the Browns when current Chiefs’ coach Romeo Crennel was the coach in Cleveland.

In other AFC West notes:

— Video has emerged from the incident that led to the arrest of Oakland middle linebacker Rolando McClain in his hometown in Alabama last fall. McClain will go to trial in the case Thursday.

— Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer helps explains why Terrell Owens worked out with Palmer and some Oakland receivers this offseason. That doesn’t mean Owens is coming to Oakland’s crowded receiver’s room.

— As expected, Denver kicker Matt Prater is not participating in the team’s OTAs. He has not signed his franchise tag, so missing OTAs is normal procedure.

— In a radio interview, Oakland safety Tyvon Branch said he is not focusing on getting a long-term deal, even though he’d like on. Branch recently signed his franchise tender and he has rejoined the team.

— The home of former San Diego star linebacker Junior Seau was burglarized five days after Seau committed suicide.

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Carson Palmer gave himself a refresher course this offseason in what watching football without the modern convenience of high definition is like.

It brought him back to the late 1980s, when he watched football just because he liked what he saw without knowing the complications of the game.

This time around, it was for the benefit of his NFL career.

As part of his indoctrination into the West Coast offense, Palmer, 32, watched as much of the scheme as he could. He went all the way back to the Bill Walsh-coached San Francisco 49ers.

“It was pretty cool going back to those days,” said Palmer this week during a break in the Raiders’ organized team activities. “There were no HD films back then, so it was kind of gritty. It brought me back to when I was 8 years old and I just wanted to see (49ers running back) Roger Craig score a touchdown. You look at the game so differently now, but it was a good learning experience.”

Palmer’s West Coast cram sessions included several incarnations of the scheme. However, a primary focus was the 2010 and 2011 Houston Texans. Palmer watched every game the team played the past two seasons.

New Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp was Houston’s quarterbacks coach in those seasons, and Knapp is bringing a version of the West Coast offense to Oakland. He is a disciple of the 49ers’ West Coast offense and has used versions of it as a coordinator in San Francisco, Atlanta, Oakland (in 2007-08) and Seattle.

Palmer was in a West Coast offense in his first year at USC, at age 18. In a season during which he will turn 33, Palmer must adjust to the offense in what will be a crucial year for him personally. The previous Oakland regime traded two premium draft picks for Palmer last season in a desperate attempt to stay in the playoff hunt when starter Jason Campbell went down for the season with a broken collarbone.

Oakland was 4-2 when Campbell went down. It was 4-6 after acquiring Palmer from the Bengals. Thrown into the Oakland system after holding out in Cincinnati, Palmer’s rust showed as he threw 16 interceptions and 13 touchdown passes for the Raiders.

Palmer is now comfortable in Oakland, and though he is still adjusting to Knapp’s system, he says he is thrilled with the playbook because Knapp’s offense has so many variations. There are some classic West Coast schemes, but there is also zone-blocking running and other modifications. Palmer said he believes it is the most varied offense he has been in.

He thinks it will blend nicely with Oakland’s speed at receiver. Mostly, Palmer is confident his transition to the offense will be easy because of Knapp himself.

“He’s been fantastic with me,” Palmer said. “He’s amazing. He is a teacher in addition to a coach. It will really help me get this offense down.”

New Oakland coach Dennis Allen said Palmer was a major reason why he chose to hire Knapp as his offensive coordinator. He said Palmer’s ability to adjust to Knapp’s offense made the Palmer-Knapp pairing a “great fit” in Allen’s mind.

Allen scoffs at concern that Palmer might not be athletic enough to run Knapp’s offense. He has repeatedly said he thinks that Palmer is athletic as Matt Schaub, who flourished under Knapp in Houston. Palmer often ran around the field freely on Tuesday in addition to participating in a multitude of plays, including several deep passes, which mesh with his big arm.

“He moved around today,” Allen said Tuesday. “He’s plenty athletic.”

Allen also said the key is to be flexible -- not only on offense, but on defense, where the 4-3-based Raiders will use multiple front-seven sets. Allen -- who was Denver’s defensive coordinator last season -- saw the benefit of in-season coaching when the Broncos went to an option offense for Tim Tebow midway through the season. He said Tuesday he learned from that experience.

“We are running the West Coast offense, but we’re going to do a lot of things,” Allen said. “We are going to take advantage of what Carson does best.”

While hopes are high in Oakland that Palmer will show he was worth the high price, some worry about the fit. Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. is in that camp.

“I have a lot of concerns with Palmer adjusting to the Raiders’ new offense,” Williamson said. “First off, it was the former staff/philosophy that wanted Palmer. He doesn’t anticipate routes well. When the receiver becomes open, Palmer throws it. Therefore, defensive backs get a better break on the ball and run-after-the-catch potential is more limited. Also, he has heavy feet and not a movement-based quarterback, which is ideally what they now want in Oakland. I do think Knapp will adapt his system to fit Palmer -- he will have to.”

To help Palmer adjust to playing for Knapp, Oakland signed Matt Leinart to be his backup. Leinart backed up Palmer at USC and the two Heisman Trophy winners have a close bond. Leinart was in Houston the past two seasons.

Leinart said this week he is happy to help Palmer with any nuances of Knapp’s offense. He said keys for Palmer will be to use bootlegs and rely on what should be a strong running game.

"I'm here for Carson, to help him with reads, to let him know that certain things are very good, just to stay on it," Leinart said. "Because when you're taught a new offense, there's things that you're not used to; you're used to doing it a certain way. Sometimes the reads are a little different. I told him today, 'Just stick with this route because it's a great route for us. It's going to be a great route for us.'"

And if he needs any reassurance, all Palmer has to do is flip on that gritty, grainy game film from yesteryear.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- After running in front of the media for the first time in seven months, running back Darren McFadden met the press Tuesday after the Oakland Raiders' organized team activities practice.

Earlier in the day coach Dennis Allen said McFadden was at full speed. McFadden said he began running in April and he has felt 100 percent for about a month. He he thinks the injury, that knocked him out of the final nine games of the season, was a “freak” occurrence and he does not worry about a similar injury again.

Here are some more notes after talking to other Raiders on Tuesday:

• Quarterback Carson Palmer was impressed by the day of fifth-round pick receiver Juron Criner. However, Palmer said he has seen many younger receivers have good spring days over the years. Palmer walked off the field with Criner and told him he must continue to have these types of days.
• Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey apologized to fans for “bringing bad attention” to the team. He was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving last month.
• Second-year quarterback Terrelle Pryor expressed relief that there is quarterback coach in Oakland to help him develop. Former head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Al Saunders handled the job last year. Pryor now works with position coach John DeFilippo on a regular basis.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Observation from the Raiders’ OTA day on Tuesday:

Oakland is opening up its OTA days with a four-man defensive front. New coach Dennis Allen is adamant the Raiders will use multiple sets and we will see some 3-4 sets.

Running back Darren McFadden practiced fully for the first time since last October. He missed the final nine games of the season with a foot injury. He looked good. Allen said McFadden is at full speed.

Even if the Raiders sign fullback Owen Schmitt (who is here on a tryout basis), don’t expect Marcel Reece to be moved to tight end on a permanent basis. Reece is versatile and he will line up at tight end in some packages, but I expect him to stay a fullback.

Reece has not signed his restricted free-agent tender and he was among the players who were not at the voluntary camp Tuesday. Defensive lineman Richard Seymour was not at this camp. Allen said Seymour was at a previous camp and he has been in contact with the coaching staff. Allen called missing this session a “tradition” for Seymour. Middle linebacker Rolando McClain also was absent from the session, instead dealing with legal issues in Alabama.

Safety Mike Mitchell has a knee injury and was not practicing. Among the other injured players are defensive end Matt Shaughnessy (shoulder), center Stefen Wisniewski (he had a minor shoulder procedure this offseason) and guard Mike Brisiel (hamstring). None of the injuries appear serious and Allen said Shaughnessy is doing well in his rehabilitation from the injury that prematurely ended his 2011 season.

Quarterback Carson Palmer looked good. Backup Matt Leinart looked so-so and third-string quarterback Terrelle Pryor was often off-target. Pryor very much remains a work in progress.

Allen said he likes his stable of running backs, but he is on the lookout (like at all positions) for more help if the situation is right.

Receiver-turned-tight end David Ausberry has bulked up to help him as a blocker. Allen said he still sees Ausberry as a pass-catching tight end.

Allen said the emphasis to cut down on penalties -- the Raiders set a record for penalties last season -- has begun in the meeting room and will continue to evolve.

The Raiders are one of six NFL teams to participate in the launching of a new helmet for youth football programs to promote increased safety.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Juron Criner stole the show.

The Oakland Raiders opened their second OTA day with veterans and rookies to the media on Tuesday.

It quickly became all about Criner, a fifth-round draft pick who made one ridiculous catch after another. He caught passes from all three quarterbacks. He absolutely ruled the workout; much like 2011 fifth-round pick Denarius Moore often did in training camp last year.

Criner -- who is not a classic speed burner -- showed leaping and hands ability. He looked terrific. It was noticed by people who Criner needs to impress. Oakland starting quarterback Carson Palmer walked off the field with Criner, giving him pointers and talking business. Oakland coach Dennis Allen praised Criner.

I liked the selection of the Arizona product when he was drafted and I am sure he will make the 53-man roster with a chance to contribute as a rookie.

Still, I am hesitant to get carried away because of one spectacular workout in May. This practice is far from a training camp session. This is basically a glorified quarterback camp. It is designed for receivers to shine. But there’s no doubt Criner stood out Tuesday.

Oakland has a crowded receiver group and it needs for players to emerge. Criner’s performance Tuesday has to make you wonder if he will be poised to make a quicker move up the depth chart than originally expected.

I will be back later with more observations from the practice.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South | East
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South | East

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Raiders and why.

Oakland’s brass isn’t facing much pressure. General manager Reggie McKenzie and new head coach Dennis Allen are starting a new regime, and they will be given time to build their program.

However, that doesn’t mean no one in Oakland faces pressure in 2012. The heat is on quarterback Carson Palmer. He is one of the keys to quick success in Oakland. If Palmer fails to deliver in 2012, the Raiders may have to think of the future, whether that means trying to draft a franchise quarterback in 2013 or turning to 2011 supplemental draft pick Terrelle Pryor.

Remember, the previous regime was the one that brought Palmer in last October. McKenzie and Allen believe in Palmer and will give him a chance to succeed, but he’s not their guy. They will not feel emotionally attached to him if he fails.

Oakland gave up its first-round pick this year and a first- or second-round pick next year. (It’s a first-rounder if Oakland goes to the AFC title game.)

He was so-so last year. Palmer threw 16 interceptions and 13 touchdowns in 10 games with Oakland. Now, Palmer, who will turn 33 in December, must adjust to the West Coast offense in Oakland. The Raiders need Palmer to succeed.

Hopes are high for him, but if Palmer fails in 2012, so may the Raiders.

Matt Leinart knows his role with the Oakland Raiders is to back up Carson Palmer and he is fine with it.

He knows he can be helpful to Palmer as he learns the version of the West Coast offense run by new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. Leinart was in Houston with Knapp for the past two years and is Palmer's close friend after playing together at USC.

But Leinart, who turned 29 Friday, is not of the mindset of simply being help for Palmer. He wants to be ready to play and he would love a chance to get his career back on track. The former first-round pick has been plagued by injuries and bad fits in his NFL career.

"I think in this league, if you don't have a competitive desire to play, no matter what position, then you're in the wrong league,” Leinart said in a conference call with reporters Monday. “And for me, it was a bummer last year getting hurt when I finally had my opportunity and I was playing well and it was the most comfortable I had been in years. Injuries happen, it's part of the game … I knew that I wasn't going to go into a place to be named the starter, I understand that. But my mentality is I'm still confident that I can start, I'm still confident that I can play, and the good thing is I know this offense well so I'll feel comfortable when I get my chance or if I get the reps that I can execute it."

I won’t make it a habit to disagree with Jerry Rice about the wide receiver position. I think it makes good sense to defer to the greatest receiver of all-time on the subject.

However, on NFL Live on Tuesday, the ESPN analyst said something I can’t be on board with -- Terrell Owens would fit in with the Oakland Raiders.

Asked if he thought Owens would fit in with an NFL team, Rice said he thought the Raiders would be a fit because they could use a veteran to go along with their several young receivers.

Adding fuel to the possibility, of course, is Owens is friends and former teammates with Oakland quarterback Carson Palmer. Owens worked out with Palmer and some Oakland receivers this offseason.

Still, I don’t like the fit.

The Raiders are going in a new direction in leadership and I think a player like Owens would not be a good addition to the locker room to start the Reggie McKenzie-Dennis Allen era. Owens can be a distraction. The Raiders don’t need any distractions.

Plus, Owens is 38 and he did not play in the NFL in 2011. Where’s the appeal here?

Rice is right that Oakland’s receiving crew is young. But these players need to play and develop. Having Owens taking away repetitions from the likes of Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy and rookie Juron Criner just doesn’t make sense to me.

Again, it’s not wise to argue the reviver position with Jerry Rice. But I think it would be less wise for Oakland to pursue Owens.

Can the Raiders stay in the race in 2012?

The Oakland Raiders are a team in transition.

Steadying the organization with an eye on the future is the goal of new general manager Reggie McKenzie, who is taking over the direction of the team after the death of legendary Oakland owner Al Davis. Davis died at the age of 82 last October. Because Davis desperately tried to win in his final years, McKenzie was saddled with a poor salary-cap situation and a lack of draft picks.

The result is that Oakland has not been able to add many major pieces who can help right away. The problem is, Oakland’s three competitors in the AFC West -- Denver, Kansas City and San Diego -- all made significant additions.

The Raiders’ additions were more of the modest variety. If Oakland, which was 8-8 and lost the AFC West title to Denver via a tiebreaker last season, has a chance to win the division for the first time in 10 years, it must hope quarterback Carson Palmer finds his groove, running back Darren McFadden stays healthy, its young receivers continue to develop and the defense makes huge strides under new coach Dennis Allen.

Oakland has depth issues on both sides of the ball, so it can’t sustain many major injuries. There is talent in Oakland, and the team is on the right track for the future, but the question is: Can the Raiders compete in the immediate future?

Here are some highlights from our AFC West chat, which was held earlier Thursday:

Denver

Lynn from Denver: Bill, will Peyton play in the preseason at a normal clip for a #1 QB or will the broncos be careful and even though he missed all of last year and just let him go in the regular season?

Bill Williamson: I think the preseason will be interesting. Manning hasn't played since Jan. 2011. So, he will need some playing time to knock off the rest, but can't be overused in August.

Kansas City

Brent from Hays: Regardless of Cassel's year in KC would it be a good idea for them to draft a QB high next year?

BW: Well, I think it all depends on Cassel's season. If he is great, no, but if he's just so-so, I think the Chiefs try to go get a QB.

Oakland

Eric from Cali.: Raiders have an explosive offense, very good special teams. If defense can get in top 15 do u see the contending in West ?

BW: Here's the keys: Palmer plays well, McFadden stays healthy, Receivers develop, and defense stays healthy and gets better.

San Diego

Jackson from Ca.,: Obviously loved the Ingram pick but what do you think of the prospects of Taylor and Green?

BW: Don't forget Kendall Reyes. I liked all of these picks. Taylor was a second-round talent and he has a chance to break the starting lineup at some point early in his career. Green is a good prospect down the road.

Now that Matt Leinart has signed with the Oakland Raiders, each teams in the AFC West has a new backup quarterback.

After looking at the list, here is my advice to the starters in the division: stay healthy.

The AFC West’s group of backups is not very strong. I ranked the group and asked Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. for his opinion of my list. Williamson agreed with my rankings and that this is a weak class. He said the separation between all four quarterbacks is not big.

Let’s look at our rankings:

1. Brady Quinn, Kansas City Chiefs: Quinn is probably the best equipped of this group to help his team win on a short-term basis.

2. Matt Leinart, Oakland: Leinart is a good fit in Oakland because of familiarity with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and starter Carson Palmer. But he has shown he can’t be trusted as a starter.

3. Caleb Hanie, Denver Broncos: The Broncos like the fit though he is warming the backup chair for second-round pick Brock Osweiler.

4. Charlie Whitehurst, San Diego Chargers: The Chargers like their former No. 3 quarterback, but I think they would have been better off keeping Billy Volek as Philip Rivers' backup. Volek, in my mind, would have been the best backup in this division.

As expected, Matt Leinart is headed to Oakland.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Leinart is signing with the Raiders after having a tryout with the team. This connection has been expected for several weeks.

It was reported Monday that the Raiders were working out former Colts backup Jim Sorgi as well. Signing Leinart over Sorgi is the right call in my mind. Sorgi hasn’t played in three years. There are several reasons why Leinart should quickly become comfortable in Oakland.

Leinart played for Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp in Houston last season. Leinart has also been Carson Palmer’s backup in the past. Palmer was the starter and Leinart was the backup while at USC, and they remain close. Both share a bond as Heisman Trophy winners.

Leinart will be the backup and 2011 supplemental draft pick Terrelle Pryor will be the No. 3 quarterback. But Pryor is a project. If Palmer goes down, the Raiders will turn to Leinart as Pryor develops.