RAIDER WEEK

Odds that any of the above went to college?

A term that Marty invented and the city followed through with, Raider Week culminates in one of the most looked forward to games of the season for the Chiefs.

A divisional rivalry between two of the original AFL teams, the hatred between these two teams are deeply rooted in the history of the game. And although the Chiefs have had the edge over the last decade, the Raiders swept the Chiefs (and the division) last year, and are looking for vengeance over the reigning divisional champion.

This year, the Chiefs are down, but not entirely out. They seem to have gained momentum after two blowout losses and three season ending injuries, and have an extra week to prepare (even though new rules prohibit the team from practicing for four straight days). The Chiefs would love to prove that their season is not over with a win against the 4-2 Oakland Raiders, who have replaced the Chiefs as the dominate running force in the division.

But the Raiders haven't avoided the injury bug either. In the second quarter of yesterday's game against the Cleveland Browns, Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely, most likely for the season. And although the Raiders are a run first team with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, losing a starting quarterback is always a hard thing to overcome.

So with Campbell out, the question arises of who the Chiefs are going to face next week. Kyle Boller is the backup and took over for Campbell to finish out the game against the Browns, but with the Raiders being legitimate contendors so far this season, are the Raiders and their new owner (RIP Al) going to be content to entrust their franchise's season to the ever disappointing Boller?

Just hours after losing Campbell indefinitley, it was reported that the Raiders were "trying hard" to negotiate a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals that would send "retired" quarterback Carson Palmer to the Raiders. Palmer of course threatened and followed through with retirement if he wasn't traded from the dysfunctional Bengals, and Bengals owner Mike Brown refused. Palmer is a former Pro-Bowler, and is a viable option to replace Campbell.

Other rumors include: the Broncos trading Kyle Orton to the Raiders for some draft picks, since Denver has decided to go with Tim Tebow behind center; picking up free agent quarterback David Garrard, who was released from the Jacksonville Jaguars in favor of rookie Blaine Gabbert; and the promotion of Terrelle Pryor, who recently ended his five game suspension after being drafted into the NFL through the supplemental draft by Al Davis himself. All the options have pros and cons, but until it is reported otherwise, I would expect Boller to be the quarterback when the Chiefs face the Raiders this Sunday in the Black Hole.

Whoever or whatever the Raiders have planned to throw at the Chiefs this week, expect a close game down to the last play. Since 2004, 11 games between the Chiefs and the Raiders have been decided by a touchdown or less. No matter how good or bad the teams happen to be in a given year, they always play each other close, and that just adds to why this rivalry is always so anticipated.

UPDATE: David Garrard can be crossed off that prospective list of replacements for Jason Campbell. He is having surgery for a herniated disc and is out for the season.