The Oakland Raiders thought they were destined for the NFL
playoffs after they made a blockbuster trade to acquire
disgruntled quarterback Carson Palmer from the Cincinnati
Bengals. If the trade had worked out, and Oakland had achieved
its goal, maybe that deal would have looked great; but instead
the Raiders finished 8-8 and missed the postseason.  In that
trade, the Raiders sent their first-round pick in the 2012 NFL
draft, along with a conditional second-round pick in 2013 draft
that would become a first-rounder if the Raiders were to win a
divisional playoff game this season or next season.  While
Raiders fans claim the team has enough young talent, and
therefore those draft picks were worth the move to acquire
Palmer, successful NFL teams are constantly adding new young
players to their systems in order to continue improving.
Clearly, the Raiders don't have enough young talent, if they
only finished 8-8 and missed out on the playoffs.  I know Darren
McFadden was injured for a long stretch of the season,