Associated Press
The NFL notebook …
ALAMEDA, Calif. ó On the second play of practice for Oaklandís starting offense, Carson Palmer stepped in and ran a play.
The question now is whether Palmer can do enough this week to earn the starting quarterback job for the Raiders in place of the injured Jason Campbell.
Palmer shared first-team snaps Wednesday with Kyle Boller, who has been with the Raiders the past two seasons and has a big advantage in terms of knowledge of the offense and chemistry with the receivers.
But Palmer has the stronger pedigree and was acquired at a high price, meaning the Raiders will give him every possible chance to get that job as the starter on Sunday against Kansas City.
ěItís one day,î coach Hue Jackson said. ěIím not in a rush. I donít have to rush that decision. Iím going to take my time and see where they are and see how fast he picks up the system, see how fast he gets in line with his teammates and weíll kind of go from there.î
TEBOW HELPS TICKETS
MIAMI ó Tebow will make his first start of the season Sunday when the Denver Broncos play at Miami, and Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said he’s optimistic the game will be sellout.
More than 10,000 tickets have been sold since Tebow was promoted to the starting job last week, Dee said Wednesday.
“The demand and interest in the game certainly has picked up since the announcement,” Dee said. “Clearly this matchup and the buzz that’s out there have helped with tickets.”
The Dolphins have avoided black outs since the start of the 2001 season, but attendance has been in decline the past couple of years. They have an 0-5 record this year and have lost 11 of their past 12 home games, further fueling fan apathy.
“This has never been Tim Tebow Day,” Dee said. “It has always been about a celebration of the 2008 Gators team. There will be more than 20 players from that team represented.”
PANTHERS
CHARLOTTE ó The Carolina Panthers have placed former first-round draft pick and starting right tackle Jeff Otah on injured reserve for the third time in four seasons.
Otah has been struggling with back and knee issues stemming from two prior knee surgeries. The Panthers decided to shut him down for the season to give him time to rest and fully recover, sensing he wasn’t getting any better. He missed last week’s game against Atlanta because of back problems.
PLAX ON SANCHEZ
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. ó Plaxico Burress predicted big things for his NFL return a few months ago, convinced he would show everyone he was still one of the game’s best wide receivers.
Well, the New York Jets are still waiting.
“Man, I’ve been in this league a long time,” Burress said Wednesday. “All it takes is a game or two.”
Burress, signed as a free agent in late-July after spending 20 months in prison on a gun charge, has just 14 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns in six games. Despite the long layoff from football, he was expected to be a dominant red-zone threat for quarterback Mark Sanchez.
LONDON-BOUND
BAGSHOT, England ó Josh Freeman expects his second game at Wembley to be a lot different from his first.
The Tampa Bay quarterback made his NFL debut in London in 2009, coming on as a backup in the fourth quarter to run the clock out when the Buccaneers took their seventh straight loss in a blowout to New England.
That game now “seems ages ago,” Freeman said Wednesday.
Much has happened in two years.
When Freeman returns to Wembley on Sunday, he is the established starter, the Bucs are 4-2 and no one is expecting them to be a pushover against the Chicago Bears (3-3).