Raiders to Palmer: Mastery of Krebs Cycle required for Sunday start

Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders shocked the sports world yesterday morning during an interview on 610 Sports Radio Kansas City when he stated newly acquired quarterback Carson Palmer would start Sunday's contest against the Chiefs "as long as he's breathing."

Palmer, eager to impress his new teammates and Bay Area fan-base, took his coordinator's words to heart and began studying the nuances of cellular respiration from a biology textbook he once saw some Asian students carrying around the USC campus.

When asked how his assimilation to a new team and playbook were going, Palmer responded, "I've got a pretty firm grasp on where the ball needs to go when coach calls Slant Left 787 check swing, check right, but I can't seem to remember that the decarboxylation of oxalosuccinate is the rate limiting step of the Krebs Cycle."

With each passing day it's becoming clear that Palmer will get the start Sunday as he continues to take first team reps and breathe at a very efficient rate, generating an impressive 36 ATP along the way.

In other Raiders' news, the Kyle Boller era in Oakland has ended before it ever got started, and former starter Jason Campbell has begun rehabbing a broken heart clavicle.