*Word out of Oakland is Carson Palmer’s rib and lung injuries may be even worse than reported. In part because of the injury, some of the big dogs in Oakland are saying they don’t expect Palmer to return in 2013. That will put the Raiders squarely in the middle of what looks to be a very mediocre quarterback market.

*One of the reasons Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been clicking with his receivers of late might surprise you. Wilson, Sidney Rice, Golden Tate and company had a quiet meeting in the middle of the season to clear the air. Prior to that point, Wilson and his receivers weren’t always seeing things the same way. Who got them together? The team equipment manager, who also acts as the Seahawks’ unofficial shrink.

*Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross has been mentioned prominently as a candidate for the Panthers’ general manager position, but even if he doesn’t land in Carolina, he still is likely to get a promotion soon. We hear Ross is at the top of several teams’ lists for general manager candidates. The other up and comer who is getting a lot of play in front offices is Falcons personnel director Dave Caldwell. He is likely to get multiple interview opportunities.

*The perception out of Baltimore was that Ravens owner Steven Bisciotti was working against fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. But we’ve heard Bisciotti actually took an interest in Cameron and worked with him to try to improve his relationships with players and other coaches. There were some communication issues between Cameron and some of the people who answered to him, and Bisciotti wanted to help Cameron overcome those issues.

*One name that might surprise you that is on some NFL owners’ lists of potential head coaches: Doug Marrone of Syracuse. Marrone is 24-25 over four years as a head coach, but his Orangemen are coming off a 7-5 season as they prepare for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl Saturday. And Marrone has NFL experience. What might really appeal to NFL teams about Marrone is he served as Sean Payton’s offensive coordinator in New Orleans.

*We continue to hear there is some restlessness in Detroit over the underachieving Lions, and significant changes are not out of the question. It is possible general manager Martin Mayhew might pay the price for the Lions’ fall.