Bluegrassrivals

What do you suppose he’s doing these days?

Carson Palmer, I mean. How do you imagine retirement is treating Nine?

“Hon, I’m going to the grocery store for some HoHos and Polident. Need anything?”

Is he having coffee with the neighbor ladies, before he goes to his yoga class?

Padding around in his house slippers, doing a load of whites?

Baking a pie for the ladies auxiliary? Bridge dates with the fellas?

Tending his pepper plants, playing shuffleboard, getting his nails done?

Palmer’s 31. Who retires at 31? How much golf can you play? How much tennis can you serve up, how many times can you volunteer to help in your sons’ kindergarten class with the other stay-at-home Moms?

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday. Chances are better than excellent Mike Brown will not trade his former franchise QB. Brown thinks Palmer should honor the “commitment” he made to the Bengals franchise, commitment being a somewhat elastic word as it applies to the team’s president.

What sort of “commitment’’ has the club made to winning since we built the PBS playpen? How does that commitment differ from Palmer’s commitment? Is being $17.8 million under the salary cap more committed or less committed than leaving $50 million in salary on the table?

We digress.

Brown declined to deal the erstwhile Chad Johnson to Washington, when the return was first- and third-round draft picks. Why would he acquiesce to Nine’s wishes? Nine’s stuck spraying his roses and getting his hair done every other Thursday.

What if he were to come back? Maybe Palmer wants to play football badly enough, he’ll agree to play it here. It’s not such a bad spot now. The team is competitive and compelling. No one has a TV show.

Would the Bengals be better off with Nine, or with Red Dalton? Who would you rather have in the four-game set with Baltimore and Pittsburgh? Assuming it would take Palmer a few weeks to grasp Jay Gruden’s offense, which player would give them the best chance to win?

It’s a non-starter for me.

Red.

Red’s teammates love Red. More importantly, they follow him. He isn’t burdened with The Divas. Red can roam the sideline pumping up his mates, without massive eyeball-rolling. Cynicism has taken a holiday this fall.

Dalton isn’t as consistent as Palmer would be. Defenses will fool him. Wait until Dick LeBeau gets ahold of Dalton. Red’ll be seeing triple. He’ll be like the dazed fighter, whose corner tells him, “Aim for the guy in the middle.’’

Dalton might not do as well against the Ravens. Palmer beat them nine of 13 times. And he was very good in the last three games of last year, when the Divas weren’t involved: Five TD passes, two interceptions, a completion percentage of 70. He might like the new guy, A.J. Green.

But what Dalton lacks in know-how he makes up for in want-to. If Palmer came back now and found the starting lineup after the bye, there might be a revolt. His mates weren’t crazy about him jumping ship, and that was before Dalton showed the poise and presence of a veteran. Could he get in the huddle and look squarely into 10 sets of eyes?

It’s forever debatable whether Palmer was the same after the playoff-game shot to the knee from Kimo VonAxe Murderer. Some might suggest that the elbow injury was worse. Others would say the cumulative effects of multiple hurts left Palmer gunshy and without his best fastball. And there is no question Dalton is more mobile.

And yet. . .

Palmer threw 26 TD passes last year. Dalton is on pace for 19. Palmer completed 62 percent of his throws and had a rating of 82.4. Dalton is at 59 percent and 78.7.

We’re not talking about anything beyond the rest of this season. If Palmer came back, played, and posted impressive numbers, his trade value would jump. And he might win more games in December.than his young replacement.

I wouldn’t take Palmer back. Not now. It’s too late, Dalton is doing too well, the chemistry is too fragile. But it’s not a ridiculous question.

What would you do?

So what would you do? Nine? Or Red?

It’s the ultimate hypothetical, yeah, because Nine ain’t returnin’ and Mike B. ain’t tradin’ him. But it’s good bar fodder nonetheless.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111...ton-Palmer

Carson in his day was a beast. Let's not forget that. Last few years he may have dropped off and his relationship with the organization may have taken a def turn for the worse, but he still had potential to be a good QB. He could have least been there to mentor Red.
Now it is too late. Carson burnt his bridge. Red is doing well with less. If the Bengals can get a few pieces next year they will have a great chance to compete for the division again.

Tough to choose Carson Palmer in his prime was pretty beastly. And I don't know when and if Andy Dalton will reach his prime and be as good as Carson was in his. But if were going as far as saying what's best for this team. Definitely Andy!

Carson pre-knee injury, I'll give you. Carson post knee injury no.

I think the gist of the question is who would you rather have as the starting QB right now.

I can say that I would have been stuck on the Veteran Carson until last weeks performance by Dalton. I was not even sure that I wanted Dalton to come back in week two after Gradkowski led the Bengals back to victory when Red went down in week 1. But seeing how Dalton has performed over the last two weeks come from behind victories, I'm leaning towards him. Let's be real, Carson had some pretty weak minded receivers to deal with, but he still had guys like Grisham to throw to, but he would still throw high or wide to him. Caldwell and Simpson could not mentally connect to Carson, but look what Andy has been able to do with those two guys.

I think what could Carson have done with AJ Green? When I'm real with myself, I say that Carson would overthrow him to!

Dusty is going with Big Red as the QB of the Bengals for 2011 season! His upside is so much higher at this stage than him sitting on the sideline as the veteran takes the snaps.

I am a huge Carson fan! So, I'm not discrediting him at all. But since his knee injury, his HEAD has never been the same!

SD I can agree with you on Carson since his knee injury, but was it all his knee or the pile of problems all over the field that made him look as bad as he did?

Amun-Ra Wrote:SD I can agree with you on Carson since his knee injury, but was it all his knee or the pile of problems all over the field that made him look as bad as he did?

Agree, the people around him wasn't the best and most focused on football. He had to put up with a lot between T.O. and Ocho Cinco

Amun-Ra Wrote:SD I can agree with you on Carson since his knee injury, but was it all his knee or the pile of problems all over the field that made him look as bad as he did?

I simply use Caldwell, Simpson, Grisham, Shipley and Bernard Scott as my examples: He overthrew, under threw and flat out threw it no where that they were running. I buy into the Chad issues. But after watching last year, I began to think that maybe sometimes Chad was running the right route, and it was Carson who missed him. Nah, I'm not blaming it on the drama. The Drama was there going back to the playoff year. Carson could hit his receivers then! Not since!

MisterPerfect Wrote:Agree, the people around him wasn't the best and most focused on football. He had to put up with a lot between T.O. and Ocho Cinco

Two guys! The rest are the same! Lavernious Coles came to the Bengals regarded as one of the best route runners in football! Did Lavernious all of a sudden get stupid in his time here!

J-Rod Wrote:Andy Dalton...I wouldn't like huge ego's like Palmer on my team.

I don't get the huge ego like Palmer's thing. He sat there in that horrible franchise never saying a word. The relationship went sour and he wanted out. Mike Brown is a horrible owner, actually the worst in all major sports, and he wouldn't budge on trading Palmer. Palmer didn't want to play for him anymore and Brown's EGO was too big to let him go in a civil manner.

Dalton, young and has a bright future.Palmer always choked under pressure.How many playoff wins does Carson have? Yep, the same as Dalton.

^ That's a fair statement. I'm not going to knock Carson, I loved the guy. But seeing how things have progressed to this point in the season, I like our future more than I did over the last few years!

Screw Carson Palmer, he is a piece of shit. You don't do what he did, you don't leave your team, especially when you're getting paid like he was. I would be happy to never see him in the league again, with any team.

Andy Dalton right now.
A few years ago, Carson anyday.

vundy33 Wrote:Screw Carson Palmer, he is a piece of shit. You don't do what he did, you don't leave your team, especially when you're getting paid like he was. I would be happy to never see him in the league again, with any team.

LOL, I won't call him a piece of shit, but I certainly don't like what he did this year. I am hopeful that the Bengals never let him out of his contract

^ Nope, he only gets paid if he plays, so it costs the Bengals nothing. BUT - it counts against the Salary cap because he "Could" be paid if he showed up.

Stardust Wrote:LOL, I won't call him a piece of shit, but I certainly don't like what he did this year. I am hopeful that the Bengals never let him out of his contract

I agree. Never let him out of it. :dontthink :redboxer:

In his prime, Palmer got to pro bowls and led his Bengals team to some really competive years. But if I had to pick between the Palmer that we would have had this season (much like that one from last year), I would take Andy Dalton and his red hair any day.

^ I agree. I'm not knocking Carson, I love the guy. I don't like what he did to the Bengals this season, but things work out the way they are supposed to. Watching Dalton, I see the Bengals getting better. His accuracy is good at most times. His experience gets better with every snap, and I have not seen him falter under pressure. With Carson, his best days are well behind him, thus Andy's upside is better. Carson flat out missed receivers, thus, if Andy misses them, then we are no worse than what we had. Carson had confidence, and there is no doubt that he was the leader of the team. But, I see the rest of the Bengals gaining more confidence in Andy. He's not the leader yet, and maybe that is the only other thing that Carson would bring to the table that Andy has not attained yet. But, I stand by my decision that I would prefer Andy today than Carson today!