[BFritz]

I'm so emotional right now. Palmer had a hell of a year last year, but it wasn't great, and, like I've said earlier, he didn't follow through on a lot of his throws and pulled off right away. He's fixed all that, and he's back to the form where he looks like a man among boys. I bet he could part the Ohio River...........

Here's the story:

Not only is there no knee brace. There is no need to brace.
Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh noticed it this weekend at the Bengals’ mandatory minicamp, where life is good as Carson Palmer gets those 55-60 snaps a day that he didn’t get last spring.
Palmer, the perfectionist Pro Bowl quarterback, has noticed it, too, these past few weeks. He’s no longer using those other body parts to make up his reconstructed left knee.
“When you lose a limb, have to redevelop it and you do it by compensating,” said Palmer, his camp beard tinged with sweat between Saturday’s practices. “I just feel better. I’m not overcompensating. I’m not limping. I feel better in everything I’m doing.”
Fact is, Palmer may have stats that conjure up the musical score of The Natural with a throwing motion straight from the pages of Ken Anderson’s textbook on the art of quarterbacking. But the theme to one of his favorite shows, 24 is more like it because he’s a perpetual grinder trying to get better every day.
Palmer began to feel the difference this offseason. A few weeks ago, he began to feel the knee returning to its normal position in the throwing motion. The left shoulder is staying where it should. His hips are staying put. Order is restored in Bengaldom.
He says he feels more comfortable than he did in December. Better than in the final two games of last season, when his last-series drives looked for all the world like he had put the Bengals in the playoffs.
“Oh yeah. I overcompensated all last year. I just stopped doing it this offseason,” Palmer said. “I was using too much shoulder. Using the right leg too much. Driving through the left hip too much. All that’s affected.”
Even when healthy, the cranky world of passer mechanics is an everyday battle.
“You fix one thing and something else pops up,” said quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese. “It matters when you’re going to have more of them because you haven’t been doing things for a long time, which is last year’s situation. At least now we can address them as soon as they come up and minimize them and fix things faster.”
He may not be The Natural, but perfectionism comes naturally.
“I don’t know what a grinder is,” Palmer said. “I do know I’m a perfectionist. I’m a guy that has always needed reps. I was never one of those guys who could just draw Xs and Os up on the board and then go out and do it. I need to do it on the field. I love it. I love practicing.”
The guy who puts it best is offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.
“You can be a natural throwing it, but there are so many other things that go into it,” Bratkowski said. “There’s footwork and progressions and knowing what pass protection to call. I don’t think the position is a natural for anybody. You can tell he’s better than a year ago. He’s made the complete recovery.”
When Houshmandzadeh talks Natural, he’s talking Brett Favre or Dan Marino. Guys that just flat out sling it. He puts Palmer, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning in another category.
“If people see Carson like that, like a natural, it’s good for him because it shows how hard he’s worked at it. He’s been doing it his whole life,” Houshmandzadeh said. “I don’t think his mechanics were as bad people say. He may have felt that way because he’s the one that can feel it. But I didn’t think there was much difference.”
One difference Houshmandzadeh sees now that he didn’t see last year is Palmer showing more confidence in the knee while sitting in the pocket.
“When guys were around his knee in the pocket, he would have a tendency to throw and pull and step back,” Houshmandzadeh said. “In training camp last year, if it was close, he would pull it back, lift it up and he would say, ‘I’m not even thinking about it. I’m just doing it.’ It might have a tendency to sail. I haven’t noticed that this year. That’s probably the only difference.”
Palmer, of course, is offering no excuses or promises. “I’ve been doing it so long, having a lack of reps shouldn’t be an excuse,” he said, but he was also looking forward to the next 60 snaps.

[Bengal Cat]

If he stays healthy....he's a "no doubter" for the Hall of Fame.

[BFritz]

If he stays healthy....he's a "no doubter" for the Hall of Fame.

Agreed, and that brings a smile to my face.

The window of opportunity is closing, Palmer knows that, and has said it.

I think that he steps up and becomes the next Tom Brady, except more talented.

However, I don't think that you can say he's as clutch as Brady........ YET, but that's just because Brady's proven that he's perhaps the most clutch QB in history. You could see that Palmer's got the potential to become as clutch (i.e. the season finale against the Steelers, even though they lost).

[gold_glove]

Palmer might not be known for clutch games but he made 2 game winning drives(if we made the kicks) against the broncos and steelers.

[Bengal Cat]

Palmer might not be known for clutch games but he made 2 game winning drives(if we made the kicks) against the broncos and steelers.

Very true.....he put his team in position to win or tie with hardly any time to work with.

[bizmark]

Palmer might not be known for clutch games but he made 2 game winning drives(if we made the kicks) against the broncos and steelers.

but none of those were in the playoffs

[BFritz]

but none of those were in the playoffs

They were in weeks 15 and 16, both of which were must wins (15 ended up being not a must, be they thought it would be going in), so, in essence, they were playoff games because losing meant the season was over, winning meant continuing.

[rallo316]

with Palmer healthy the Bengals are super bowl contenders they remind me of the Cowboys of the nineties ERA.

[bizmark]

with Palmer healthy the Bengals are super bowl contenders they remind me of the Cowboys of the nineties ERA.

:lmao: you can say theyre good all you want but how are you gonna compare this team to one of the greatest dynastys in the history of the nfl.

[rallo316]

what i meant was Palmer,Rudi,and Chad remind me of Troy,Emmitt, and Michael and then you got T.J to offset Chad like Alvin Harper did Michael the only thing the bengals need is a Novacek like tight end.

[BFritz]

:lmao: you can say theyre good all you want but how are you gonna compare this team to one of the greatest dynastys in the history of the nfl.

you forgot to give your thoughts on my post.........

[t-cat50]

palmer is a great QB it's just a matter of who's around him to take him far.

[BFritz]

palmer is a great QB it's just a matter of who's around him to take him far.

They're talking about how it's unlikely that anyone can go deep like Henry can, but Palmer's so good that even if just an average receiver takes his place, Palmer will make it work and make him good.

[GB1]

If Palmer's healthy and the team plays defense it could be a big year for the Bengals. IMO this year's schedule is much more favorable than last year's.

[BFritz]

If Palmer's healthy and the team plays defense it could be a big year for the Bengals. IMO this year's schedule is much more favorable than last year's.

It gets somewhat easier after the first five games, but it's still no cakewalk, but the first five will be tough: Baltimore, Browns (look to be solid this season), Seahawks, Patriots, Chiefs.

[bizmark]

you forgot to give your thoughts on my post.........

no. my thoughts were that you cant compare the o7 bengals to arguably the greatest dynasty ever in the nfl.

[BFritz]

no. my thoughts were that you cant compare the o7 bengals to arguably the greatest dynasty ever in the nfl.

That had nothing to do with your comment that none of them were in the playoffs, nor did it have anything to do with my response to that comment.

[Midee1]

I am closing this one.

I am tired of the constant bickering in the Bengals threads and the calling out of people just for the purpose of trying to start arguments.

If anything else is started about the Bengals please keep it about the Bengals and not about questioning other peoples opinions.