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Palmer roars back
Bengals quarterback ready to go in opener after swift recovery from serious knee injury.
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
They didn’t know each other outside of a few polite handshakes, the brisk kind that come from the NFL banquet circuit and an emptying stadium. Aside from some Sunday highlights, Carson Palmer, really, didn’t know Trent Green from Seth Green. Then Palmer’s knee buckled in January, and they had much more in common.
These days, Palmer seems bored with the questions about his surgically repaired knee. For the umpteenth time Wednesday, he was asked if eight months was too soon and if two preseason games were enough. From a phone line 600 miles away, you could feel his eyes rolling.
Then the conversation drifted toward Green, and Palmer opened up. No way did he expect Green to call him last winter, then follow up to see how he was doing. And the calls he made to Palmer’s coach to suggest rehab drills? That went above and beyond.
“Trent’s been a guy I’ve looked up to for a long time,” Palmer said. “Not only for the way he plays, but the way he handles himself. To take time out of his day to call a young quarterback like I am and give me advice and share some thoughts. … It really helped me.”
It has been surmised by most of the NFL that Palmer is back and ready for the Bengals’ season opener Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The night Palmer made his preseason debut against Green Bay, Chiefs coach Herm Edwards watched from a hospital TV shortly after his wife, Lia, gave birth to their daughter Vivian Lee. Lia warned Edwards he’d better be ready for Palmer.
Eight months ago, Palmer’s career was in doubt after a Kimo von Oelhoffen hit in the playoffs made TV viewers queasy and left Palmer with a knee that his own surgeon called “shredded.” He tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and dislocated his kneecap. At the time, the injury was called “potentially career-ending.”
But Palmer aimed for Sept. 10 as his return date, and has shrugged off assumptions that what he did defied medical logic. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Palmer was about a month ahead of schedule, but none of that surprised him.
“Carson continues to impress you no matter what it is,” Lewis said.
Some advice from Green didn’t hurt. Green heard similar words after he tore the ACL, MCL and lateral meniscus in the third preseason game of 1999. He came back to start 80 straight games for Kansas City and has been to two Pro Bowls. At 36, he’s coming off his third straight 4,000-yard season.
“He was very adamant about just taking my time and not rushing anything and not doing anything before my knee’s ready and before my body’s ready to do it,” Palmer said. “It’s something I kind of kept in my head as the trainers were pushing me to get back, something I thought about a lot.”
It’s obvious the fate of the Bengals rests squarely at Palmer’s feet. When Palmer went down that January day against the Steelers, Cincinnati’s playoff hopes effectively ended. When he threw a club-record 32 touchdown passes and had a 101.1 passer rating, it rejuvenated a franchise that had been down in the dumps for the better part of 15 years.
Lewis said Palmer’s knee injury wasn’t even the worst one on the team last year. In an offseason full of hits, with seven arrests and promising young linebacker Odell Thurman being suspended for violating the league substance abuse policy, the Bengals needed a feel-good story.
Palmer provided it with a three-touchdown performance on national TV late last month.
“He’s doing well right now,” Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “Hopefully, he’s a little timid back there. That would be great for us. But I don’t think he will be.”
Palmer sounded more preoccupied than timid on Wednesday. Sure, he performed well in two preseason games. But how will he sustain four quarters? Lewis doesn’t seem worried about that. Not after Palmer was back practicing in June. Not after the 2006 offseason.
“I’m just excited and blessed to be back on the field and doing what I love to do,” Palmer said. “I stayed positive and worked as hard as I could to get here, and now I’m ready to roll.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENGALS AT CHIEFS
•WHEN: Noon Sunday
•WHERE: Arrowhead Stadium
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/15455957.htm
Bengals quarterback ready to go in opener after swift recovery from serious knee injury.
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
They didn’t know each other outside of a few polite handshakes, the brisk kind that come from the NFL banquet circuit and an emptying stadium. Aside from some Sunday highlights, Carson Palmer, really, didn’t know Trent Green from Seth Green. Then Palmer’s knee buckled in January, and they had much more in common.
These days, Palmer seems bored with the questions about his surgically repaired knee. For the umpteenth time Wednesday, he was asked if eight months was too soon and if two preseason games were enough. From a phone line 600 miles away, you could feel his eyes rolling.
Then the conversation drifted toward Green, and Palmer opened up. No way did he expect Green to call him last winter, then follow up to see how he was doing. And the calls he made to Palmer’s coach to suggest rehab drills? That went above and beyond.
“Trent’s been a guy I’ve looked up to for a long time,” Palmer said. “Not only for the way he plays, but the way he handles himself. To take time out of his day to call a young quarterback like I am and give me advice and share some thoughts. … It really helped me.”
It has been surmised by most of the NFL that Palmer is back and ready for the Bengals’ season opener Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The night Palmer made his preseason debut against Green Bay, Chiefs coach Herm Edwards watched from a hospital TV shortly after his wife, Lia, gave birth to their daughter Vivian Lee. Lia warned Edwards he’d better be ready for Palmer.
Eight months ago, Palmer’s career was in doubt after a Kimo von Oelhoffen hit in the playoffs made TV viewers queasy and left Palmer with a knee that his own surgeon called “shredded.” He tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and dislocated his kneecap. At the time, the injury was called “potentially career-ending.”
But Palmer aimed for Sept. 10 as his return date, and has shrugged off assumptions that what he did defied medical logic. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Palmer was about a month ahead of schedule, but none of that surprised him.
“Carson continues to impress you no matter what it is,” Lewis said.
Some advice from Green didn’t hurt. Green heard similar words after he tore the ACL, MCL and lateral meniscus in the third preseason game of 1999. He came back to start 80 straight games for Kansas City and has been to two Pro Bowls. At 36, he’s coming off his third straight 4,000-yard season.
“He was very adamant about just taking my time and not rushing anything and not doing anything before my knee’s ready and before my body’s ready to do it,” Palmer said. “It’s something I kind of kept in my head as the trainers were pushing me to get back, something I thought about a lot.”
It’s obvious the fate of the Bengals rests squarely at Palmer’s feet. When Palmer went down that January day against the Steelers, Cincinnati’s playoff hopes effectively ended. When he threw a club-record 32 touchdown passes and had a 101.1 passer rating, it rejuvenated a franchise that had been down in the dumps for the better part of 15 years.
Lewis said Palmer’s knee injury wasn’t even the worst one on the team last year. In an offseason full of hits, with seven arrests and promising young linebacker Odell Thurman being suspended for violating the league substance abuse policy, the Bengals needed a feel-good story.
Palmer provided it with a three-touchdown performance on national TV late last month.
“He’s doing well right now,” Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “Hopefully, he’s a little timid back there. That would be great for us. But I don’t think he will be.”
Palmer sounded more preoccupied than timid on Wednesday. Sure, he performed well in two preseason games. But how will he sustain four quarters? Lewis doesn’t seem worried about that. Not after Palmer was back practicing in June. Not after the 2006 offseason.
“I’m just excited and blessed to be back on the field and doing what I love to do,” Palmer said. “I stayed positive and worked as hard as I could to get here, and now I’m ready to roll.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BENGALS AT CHIEFS
•WHEN: Noon Sunday
•WHERE: Arrowhead Stadium
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/15455957.htm