With the T.O. hoopla finally behind us (thank goodness!!), I’ve decided to blog about the Bengals most important Player-#9.
Despite all the fan-fare and media attention that the signing of T.O. has garnered the last couple days, ultimately Carson Palmer is the the guy that really counts. If he dosen’t play well, none of this other crap matters. So the question that needs answered isn’t “Can Carson handle the “Tocho” (T.O.+Ocho) tandem?”, it’s “Can Carson get back to his pro-bowl form?”. I think he can, and here’s why..
Carson’s sceptics say that in’09, the lack of a Bengals passing game was due in large part to the subpar play of the teams $100million dollar man (Carson). They say the injuries he’s suffered over his career have affected his over all play, namely his accuracy and confidence. In my opinion, injuries may have played a small part, but the biggest problem for the ’09 slump was a lack of consistency and ability among his pass catchers. Lavernius Coles, Dan Coates, Andre Caldwell, Quan Cosby….not a very intimidating group. Confidence? Put yourself in Carson’s shoes and tell me how confident you are. Are you confident throwing to L.Coles, who struggled catching the ball from game 1? Does D.Coates one-on-one, versus any linebacker, sound like a good match-up to you? Short answer-NO! Even with this, he still threw for nearly 3,100 yards. That’s pretty impressive, considering.
Now, consider this year’s group: T.O., Ocho, Gresham, Bryant. Are you feeling confident yet? You should. This is a group that inspires just that. They can beat you deep (T.O had a 98-yd TD in ’09)….they can beat you short (Ocho)….and they can move the chains between the numbers (Gresham & Bryant). Not only that, they’ll flat out make more plays at the point of attack because they’re all supremely gifted athletes. I’ll go on record here and now and say that if Carson stays healthy with this group, he’ll be back in the 4,000 yard passing club this season. No problemo!!
Yesterday I spoke briefly with Carson after the morning practice. And like any QB and leader of a NFL franchise is suppose to do, he didn’t make excuses or point the finger about what went on last year. Instead, he talked about how he dedicated this past off-season to improving his mechanics: Play action fakes–Make run plays look the same as pass plays–Eyes, to suck defenders up giving them less time to jump certain routes–Drops, so that his hips and feet are pointed toward his target when he sets to throw the football, which will improve timing and accuracy.
If all that doesn’t make you believe that Carson is feeling more confident in 2010, the challenge he issued to SI.com’s Peter King should…….
Ok, so here’s how it happened. Yesterday, i’m standing in the tunnel at Tiger Stadium chatting it up with Peter King, who is waiting to interview Carson. After speaking, for what seemed to be just a couple minutes (more like 15-20–Peter is a very interesting guy), Carson walks out of the locker room stage right, respectfully reaches out his hand, introduces himself (as if Peter didn’t know who he was) and says, “I got a challenge for you. You do that training camp tour, right? If you can find three other QB out there with a stronger arm then me, I’ll buy you dinner. Deal? ”
That’s a pretty confident guy, who is excited about the future! Call me a “homer” if you want but I think he’ll be worlds improved this season.
If you don’t believe it, then leave me a comment and I’ll tear your theory to shreds. 
POINT ON. It’s about time to see someone acknowledge the lack of supporting cast in 2009. I can’t wait for Sundays to start!!!
Answer: Yes. He is da new Mgr.of his new Group Flash & Dance; Flashdance for short! Because with all these new weapons & ego’s there’s going to be alot of dancing goin on.