BigMeatballDave
06-01-2006, 11:52 AM
Jun 01, 2006, 8:09:05 AM by Jonathan Rand
With opening day a bit more than three months away, here’s a morality quiz for Chiefs fans: Do you wish Carson Palmer the speediest of recoveries or hope that the Bengals quarterback isn’t quite ready to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 10?
You could, of course, easily rationalize the latter position. You’re not hoping for any harm to Palmer because he’s already hurt. And you might claim that sitting out the opener would be the best thing for Palmer to help his left knee mend sufficiently.
This view, however, would put you in a minority because most of America’s fans will be pulling for Palmer to be staring into the Chiefs’ defense. As a recent Sports Illustrated cover suggests, Palmer’s rehabilitation is the most closely watched in professional sports, except for Barbaro’s. Both man and beast are exercising in swimming pools these days.
Racehorses and quarterbacks are among the most injury-prone athletes you can find. A thoroughbred has an upper body that belongs on a body builder and legs that belong on a piano stool. Quarterbacks brace themselves on often-defenseless knees as they step up in the pocket to throw. Even the league’s best blocking can’t always protect them.
Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis took every reasonable precaution with Palmer when he played him for just one quarter before bringing in Jon Kitna in the Chiefs’ 37-3 victory at Arrowhead on New Year’s Day. The Bengals already were locked into a home playoff game the next week.
Despite the blowout, the Bengals had to feel confident going into the playoffs. They were led by a quarterback who’d thrown for 3,836 yards and a league-leading 32 touchdowns while finishing with a 101.1 passer rating, second only to Peyton Manning.
But as Palmer burned the Steelers’ secondary with a 66-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Henry, defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen slammed into Carson’s left knee, tearing both major ligaments. Carson was finished for the season and the Bengals soon were, too.
Palmer is a man on a mission as he undergoes arduous rehabilitation. He’s driven, he says, by the goal of being ready to start against the Chiefs.
Chiefs fans could easily see in last season’s finale the difference in the Bengals without Palmer. The Chiefs led 6-3 when he left, then the game turned into a blowout. Kitna has moved on and Palmer’s backups now are Anthony Wright and Doug Johnson.
As big as that opening game might be for Palmer’s comeback, it will be just as big for the Chiefs. That will be their first regular-season game under Herman Edwards, and it’s almost a must-win game when you consider that a week later the Chiefs will be trying to beat the Broncos in Denver for the first time since 2000.
An injury like Palmer’s is never a surprise because quarterbacks are routinely vulnerable and hunted by defenders aching to put them on the sidelines. While the NFL has made rules to protect passers, there’s no rule that can prevent the kind of hit suffered by Palmer. One hit, in the wrong place, can threaten to ruin a career.
Just look at what a similar injury meant for Chiefs quarterback Trent Green. He was the Rams starter before Chargers safety Rodney Harrison wrecked Green’s left knee during the 1999 preseason. Because of surgery and complications, Green wasn’t at full strength again until 2002, his second year with the Chiefs.
Yet, Green has started 80 straight games, so clearly his knee injury was no reflection on his durability. While devastating injuries to quarterbacks seem inevitable, they also seem to include an element of flukiness. Palmer might play another dozen years and never suffer such a serious injury.
As for a Chiefs fan’s moral quandary about Palmer, the answer should be simple: Wish the guy the speediest recovery possible and figure that if the Chiefs are playoff material, they’ll have to be good enough to beat any opponent at Arrowhead.
The Chiefs haven’t gone 19-5 at home over the last three years by obsessing over whom their opponents were starting at quarterback.
With opening day a bit more than three months away, here’s a morality quiz for Chiefs fans: Do you wish Carson Palmer the speediest of recoveries or hope that the Bengals quarterback isn’t quite ready to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 10?
You could, of course, easily rationalize the latter position. You’re not hoping for any harm to Palmer because he’s already hurt. And you might claim that sitting out the opener would be the best thing for Palmer to help his left knee mend sufficiently.
This view, however, would put you in a minority because most of America’s fans will be pulling for Palmer to be staring into the Chiefs’ defense. As a recent Sports Illustrated cover suggests, Palmer’s rehabilitation is the most closely watched in professional sports, except for Barbaro’s. Both man and beast are exercising in swimming pools these days.
Racehorses and quarterbacks are among the most injury-prone athletes you can find. A thoroughbred has an upper body that belongs on a body builder and legs that belong on a piano stool. Quarterbacks brace themselves on often-defenseless knees as they step up in the pocket to throw. Even the league’s best blocking can’t always protect them.
Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis took every reasonable precaution with Palmer when he played him for just one quarter before bringing in Jon Kitna in the Chiefs’ 37-3 victory at Arrowhead on New Year’s Day. The Bengals already were locked into a home playoff game the next week.
Despite the blowout, the Bengals had to feel confident going into the playoffs. They were led by a quarterback who’d thrown for 3,836 yards and a league-leading 32 touchdowns while finishing with a 101.1 passer rating, second only to Peyton Manning.
But as Palmer burned the Steelers’ secondary with a 66-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Henry, defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen slammed into Carson’s left knee, tearing both major ligaments. Carson was finished for the season and the Bengals soon were, too.
Palmer is a man on a mission as he undergoes arduous rehabilitation. He’s driven, he says, by the goal of being ready to start against the Chiefs.
Chiefs fans could easily see in last season’s finale the difference in the Bengals without Palmer. The Chiefs led 6-3 when he left, then the game turned into a blowout. Kitna has moved on and Palmer’s backups now are Anthony Wright and Doug Johnson.
As big as that opening game might be for Palmer’s comeback, it will be just as big for the Chiefs. That will be their first regular-season game under Herman Edwards, and it’s almost a must-win game when you consider that a week later the Chiefs will be trying to beat the Broncos in Denver for the first time since 2000.
An injury like Palmer’s is never a surprise because quarterbacks are routinely vulnerable and hunted by defenders aching to put them on the sidelines. While the NFL has made rules to protect passers, there’s no rule that can prevent the kind of hit suffered by Palmer. One hit, in the wrong place, can threaten to ruin a career.
Just look at what a similar injury meant for Chiefs quarterback Trent Green. He was the Rams starter before Chargers safety Rodney Harrison wrecked Green’s left knee during the 1999 preseason. Because of surgery and complications, Green wasn’t at full strength again until 2002, his second year with the Chiefs.
Yet, Green has started 80 straight games, so clearly his knee injury was no reflection on his durability. While devastating injuries to quarterbacks seem inevitable, they also seem to include an element of flukiness. Palmer might play another dozen years and never suffer such a serious injury.
As for a Chiefs fan’s moral quandary about Palmer, the answer should be simple: Wish the guy the speediest recovery possible and figure that if the Chiefs are playoff material, they’ll have to be good enough to beat any opponent at Arrowhead.
The Chiefs haven’t gone 19-5 at home over the last three years by obsessing over whom their opponents were starting at quarterback.