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Bengals sign Palmer

gregstephens

By gregstephens
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HairOnFire Newbie

HairOnFire

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Well, that's interesting.

The relationship between the two brothers is close, and should be seen as a real positive when considering the comfort level between a starter and a backup. Plus, the greatest potential negative in regards to that relationship has already been eliminated, first by Jordan falling farther in the draft than most expected, and then by him failing rather quickly with the Redskins. Simply put, Jordan's desire to be on a team where he can compete for a starters role is no longer a realistic goal, and it's fairly certain he has already had to face the harsh reality that the powers that be in the NFL consider him nothing more than a backup prospect.

Which is fine for the Bengals. If you recall, Ryan Fitgerald arrived on the scene expressing reluctance to give up his own dream of becoming an NFL starter and immediately made it clear that backing up an entrenched starter like Carson Palmer may be an ideal situation for the Bengals, but not for him. In fact, he hinted that he'd start looking for a better opportunity for more playing time as soon as possible, and that time may be here already.

As for Jeff Rowe, it's hard to say what the Bengals think of him now that they've worked with him for a year. They may be thrilled with his progress or they may have seen things that trouble them. Regardless, it's a given the Bengals would have added another QB before training camp...they always do...and Jordan Palmer arrives with the same type of credentials as any late round draft choice or UDFA the Bengals might have signed.

As for Jordan himself, he fits the profile of what the Bengals keep searching for in regards to a long-term backup prospect. He's young, freaking huge, strong armed, and has four years of college starting experience. His mechanics are sloppy, and he's the polar opposite of his brother in that regard, but better coaching MIGHT solve many of his problems. He also comes with a reputation for being mistake prone, and most of his errors are mental, which is one of the reasons why he is no longer considered starter material. The other reason cited most often is his demeanor, which many feel is too laid back to be a leader. That same criticism has been made in regards to Carson, and in my opinion it's been disproven, but regardless....it may not be much of a concern for a backup.

Last point. The Bengals have had a very difficult time trying to attract veteran QB's who will willingly serve backup duty behind Carson Palmer. Even mediocre journeyman are reluctant to essentially end their dreams of starting, and all of them know that barring a serious injury to Carson agreeing to be the Bengals backup QB means their playing days are over. As a result the Bengals have increasingly turned to youngerless experienced QB prospects with an eye towards developing their own long-term backup. Jordan Palmer fits that bill very well.

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gregstephens Newbie

gregstephens

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Well, that's interesting.

The relationship between the two brothers is close, and should be seen as a real positive when considering the comfort level between a starter and a backup. Plus, the greatest potential negative in regards to that relationship has already been eliminated, first by Jordan falling farther in the draft than most expected, and then by him failing rather quickly with the Redskins. Simply put, Jordan's desire to be on a team where he can compete for a starters role is no longer a realistic goal, and it's fairly certain he has already had to face the harsh reality that the powers that be in the NFL consider him nothing more than a backup prospect.

Which is fine for the Bengals. If you recall, Ryan Fitgerald arrived on the scene expressing reluctance to give up his own dream of becoming an NFL starter and immediately made it clear that backing up an entrenched starter like Carson Palmer may be an ideal situation for the Bengals, but not for him. In fact, he hinted that he'd start looking for a better opportunity for more playing time as soon as possible, and that time may be here already.

As for Jeff Rowe, it's hard to say what the Bengals think of him now that they've worked with him for a year. They may be thrilled with his progress or they may have seen things that trouble them. Regardless, it's a given the Bengals would have added another QB before training camp...they always do...and Jordan Palmer arrives with the same type of credentials as any late round draft choice or UDFA the Bengals might have signed.

As for Jordan himself, he fits the profile of what the Bengals keep searching for in regards to a long-term backup prospect. He's young, freaking huge, strong armed, and has four years of college starting experience. His mechanics are sloppy, and he's the polar opposite of his brother in that regard, but better coaching MIGHT solve many of his problems. He also comes with a reputation for being mistake prone, and most of his errors are mental, which is one of the reasons why he is no longer considered starter material. The other reason cited most often is his demeanor, which many feel is too laid back to be a leader. That same criticism has been made in regards to Carson, and in my opinion it's been disproven, but regardless....it may not be much of a concern for a backup.

Last point. The Bengals have had a very difficult time trying to attract veteran QB's who will willingly serve backup duty behind Carson Palmer. Even mediocre journeyman are reluctant to essentially end their dreams of starting, and all of them know that barring a serious injury to Carson agreeing to be the Bengals backup QB means their playing days are over. As a result the Bengals have increasingly turned to youngerless experienced QB prospects with an eye towards developing their own long-term backup. Jordan Palmer fits that bill very well.

Let me say that you argued your case very well.

Now, and not really in response to your post, I'll tell why I don't like this move:

1. J. Palmer, hereinafter only 'Palmer', had success in college, but that was UTEP, not USC or Michigan or Oklahoma. Not a big deal, as many stars come from 'small' programs, but a piece of evidence.

2. Palmer was drafted in the sixth round last year in a draft season that was known for being very thin at quarterback. The scouts knew something...oh that's right, the Bengals don't have a 'scouting department' per se.

3. The Redskins dropped him after one preseason game. His errors may be mental and his main issues may be mechanics, but obviously the Redskins, with not a great range of options at QB, decided they couldn't work with him after training camp and one game.

4. After the Redskins dropped Palmer, no one else picked him up. That is significant because 2007 was the Year of the Crappy QB:

-Atlanta Falcons, with the Vick, Harrington, Leftwich, Redmon situation, didn't go after him.

-Arizona Cardinals, losing Leinart and Warner at one point sign Tim Hasselbeck, not Palmer.

-Miami Dolphins, after screwing themselves in the draft with 'Quinn-Ginn'-Gate, opt for Cleo Lemon and don't sign Palmer.

-Chicago Bears, in desperate need at QB, play merry-go-round with Grossman/Griese/Orton and don't sign Palmer.

-Minnesota Vikings struggled at QB at one point, rotating Jackson, Holcombe and Bollinger and don't sign Palmer.

-Oakland Raiders, in light of Russell's hold-out, go with McCown and Culpepper and don't sign Palmer.

-Carolina Panthers sign 92-year old Vinnie Testeverde and don't sign Palmer.

-Baltimore Ravens actually play Kyle Boller and don't sign Palmer.

-San Francisco 49ers beat us with a guy that hadn't thrown a pass in, what, ten years? and don't sign Palmer.

Again, all of these teams know something we don't because they didn't sign Palmer.

5. I understand the potential need for a decent backup QB since we let Anthony Wright go (good back-up) and kept Doug Johnson (bad back-up), but can't we wait for a sixth rounder of our own this season, or wait and see what's available come August from other waiver wire/free agents that are available? We had to sign Palmer to a two-year deal?

6. He's Carson Palmer's brother. We know the relationship doesn't guarantee a good outcome (see Matt and Tim Hasselbeck, while the jury is still out on Peyton and Eli Manning). Regardless, signing him when he's not proven anything and no other team has signed him makes the Bengals look like they are using nepotism--not that anyone has ever accused the Bengals of that before.

7. The Bengals need to be shopping for other pressing free agent needs right now. It doesn't inspire me that we are righting the ship by rushing out and signing a back-up QB when our defense still sucks and our offensive line could use help.

I could be wrong, I hope I am. Those are my thoughts, though.

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gregstephens Newbie

gregstephens

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Camp fodder. Maybe gets cut/re-signed to the PS in September. Gives them a touch of insurance if Fitzpatrick (RFA this season) leaves in 2009. And it undoubtedly makes Carson happy. So what the hey.

If it turns out to be a PS move, that I can deal with. We saw in 2005 and 2006 that backups can have an important function. Just don't want to think of him as the actual number two guy without seeing something first.

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HairOnFire Newbie

HairOnFire

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Let me say that you argued your case very well.

Thanky. Then again, I wouldn't call it a case for Palmer. Just my first impressions after hearing the news. In truth, it's not so much a case of supporting the move, but instead....having nothing against it.

J. Palmer, hereinafter only 'Palmer', had success in college, but that was UTEP, not USC or Michigan or Oklahoma. Not a big deal, as many stars come from 'small' programs, but a piece of evidence.

I don't think they're looking for a star. Just a backup QB with the physical skills needed to be an emergency starter.

Palmer was drafted in the sixth round last year in a draft season that was known for being very thin at quarterback. The scouts knew something...oh that's right, the Bengals don't have a 'scouting department' per se.

Ridiculous. In one small paragraph you've attempted to blast the Bengals for signing Jordan Palmer as a waiver wire pickup while at the same time faulting thir scouting department for not drafting him one year prior. Seems to me they had a better grasp of Palmers value than the Redskins showed, and if they now see a role for him you have to consider the fact that it's a very inexpensive move.

The Redskins dropped him after one preseason game. His errors may be mental and his main issues may be mechanics, but obviously the Redskins, with not a great range of options at QB, decided they couldn't work with him after training camp and one game.

No argument, that's not a positive. They gave up on Palmer quickly and I'm as interested as anyone else why they did so. But again, we're talking about the type of move the Bengals always make...picking up an extra arm for camp duty. And for all any of us know Jordan Palmer will stick around for a cup of coffee and no longer. But even if that's true....where's the downside?

After the Redskins dropped Palmer, no one else picked him up. >< Again, all of these teams know something we don't because they didn't sign Palmer.

What? Every player signed by one team isn't signed by 31 others, and the bottom of every roster churns and turns as teams swap and exchange players who might fit here, but not there. How is this move any different?

I understand the potential need for a decent backup QB since we let Anthony Wright go (good back-up) and kept Doug Johnson (bad back-up), but can't we wait for a sixth rounder of our own this season, or wait and see what's available come August from other waiver wire/free agents that are available? We had to sign Palmer to a two-year deal?

Signing Jordan Palmer doesn't prevent the Bengals from making any other moves. It just gives them another option and a little insurance in the event Fitzgerald leaves in free agency. And presumably, the Bengals can start working with Jordan immediately....which is preferrable to waiting on an UDFA.

Regardless, signing him when he's not proven anything and no other team has signed him makes the Bengals look like they are using nepotism--not that anyone has ever accused the Bengals of that before.

You're exactly right. Constantly whining Bengal fans will accuse the Bengals of making the move soley because Jordan Palmer is Carson's brother....completely forgetting that if his name were changed he's still someone that would interest many NFL teams. Far better if the Bengals had attempted to appease their most miserable backers by taking a flyer on a Jared Zabransky or a Tyler Thigpen.

The Bengals need to be shopping for other pressing free agent needs right now. It doesn't inspire me that we are righting the ship by rushing out and signing a back-up QB when our defense still sucks and our offensive line could use help.

Check the practice squad. Those moves have already been made.

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HairOnFire Newbie

HairOnFire

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This one confirms most of what I wrote....

Bengals sign another Palmer

Jordan joins Carson with two-year deal

BY MARK CURNUTTE | MCURNUTTE@ENQUIRER.COM

Jordan Palmer and big brother Carson talked before Jordan signed a two-year contract this morning to join the Bengals.

"We made sure we both understood that it's a business first, that I'll get out here and get my own life," Jordan told The Enquirer before boarding a plane back to California. "Still, whether it's football or another job, it's going to be fun to work with your brother."

Carson Palmer is 28 and headed into his sixth NFL season. Jordan is a first-year NFL player, a sixth-round draft pick last year by the Washington Redskins who played in just one preseason game before being waived Sept. 1. Jordan will turn 24 on May 30.

The reason Jordan was flying back to California?

"Carson is heading for the Super Bowl on Thursday," Jordan said. "I'm dog-sitting for him. Always the little brother."

Jordan is not physically little, just young. At 6-feet-5, 231 pounds, he started 42 games for Texas-El Paso and threw 88 touchdowns. The Bengals like his physical size, arm strength and overall strength.

"They see me as having the tools to play," Jordan said. "They have the confidence that they can coach and develop me into the player they want."

Jordan, through his brother, already knows quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski -- the only position coach and coordinator Carson has had in the NFL.

"They know I kind of fit the mold, too," Jordan said. "I'm not going to go in there and try to run around. I'm like Carson."

Jordan Palmer played in 46 career games (42 starts) for UTEP. He finished his UTEP career with 11,084 passing yards and 88 touchdown passes, both school records. As a senior in 2006, he set single-season records for passing yards (3595), completions (282), completion percentage (65.7) and passer efficiency (149.6).

The Bengals have two other quarterbacks under contract: Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jeff Rowe.

When Jordan Palmer entered the 2007 draft, he and Carson didn't want Jordan to sign with the Bengals.

Why?

"There were 31 other teams out there," Jordan said. "It was important for me to go somewhere else and get my career established. Now it is different. He is a great guy to learn behind. I can learn a lot from Carson, and I will offer him all of the support I can."

Since he was waived by the Redskins in September, Jordan Palmer "flew all across the country and tried out for about 37 teams. I worked out. I got in great shape. I did some media and charity work. And I got ready for a chance like this."

Parents Bill and Danna Palmer are happy.

"Of course they are," Jordan said, "cheaper airfare and great photo ops."

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HairOnFire Newbie

HairOnFire

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And this one confirms almost everything else I wrote. :lol:

Bengals Have Palmer Brothers at QB

By JOE KAY

AP Sports Writer

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Jordan Palmer was packed for Phoenix, ready to take his career to the Arena Football League, when he got a most unusual offer.

The Cincinnati Bengals wanted to know if he would like to try to earn a spot as his brother's backup. They didn't have to wait long for an answer.

He signed a two-year deal Wednesday that will give him a chance to play behind his brother, quarterback Carson Palmer. Although brother tandems have been common in the NFL, it's rare that two of them get to throw passes for the same team.

"Someday we'll look back and laugh about it and think it was pretty cool," Jordan said in a phone interview.

It's certainly unusual.

There have been dozens of brother tandems on NFL teams. Akin and Remi Ayodele in Dallas, Chris and Nic Clemons in Washington, Jake Reed and Dale Carter in New Orleans, Andre and Kevin Dyson in Tennessee are recent examples.

Having two brothers at quarterback is rare. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no brothers have played quarterback for the same team during the Super Bowl era. Koy Detmer was on injured reserve for Philadelphia while his brother, Ty, played for the Eagles in 1997.

The Bengals have had two sets of brothers play at the same time: Jim and Ross Browner in 1979-80, and Ray and Archie Griffin from 1978-83.

So far, Carson Palmer has had the more accomplished career, winning the Heisman Trophy at Southern California before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft. He led the Bengals to the playoffs in 2005 before a severe knee injury temporarily set him back.

Jordan Palmer, who is five years younger, set school records at Texas-El Paso by throwing for 11,084 yards and 88 touchdowns. Washington drafted him in the sixth round last year, and he played in one preseason game before being waived Sept. 1.

He stayed in shape and hoped to get another chance in the NFL. When that didn't come, he signed with the Arizona Rattlers and was about to head there when the Bengals made their offer.

Cincinnati already has a No. 2 quarterback: Ryan Fitzpatrick, obtained from St. Louis in a trade on Sept. 1. The third-string quarterback is Jeff Rowe, who was a fifth-round pick from Nevada last season.

Like other teams, the Bengals add a fourth quarterback for minicamps and training camp, giving them someone else to throw the ball during practice. If Jordan Palmer does well, he could win the No. 3 job or improve his chances of going to another NFL team instead of the Arena League.

"We both understand that this is a job," Jordan Palmer said. "We need to keep it very professional. The fact that we're brothers is something for on the side. My job is trying to make the team, which is different from his job as the starter."

The two of them understand there could be some awkward moments now that they're reunited in Cincinnati.

"If you've got two brothers and something happens on the team that's not positive, from not playing enough to getting cut or having an issue with somebody, you don't want it to spill over into their relationship with each other," their father, Bill Palmer, said in a phone interview. "You don't know how the other two quarterbacks will feel about it, both of whom Carson has a good relationship with.

"Jordan is just going to have to go in there and be cool about it. He's pretty good about it, though. He knows how to handle himself in that situation."

Besides spending time with his brother, Jordan Palmer figures he'll get to learn from one of the best.

"I know I'm biased, but I think pretty highly of him as a player," he said.

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Kazkal Newbie

Kazkal

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3. The Redskins dropped him after one preseason game. His errors may be mental and his main issues may be mechanics, but obviously the Redskins, with not a great range of options at QB, decided they couldn't work with him after training camp and one game.

I didn't see him ever lasting with redskins because of these things

1.)Had Marc Brunell who was still contending for the starting roll (proven vet QB)

2.)Jason Campbell was a 1st round pick so no way he'd beat him out

3.)Todd Collins was brought in as the only QB who alrdy knew al saunders system.

7. The Bengals need to be shopping for other pressing free agent needs right now. It doesn't inspire me that we are righting the ship by rushing out and signing a back-up QB when our defense still sucks and our offensive line could use help.

Wait which Defensive stud's could we sign right now? the only decent players we can talk to are our own all ones alrdy on market are rejects : P

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jjakq27 Newbie

jjakq27

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I am not so worked up about them signing him. To me unless we have someone like Jeff Garcia riding the pine behind Palmer, then we are probably screwed no matter who the backup is. Remember all of the fretting and hand-wringing about Doug Johnson and Anthony Wright?

I'd rather see them work on fixing the defense. After all the Ravens won the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer at QB.

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gregstephens Newbie

gregstephens

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I don't really care who he is or who he's related to. If he weren't a Palmer, would anyone think it was a good move to sign a backup quarterback that got cut one game into the pre-season and no one else wanted? What is the real benefit to this signing? Seems like a wasted signing so the Bengals can milk the brothers angle. Here's the great consolation for all of us...it was either the Bengals or the freaking AFL! Heck, go dig up Tim Couch or Shaun King if you're looking for a deperate backup. Culpepper's available. At least those guys have NFL experience and I bet they can all be had cheap. I do like the emergency DNA angle, however.

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jditty47 Newbie

jditty47

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i think he has potential. I saw 2 games he played his senior year at UTEP and he was pretty good. I think its an odd move but he damn sure isn't the worst signing we've had. Plus, look at our depth at QB, After Carson we got Fitzgerald - who could either be terrible or pretty good if he ever plays, and then Rowe - who lets face it, could easily bow out his roster spot to Jordan Palmer. I think having his older brother there will motivate him to play well in practice, training camp, and preseason. My guess somehow he makes our 3rd slot at QB. PS if not.

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