Carson Palmer Interview on ESPN

[Tasher]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2588667

[HoosierCat]

"Snowflake"

[skyline]

Good read, thanks

[HairOnFire]

Palmer and Matt Leinart are scheduled to be on the Dan Patrick ESPNRadio show today. I'm passing along the heads up because I'll almost certainly miss the show, and won't be able to pass along any worthwhile nuggets.

FWIW

[DesperateDerelict]

Palmer and Matt Leinart are scheduled to be on the Dan Patrick ESPNRadio show today. I'm passing along the heads up because I'll almost certainly miss the show, and won't be able to pass along any worthwhile nuggets.

FWIW

Hair -

Please keep your 'nuggets' to yourself!

Thanks

[membengal]

Think Palmer is also supposed to be on Rome today too...

[Tasher]

another article just came across from Pasquarelli...

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/col...estitial%3dtrue

• The Cincinnati Bengals front office took a proactive approach on its offensive line this offseason, striking extensions with both starting tackles, Levi Jones and Willie Anderson, on contracts totaling over $32 million, and also negotiating a new deal with right guard Bobbie Williams. Retaining both tackles with long-term extensions was a coup for a team once regarded as thrifty.

But with the offensive line addressed now -- the Bengals would still like to get an extension with left guard Eric Steinbach but he might be a little too pricey for them -- the suddenly forward-looking Cincinnati management will have to starting thinking about the defensive end position. And about some potential choices there.

Starting right end Justin Smith, the team's first-round choice in the 2001 draft, is eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring. Smith has been a solid player for the Bengals, but Cincinnati "overdrafted" him in '01, when he was the fourth overall player chosen, and might not want to overpay to keep him. Smith got out of the chute with a bang last weekend, notching three sacks at Kansas City, a clear sign that he understands the implications of this being a "contract year" for him, and that it's sacks that could earn him a lot of money in free agency. But the sixth-year veteran has never registered double-digit sacks, with the 8½ he collected as a rookie still his career best. So the Bengals are going to have to ask themselves: How much do you pay for a right end who has been a solid defender at a position that is defined by spectacular, game-altering moments, and who has averaged 82.8 tackles and 6.8 sacks in his career?

That question becomes critical because third-year left end Robert Geathers -- touted in this space last week, even before he strafed the Chiefs for two sacks, and before he came under scrutiny for his hit against Kansas City quarterback Trent Green -- is eligible for restricted free agency next spring. If the former University of Georgia standout has the kind of season Bengals coaches predicted to us he would enjoy, with 10-12 sacks playing primarily in a situational role, Cincinnati will have to use the middle- or high-level qualifying offer on him, or some team will attempt to sign him to an offer sheet. But the bet here is that, if Geathers continues to wreak havoc as a pass-rusher, the Bengals will approach him about an extension even before he gets to the restricted free agent market.

That might preclude the Bengals from keeping Smith, who they might consider sacrificing, since Geathers could then move to right end, where he would be a natural weakside rusher. It could be an interesting and thought-provoking conundrum for the Cincinnati front office. Then again, no one thought that owner Mike Brown would dig deep into the family financial coffers to retain both Jones and Anderson on the offensive line, but he did.

• On the subject of Geathers, congratulations to old friend Ray Anderson, the league's new senior vice president of football operations, on making the correct call in not fining the Bengals' young end for his concussion-inducing hit of Trent Green. One league official told ESPN.com that NFL officials spent "an inordinate amount" of time dissecting the play, scrutinizing it from every angle, as well they should. The hit stoked a lot of emotion, in part because Green, who was unconscious for 11 minutes, is one of the NFL's classiest performers, because the Kansas City fans are loyal and vocal, and because, to be honest, it looked bad.

But when one examines the play frame by frame, as did people from the officiating department and beyond, it is what it is: Geathers' body trajectory was impacted by Chiefs wide receiver Eddie Kennison, and, unfortunately, his shoulder pads collided with Green's helmet. There are doubtless a lot of laws of physics that apply in this case, but here's a reality that puts things in perspective: Football isn't a cartoon. Players can't stop in midair and freeze-frame themselves. The lick laid on Green, while unfortunate, wasn't illegal.

Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson did the admirable and right thing, too, in questioning the league's judgment. After all, he's without his starting quarterback now, for at least a few weeks. But the decision, while controversial, was still correct. When he landed a job in the Atlanta Falcons' front office four years ago, after a long stint representing players and coaches, critics suggested that Anderson wasn't suitable for the position because he wasn't a "football man." Those same skeptics raised similar concerns last month when the NFL appointed Anderson to his current league post. But in his first big test, Anderson demonstrated that he understands the game a lot better than some of those who reacted in knee-jerk fashion to the Geathers-Green incident. He was deliberate and prudent and, most important, with plenty of input from the officiating department, Anderson got it right.

Way to Go Pasq!

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson did the admirable and right thing, too, in questioning the league's judgment. After all, he's without his starting quarterback now, for at least a few weeks.

So opening mouth without engaging brain is now defined as "admirable?" Way to go Pasquerelli, quality journalism at its best.

[skyline]

Geather's shoulder did NOT hit Green's helmet. Why are people still saying this? Did I completely miss something in the replays?

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Geather's shoulder did NOT hit Green's helmet. Why are people still saying this? Did I completely miss something in the replays?

Nope, you didn't. The old-ass journalists who can't figure out how to use a DVR, however, are. Freeze-frame shows it clearly.

At least the morons aren't still calling it helmet-to-helmet. And kudos to the league for spending a lot of time on this and nailing it.