Arms race AFC North quarterbacks

[oldschooler]

Arms race AFC North quarterbacks give division new personality

By Joe Starkey

PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Sunday, September 4, 2005

The storyline demands that you compare the three young quarterbacks in the AFC North, so you begin by searching for some common ground.

It's not hard to find.

Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers), Carson Palmer (Bengals) and Kyle Boller (Ravens) all were high school hotshots, college studs and first-round NFL draft picks. All three stand 6-foot-3 or taller, weigh 220 pounds or more and are athletic enough to make plays outside the pocket.

Oh yes, and all three could rifle a football through John Madden's stomach from 50 yards away.

"Three talented guys right there," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. "It's going to be fun to watch them progress."

The differences aren't hard to find, either. Whereas Boller and Palmer grew up 85 miles apart in Southern California and later played in the prestigious Pac-10, Roethlisberger was raised in blue-collar Findlay, Ohio, and played in the modest Mid-American Conference.

But guess who went Hollywood?

Roethlisberger, as we speak, is the biggest star of the three, coming off an astonishing rookie year in which he posted a 13-0 regular-season record, appeared on the David Letterman Show, cashed in a number of endorsement deals and struck up a relationship (since ended) with LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis.

Palmer had by far the most notable college career. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2002, led USC to a share of the national championship in 2003 and was drafted first overall.

Then, he disappeared.

As per Lewis' grand plan, Palmer sat behind Jon Kitna for a full year before assuming the starting quarterback duties last season. Just as he was beginning to look comfortable -- sometimes lethal -- Palmer sustained a sprained knee that ended his season with three games to go.

One could argue that Boller's biggest accomplishment in his first two NFL seasons was dating Tara Reid. Drafted 19th overall out of California, he struggled badly his rookie year and much of his second year, but, like Palmer, got better as the 2004 season progressed.

The opposite was true of Roethlisberger, who goes into the Sept. 11 opener against Tennessee with a chip on his shoulder pads and five playoff interceptions on his resume.

Asked early in training camp about the so-called sophomore jinx, Roethlisberger said, "All you guys think I'm going to have it, so I'm not going to."

Boller is equally sure of himself, proclaiming, "This is the year for me."

Palmer's not shy, either. Like everyone else at Bengals camp, he was brimming with confidence.

"We talk about winning a world championship every single day," Palmer told USA Today Sports Weekly. "There's no reason why we can't."

Of course, this is the time of year when every team talks about winning a Super Bowl and when every player tells you he's in the "best shape of his life" and eagerly anticipating the best season of his career. The quarterback talk at AFC North camps was as predictable as a Bill Cowher news conference. Players and coaches alike spoke of how Palmer, Roethlisberger and Boller were making quicker reads, taking better command of the huddle, etc.

But there was one other similarity: All three played poorly for most of the exhibition season. Nice as it might be to turn this into a "Young Guns will dominate AFC North" kind of story, you just don't know. When Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese was asked if the division soon will be defined by its quarterbacks, he smiled and said, "It better. People spent a lot of money on those guys."

Indeed, all three franchises put plenty of stock into those youthful right arms. The Steelers hadn't drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1980, shortly after their most recent Super Bowl victory, when they took Roethlisberger 11th overall. Little did they know he would take over for an injured Tommy Maddox and play near-flawless football for most of his rookie year, beating Tom Brady and Donovan McNabb along the way.

During the offseason, the Steelers allowed Roethlisberger's favorite target, 6-foot-5 Plaxico Burress, to sign with the New York Giants. That left a new learning curve to climb at camp, and the Steelers' passing game floundered.

Roethlisberger's divisional opponents were impressed last year, although not overly so, to hear Bengals defensive tackle John Thornton tell it.

"He's a good player; he just didn't have to do much," Thornton said. "They didn't get behind much, and when they did, their defense bailed them out. He's a young player. He's going to struggle a bit, but he won 14 games last year, so you can't take much from him."

Boller was the first quarterback the Ravens drafted in the first round since their inception nine years ago - and they are praying he can establish himself in a way that Scott Mitchell, Stoney Case, Tony Banks, Trent Dilfer, Elvis Grbac, Randall Cunningham, Chris Redman and Jeff Blake could not.

Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh was Baltimore's offensive coordinator during Boller's first two years. Fans finally saw progress during the second half of last season, when Boller had 10 touchdowns against five interceptions. In the previous eight games, he had three touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Ravens have given Boller two new receivers, rookie Mark Clayton and veteran Derrick Mason. Those two, combined with a healthy Todd Heap, a healthy offensive line and a potentially powerful running game, will leave Boller without excuses.

"I think good things are going to happen for him," Cavanaugh said. "You saw his completion percentage go up, and he threw more touchdowns than interceptions, and when that happens, it's an indication you're seeing things better and things are slowing down."

Palmer represents the third potential franchise-savior quarterback the Bengals have drafted since 1992. The others, David Klingler and Akili Smith, flopped.

Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend says Palmer was a different quarterback the second time around last season.

"The way he stood in the pocket, the way he made throws, it was different," Townsend said. "Just watching him on the film, he looked really good."

In his final three games, Palmer led the Bengals to 58 points against the Browns, 27 against the Ravens and 14 in the first half against New England before he was hurt. In his final six games, he completed 68.6 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

A big knock on Palmer is that he isn't assertive enough. Zampese said that has changed.

"As time has gone, he's able to communicate in a more confident and re-assured manner," Zampese said. "It's not just, 'OK, here's the play,' it's, 'OK, here's the play and we're going to do THIS.' How you deliver the play to the group really sets the confidence of that group and how they're going to go out and execute it."

People might someday look back on that 27-26 victory at Baltimore as Palmer's coming-of-age performance. The Bengals erased a 20-3 deficit, as Palmer threw three TD passes in the fourth quarter and engineered an eight-play, 60-yard drive for the winning field goal.

In the end, victories will be the yardstick by which these young quarterbacks are measured. It won't be endorsements, Letterman Shows or celebrity girlfriends (Palmer is married). It will be Super Bowl victories - and that race is currently tied, 0-0-0.

The only starting quarterback in the division with a Super Bowl ring, in fact, is Dilfer, who won it all with the Ravens and now plays for the Browns.

All of which is why Steelers safety Troy Polamalu shrugged his shoulders when he was asked if Boller and Palmer improved last season.

"The only person that we can honestly say has improved is (New England quarterback) Tom Brady, because it's all measured on victories," Polamalu said. "That's all quarterbacks want. If you don't win a Super Bowl, what matters?"

Nearly 20,000 people voted in a recent ESPN.com poll that asked, "Which of the three young quarterbacks in the AFC North is best-equipped for long-term success?"

The results:

Ben Roethlisberger - 57.7%

Carson Palmer - 37.4%

Kyle Boller - 5.0%

Passer Profiles

Kyle Boller

Age: 24

Ht.: 6-3

Wt.: 220

College: California

Drafted: 19th overall, 2003

W-L record: 14-11

Bet you didn't know: Boller's father, Bob, is a former nationally ranked high jumper who cleared the 7-foot barrier.

Ben Roethlisberger

Age: 23

Ht.: 6-4

Wt.: 241

College: Miami (Ohio)

Drafted: 11th overall, 2004

W-L record: 13-0

Bet you didn't know: Averaged 26.5 points, nine assists and five rebounds per game as senior point guard at Findlay (Ohio) High.

Carson Palmer

Age: 25

Ht.: 6-5

Wt.: 230

College: USC

Drafted: 1st overall, 2003

W-L record: 6-7

Bet you didn't know: Palmer's personal quarterback coach, beginning in 7th grade, was Bob Johnson, father of former NFL QB Rob Johnson.

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review...e/s_370658.html

[oldschooler]

Somone on my home board pointed this out.

Asked early in training camp about the so-called sophomore jinx, Roethlisberger said, "All you guys think I'm going to have it, so I'm not going to."

Boller is equally sure of himself, proclaiming, "This is the year for me."

Palmer's not shy, either. Like everyone else at Bengals camp, he was brimming with confidence.

"We talk about winning a world championship every single day," Palmer told USA Today Sports Weekly. "There's no reason why we can't."

[Kazkal]

that poll was so gay >_<

[Who?]

that poll was so gay >_<

Haha, it looks like Boller is the clear cut winner, I mean, the guy's amazing!

[benglsdrumr]

Somone on my home board pointed this out.

Asked early in training camp about the so-called sophomore jinx, Roethlisberger said, "All you guys think I'm going to have it, so I'm not going to."

Boller is equally sure of himself, proclaiming, "This is the year for me."

Palmer's not shy, either. Like everyone else at Bengals camp, he was brimming with confidence.

"We talk about winning a world championship every single day," Palmer told USA Today Sports Weekly. "There's no reason why we can't."

ya gotta love Palmer's team-oriented thinking. A manifestation of Roethlisberger's ego would be the size of Jerome Bettis. Cant wait for Odell to lay him out. As far as Boller is concerned, i'm sure mcdonalds or willie's fat burger could use a new janitor or something.

[BlackJesus]

[Who?]

Haha, that picture never gets old to me.

[Stripes]

That looks a lot like Boller, almost enough to make me think it's real.

Is this more BJ art, or is that REALLY Kyle Boller wasted off his arse?

[Who?]

That's actually him TDB, I even have to give a ROFL on that picture! I have seen that picture so many times.

[LABengalsFan09]

Palmer did not lead them to a share of a national title - Leinart did. Palmer led the Trojans to an Orange Bowl victory over Iowa and a #3 ranking...

[oldschooler]

Palmer did not lead them to a share of a national title - Leinart did. Palmer led the Trojans to an Orange Bowl victory over Iowa and a #3 ranking...

A Steelers reporter/fan wrote it.

He said that Palmer won the Heisman in 2002.

And a share of the National title in 2003.

Palmer was riding the bench in Cincinnati in 2003...