Take a look around the National Football League and you’ll see that the Arizona Cardinals could do worse than Carson Palmer
The Arizona Cardinals have heard the talk. Critics say that they’ll never win a Super Bowl with Carson Palmer as their quarterback. He’s old, washed up and his best days are behind him.
The Cardinals couldn’t disagree more.
Arizona still believes that they can with with the 37-year old Palmer. They see a guy who still has more than adequate arm strength. They see a guy who’s still ultra-competitive and determined to lead them to the promised land.
The way he finished 2016 makes them look like they know what they’re talking about. Despite being lambasted by “experts “, the veteran has quietly had a fine season. In 15 starts, he completed 61% of his throws, for 4,233 yards and 26 touchdowns.
He did all of that while taking a brutal beating behind a patchwork offensive line. Injuries and ineffectiveness left the line in shambles for most of the season. Anyone who has ever questioned Palmer’s toughness need only to watch tapes of 2016.
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In addition to the offensive line letting him down, Palmer’s wide receivers were also a disappointment. Michael Floyd dropped crucial balls throughout the year, before his release after a DUI. Larry Fitzgerald and J.J.Nelson had good campaigns, but John Brown developed a sickle cell condition and Jaron Brown tore his ACL .
Palmer actually played well enough as a quarterback this year to be in the postseason. In the opening night loss to the New England Patriots, Palmer was clutch. He led the offense down the field in the waning minutes, only to have the special teams botch a game-winning field goal attempt.
He did the same in the Cards’ first meeting with the Seattle Seahawks. A late drive got the club close enough to attempt another game-winning field goal, a 24-yarder. Chandler Catanzaro’s kick clanged off the upright, and Arizona had to settle for a tie against their most bitter rival.
It appears that Palmer wants to return in 2017. If Arizona gets their offensive line fixed, the rest of the NFL better beware. A Super Bowl ring could be in Palmer’s future after all.
