Palmer: Facing Bengals "not just another game"

[*rfaulk34*]

(11-22-2015, 02:52 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Corey Dillon
Carl Pickens
Takeo Spikes
Dan Wilkinson
Carson Palmer

One of these players is not like the others. Only one had enjoyed being part of 2 playoff teams while being the highest paid player at his position.

When Dillon wanted out after his 7th consecutive non-winning season, I understood. Same with Pickens and Spikes. Comparing their situations to Palmer's? Please. Palmer was on 2 bad teams and he wasn't even healthy for one of those.

The Bengals were a respectable franchise during Palmer's tenure. They were almost always competitive. Marv has always been a solid (regular season) coach. Out of 7 seasons with Palmer as starter, they made the playoffs twice and were at least in the hunt a couple more times.

I would've understood if the Bengals had been annual losers for 4-5+ seasons, but they'd just won their division 1 year prior. So forgive me if I don't have sympathy for Palmer's situation. For those saying he wanted to get away from the "circus", he's the one who lobbied hard for TO. I'm not sure why some pretend that didn't happen.

I would never make excuses for Palmer because i thought it was BS the way he handled it. But i would try to put myself in the situation.

They had much more success the first 7 years he was here, compared to the 12 seasons prior. With that said, i don't think anyone believes they showed a different commitment to winning when you look at the "characters" they continued to bring in, i.e., all the arrests, ochocinco, the tocho show, etc. 

It's easier for a fan to not understand when they're not in the locker room and they view the team by the end of season results and see that they're winning more often. It's especially easier to be upset at him when you sit back and see the results of the last 4+ years. They've drafted better, picked up better FAs and stopped bringing in head cases. It's been way more business-like since '11 and more like a competitive NFL team without all the distractions.

With that said, i don't give him a pass for the ultimatum. But i can see how a guy with Palmer's mindset would get tired of the way things were while he was here. He may have lobbied for TO but TO was at the end of his career and even with his checkered past, he put up HOF numbers, so i can see why Palmer would lobby for him. That doesn't mean that once he's here, you regret the decision. I can clearly recall many times we saw the typical TO pouting and the lack of effort when he was pouting, like when he was walking back to the line of scrimmage against the Colts when the Bengals were in a hurry up mode at the end of the game.

None of what happened makes it ok, what Palmer did. But after a while, i can look at it without the emotion and see things that would make him want out. The last one in a line of good Bengals players that wanted out after a few years in the organization.