03-24-2017, 02:04 PM
(03-24-2017, 01:10 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Over the first 8 games of that season the Bengals running game did rank higher in yardage (9th) than the passing game (16th). But the passing game was more efficient (Palmer was 12th in passer rating while the run game was 16th in yards per carry) and the passing game generated a lot more tds. Palmer was 8th in the league in pass tds (14) while the running game ranked 13th with exactly half as many (7).
But raw stats don't tell the whole story of what Palmer did in the first half of '09....
Final drive of the game against Pittsburgh...Converted 2 fourth downs on the way to throwing the game winning td pass with 18 seconds left
Against Cleveland...Threw game tying td pass with 2:02 left in regulation. On final drive of overtime scrambled 16 yards on 4th and 11 to set up the game winning FG with 0:07 left.
Against the Ravens....Final drive of the game. Again scrambled to convert a 4th and 6 before throwing the game winning td with just 0:27 left.
Palmer had one great game in 2009 (5 TDs against the Bears) that heavily skewed his overall stats...especially if you're only talking about the first 8 games.
vs the Bears: 20 of 24 (83.3%) for 233 yards (9.71 yards per attempt), 5 TDs with 0 INTs. Passer rating of 146.7.
other 15 games: 262 of 442 (59.3%) for 2861 yards (6.47 yards per attempt), 16 TDs to 13 INTs. Passer rating of 78.3.
It was a bad season for him, despite the winning. We won with defense and dominating the clock by constantly pounding the football. I'd say it was the best coaching job Marv has ever done and he rightfully won coach of the year. You could debate that Carson's elbow was a factor in 2009, but it's hard to tell when the o-line was in shambles, we had no TE and Lavernues Coles busted hard at WR. It could be any of those factors or all of the above.
Personally, I think some people who love Palmer and want to believe he was elite just use the injuries as an excuse. There may be some truth to it for single seasons (2006 a tiny bit, 2008 and maybe 2009), but overall I'd say Palmer is what he's been. A very good QB with the ideal arm and stature you want, but also a guy prone to inexplicable mental errors. That has been a theme throughout his career, even after his MVP-caliber run in 2015. We all saw him in the playoffs that year. Or the weird INT he threw against us that had Arians giving him a "WTF" look. That was classic Palmer, with no OchoCinco to be found.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
