I think the part TJ had to say about Bratkowski's offense was very interesting. Then also the part at the end about Palmer's elbow. I guess we will really see this year if he is throwing the ball harder again, or if the elbow is still a problem.

 

“You always knew you had a shot with Carson,” Houshmandzadeh said Tuesday. “You knew he was accurate downfield and he could make every throw. He could get it down there and I think he still can.

 

[i]“I think what happened is that the personnel changed around him but the offense stayed the same. We got stale offensively. The two guys that made it work were the two tackles, Willie (Anderson) and Levi (Jones). People don’t realize how good they were. They blocked everybody one-on-one and we were able to drop seven steps all the time. Then it all changed and it got stale.”Houshmandzadeh, a free agent who could end up in the Hue Jackson reunion tour in Oakland with Palmer, says Palmer still has that Pro Bowl ability. He should know. He’s been working out with Palmer all year. He insists that Palmer’s elbow, which shelved him for 12 games in 2008 with frayed ulna nerve, was hurt last year.

 

“I threw with him before last season and he was OK, but he wasn’t zipping it like he used to. I thought he was hurt,” Houshmandzadeh said. “This year, oh man, it’s about as good as I’ve ever seen him. He’s healthy. He’s throwing it like the Carson of old.”[/i]

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Palmer-It-was-time/035dfddd-c8f5-412b-bacf-479de5ba697d

I am a Bengals fan with the best of them but I wish nothing but the best for Carson. I am not a TJ fan but I hope he is right. I look forward to watching Carson play.

I am a Bengals fan with the best of them but I wish nothing but the best for Carson. I am not a TJ fan but I hope he is right. I look forward to watching Carson play.

 

Me too! I can't believe how so many people around here turned on him so quickly. People talk about how bad this franchise is run, yet they apparently expected our QB to overcome all of it and still do great. He might not have been the elite QB we thought he would be, but he was a guy we could win with and had won with. He gave everything he could while he was here, and helped get this franchise in the right direction. Which honestly has led to where we are today. I think he could have gotten his career back on track here this year. However I wish him the best there, and hope he does well. Except when we play against the Raiders.

The one thing that bothered me the most about CP was his lack of leadership during games. He was so nonchalant and never seemed interested. When I saw Dalton going around the stadium slapping hands with fans on Sunday, it was a breath of fresh air. This kid gets it and has the leadership skills to do some special things going forward. Carson did not have those skills. You can't teach it or coach it, it's just there. CP was deficient in this category. I also love how AD works the sidelines when the team is facing adversity and he is trying to rally the troupes. CP was above that. I think CP had the skills and the knowledge for the job, but not the attributes.

I listened to the interview. TJ said Carson had a bad elbow. They were guessing he probably lost 10% on his fastball but said it's back now. It was also pretty awesome hearing the respect the offensive guys have for Zimmer. Zimmer has a great reputation around the league.

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I think CP had the fire early in his career like the youngster AD is showing but the years wore on him and when you have position players like Chad and TO to deal with I'm sure he threw in the towel.

Just like every guy that is traded and/or is coming back off injuries. They are in the best shape of their life, throwing the ball great, looks better than every blah blah blah. No reason to think he won't be the Carson that we saw last year.

^I agree. We always hear this.

 

I hope Palmer plays well for the Raiders, but we'll have to wait and see. Perhaps getting to play near home in California will rejuvinate him.

Am I supposed to care what an out of work WR thinks about Palmer? :lol:

Am I supposed to care what an out of work WR thinks about Palmer? :lol:

 

We all would probably agree this may in part be TJ looking for work in Oakland.

We all would probably agree this may in part be TJ looking for work in Oakland.

 

Exactly, and he has had plenty of workouts with other teams. There is a reason he isn't on a roster.

The one thing that bothered me the most about CP was his lack of leadership during games. He was so nonchalant and never seemed interested. When I saw Dalton going around the stadium slapping hands with fans on Sunday, it was a breath of fresh air. This kid gets it and has the leadership skills to do some special things going forward. Carson did not have those skills. You can't teach it or coach it, it's just there. CP was deficient in this category. I also love how AD works the sidelines when the team is facing adversity and he is trying to rally the troupes. CP was above that. I think CP had the skills and the knowledge for the job, but not the attributes.

 

In 09 he had either 7 or 9 fourth quarter TD drives to tie the game or take the lead. He can be my leader all day every day. He competed for 7 years against 2 of the top 4 teams in the AFC who had better coaches, scouts, doctors and personell and held his own. How do people forget all of this because last year was bad?

We all would probably agree this may in part be TJ looking for work in Oakland.

 

That's exactly my point. Of course he's going to say glowing things about Palmer. He sees this as an opportunity to potentially get back in the league.

In 09 he had either 7 or 9 fourth quarter TD drives to tie the game or take the lead. He can be my leader all day every day. He competed for 7 years against 2 of the top 4 teams in the AFC who had better coaches, scouts, doctors and personell and held his own. How do people forget all of this because last year was bad?

 

You can take Carson as the "leader" on your team. I will take the Red Rifle so fast it will make your head spin twice.

TJ's problem isn't talent.

 

If the Raiders need a WR and Oakland doesn't sign TJ that almost has to be the end.