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Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer (born December 27, 1979 in ) is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California.

Palmer won the Heisman Trophy while at USC in 2002 and has been selected to two Pro Bowls with the Bengals.

Early years

In his earlier years, Palmer attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Orange County, California. As well as football, Palmer was an avid basketball player, and was named to the Student Sports Grid-Hoops All-America second team.

College career

Carson Palmer arrived at the University of Southern California in 1998 and immediately competed for the starting quarterback job with Mike Van Raaphorst. Van Raaphorst won, but due to his ineffectiveness, Palmer was named the starter in the ninth game of the season, becoming only the second true freshman to ever start at quarterback for the USC Trojans.

After three underwhelming years at USC, Palmer had a breakout senior year under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who was brought in the year before by head coach Pete Carroll after spending 27 seasons at Brigham Young University and one season at North Carolina State University. Chow was able to bring the best out of Carson Palmer and the USC offense, which led to Palmer being named the Heisman Trophy Award winner, then the fifth Trojan to win the prestigious award — running backs Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), and Marcus Allen (1981) preceded him. Palmer was the first and only Trojan quarterback to be honored with the award until lefty Matt Leinart won it as a junior in 2004.

Carson Palmer completed 309 of 489 passes for 3942 yards and 33 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions during the 2002 season, and later led the Trojans to an impressive 38–17 victory over the University of Iowa in the Orange Bowl. His completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns were all USC single season records. In a November 30 game against Notre Dame, Palmer threw for 425 yards and led his team to 610 yards of total offense, the most ever gained against Notre Dame in each category. Palmer left college as the Pac-10 Conference's all-time leader in passing yards (11,818), completions (927) and total offense (11,621), along with 72 career touchdown passes, a USC record at that time — Matt Leinart has since surpassed the record, which currently stands at 99.

His major at USC was public policy and management at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at USC.

NFL career

Carson Palmer was the 1st overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

2003–2004 (Rookie) season

Carson Palmer did not play at all during his rookie season; veteran quarterback Jon Kitna, who signed with the Bengals as an unrestricted free agent in 2001, took every snap during the 2003 season. For his efforts, Jon Kitna was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Palmer, with Kitna mentoring him, watched and learned during games and in practices under head coach Marvin Lewis and quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese.

Even though the Bengals finished 8–8, their first non-losing season since 1996, Jon Kitna arguably knew that the Bengals were Carson Palmer's team in 2004. The Bengals were very satisfied with first round pick and thought they really had a quarterback of the future.

2004–2005 season

While Carson Palmer suffered from growing pains, he passed for 2,897 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions in 13 games, and the Bengals again finished 8–8. His performance greatly improved the stature of the Cincinnati Bengals among pundits and fans alike. One of his more notable performances was in a December game against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore built up a 20–3 lead going into the final quarter, but Palmer rallied his team back with three fourth-quarter touchdown passes to take a 24–23 lead. After the Ravens retook the lead with a field goal, Palmer led the Bengals 60 yards in 8 plays to set up Shayne Graham's game-winning field goal as time in regulation expired. Palmer finished the game with 29 of 36 (80.6%) completions for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns. In the fourth quarter alone, he completed 10 of 13 passes for 200 yards, and two of his incompletions were spikes during the final drive to stop the clock. Against the Cleveland Browns in the 58-48 win, Palmer threw for four touchdowns for the first time in his career.

Off the field, Palmer and Jon Kitna are best friends and golfing buddies. They also enjoy listening to CDs of the Christian Rock band "instereo" together. In 2004, Palmer organized the Carson Palmer Foundation Golf Classic to raise funds for Hillview Acres, a shelter for abused and underprivileged children.

2005–2006 season

In 2005, Palmer's breakout season, Palmer led the Bengals to an 11–5 record and an AFC North division title, their first division title since 1990. In doing so, Carson Palmer became the first Bengals quarterback to finish with a 100+ passer rating, tied then Indianapolis' Peyton Manning for most consecutive games with a triple-digit passer rating (9 games), led the NFL in completion percentage, and set a Bengals franchise record by throwing a league-leading 32 touchdown passes. He also set the franchise record for highest passer rating in a season. His 3,836 yards was 4th in the league.

On December 21, 2005, Carson Palmer was one of five Bengals voted to the 2006 Pro Bowl game. The others were Willie Anderson, Shayne Graham, Chad Johnson (now known as Chad Ocho Cinco), and Deltha O'Neal. This would have been Palmer's first Pro Bowl appearance, but he did not play in it due to a severe knee injury that he suffered in the 31–17 loss in the wild card game in the 2005 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati on January 8, 2006. On the Bengals' second offensive play, Palmer launched a 66-yard completion — the longest in Bengals' playoff history — to Bengal wide out Chris Henry, but just after throwing the ball, he was struck by Steelers defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen, wrenching Palmer's left leg and knocking him out of the game. A magnetic resonance imaging test revealed tears of both the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments as well as cartilage and meniscus damage.

During the off-season, the NFL Rules Committee modified the rule regarding low hits on quarterbacks, prohibiting defenders from hitting a passer at or below the knee unless they are blocked into him. Injuries to Palmer, Roethlisberger and then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brian Griese (who re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) were cited as reasons for the new rule. The so-called "Kimo Rule" now requires that defenders take every opportunity to avoid hitting a quarterback at or below the knees when the quarterback is in a defenseless position looking to throw with both feet on the ground. Ironically the play would still have been legal as von Oelhoffen was blocked into Palmer, and, therefore, could not avoid hitting Palmer's knee.

Von Oelhoffen was subsequently released by the Steelers following the 2005 season.

Rehabilitation and comments

Carson Palmer underwent reconstructive surgery on his injured knee in Houston, Texas on January 10, 2006. Dr. Lonnie Paulos, a surgeon who is independent of the Cincinnati Bengals, performed the operation. Initially, the Bengals organization stated that Palmer had torn the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments with no other damage. However, Dr. Paulos later told the Associated Press that the damage was more extensive and included a dislocation of the kneecap. Dr. Paulos called the injury "devastating and potentially career-ending", which drew a derisive comment from Palmer that implied Paulos simply liked to see his name in print. The Bengals later accepted Dr. Paulos' account , however, Carson Palmer promised he'd be at quarterback in the Bengals' regular season opener at Kansas City on September 10, 2006.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis stated: "This is a serious injury, but we are told the procedure went very well. We know Carson, and we know he will apply himself fully to his rehabilitation. This result encourages our feeling that Carson will be ready to open the 2006 season as our starting quarterback" .

During his rehabilitation, Carson Palmer has made several other pointed comments, particularly in an issue of Sports Illustrated , in which he was on the cover shown using a relatively new form of therapy called the HydroWorx . In the article, Palmer stated that: “I hate the Steelers more than I hate UCLA.” However, he cautioned that the animosity is not directed at the individual players; it was borne from the historic Bengals–Steelers rivalry. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is, in fact, Palmer's friend and former USC roommate.

After the Bengals' 48–17 pre-season victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers on August 28, 2006, which saw Carson Palmer complete 9 of 14 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns in just less than two quarters of play in his much-expected debut (which included an 11-yard run for a first down that culminated in a slide on his surgically-repaired left knee,) Carson Palmer reiterated his position that he would be starting in the Bengals' season opener at Kansas City.

His performance drew rave reviews from many experts, many of whom expected far less of him less than a year after such a serious injury. ESPN announcer Joe Theismann, himself a former quarterback with the Washington Redskins, praised Carson Palmer for his mental toughness in taking hits and not being gun-shy about staying in the pocket where chances of injury are often high.

2006–2007 season

Palmer ended up starting in all 16 of the Bengals regular season games, only missing one snap due to injury - which was later determined as Palmer only getting the wind knocked out of him - all year. He actually didn't become totally comfortable with his repaired knee until week 9 against the Chargers when he threw for a career high of 440 yards. Despite his previous injury, he passed the 4,000 yard mark for the first time in his career, finishing the season with a franchise record 4,035 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, only 13 interceptions and 93.9 rating. He also made the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row, becoming the first Bengals quarterback to do this since Boomer Esiason in 1988 and 1989. Palmer was named Most Outstanding Player at the Pro Bowl, leading the AFC down the field in the final two minutes for the win. He completed 8 of 17 passes for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns, one to his Bengals teammate Chad Ocho Cinco. However, his team has quite a few misfortunes like missed point afters and field goals in a few games, slipping from an 11–5 record to 8–8 and failing to make the playoffs due to a game 16 loss by hated rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers. Palmer placed 3rd in voting for NFL Comeback Player of the Year, behind Drew Brees and Chad Pennington.

After winning the Pro Bowl MVP, Palmer declared "This is a huge honor and extremely exciting and I feel very blessed just to be here, let alone for the outcome to be this. But my goal's to be in a Super Bowl. And to win a Super Bowl. That's where my mind's at, and after this week I'm going to start focusing on that again." During the 2007 off-season, Palmer had scheduled workouts with not only Chad Ocho Cinco (which he usually did), but receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Tab Perry. He also said he is fully comfortable with his knee.

2007–2008 season

In the season opener on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens, Palmer went 20 for 32 with 194 yards and two touchdowns. Palmer and the Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 27–20. He followed up this performance with 33 completions for 401 passing yards and a franchise record 6 touchdown passes the next week in a game against Cleveland Browns. But even so, his team lost the game 51–45. Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson also threw for five touchdown passes in the game. It was only the third time in NFL history that two quarterbacks had thrown at least five touchdown passes in the same game. In the loss to the Seattle Seahawks, 21-24, Palmer went 27 for 43 for 342 yards for a touchdown, but also threw two interceptions.

By week 8, Palmer and the Bengals were struggling. His team had only a 2–5 record and he had thrown 9 interceptions, the most by any quarterback in the AFC. However, he remained statistically productive, ranking fourth in the NFL in passing yards and fifth in touchdowns with a passer rating of over 90.

The Bengals' misfortunes continued throughout the season and a week 15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers ensured that the team would finish the season with a losing record for the first time since he had been their starting quarterback. In the same game, Palmer threw his 100th career touchdown pass, becoming the 5th fastest player ever to reach this milestone (59 games). Palmer finished the season with 376 completions for 4,131 yards and 26 touchdowns, with 20 interceptions. His 20 interceptions were a career high, but his 376 completions and 4,131 passing yards set new Bengals franchise records.

2008–2009 season

In the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, Palmer was held to 99 yards and no touchdowns, completing only 10 out of 25 passes with an interception. For the first time in his career Palmer wore a clear protective visor because of a broken nose.

In the following 24-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Palmer was 16 of 27 for 134 yards and two interceptions. As the Bengals fell to 0-3 against the New York Giants in a 26-23 overtime loss, Palmer went 27 for 39 for 286 yards and a touchdown.

Palmer missed the Cleveland Browns loss due to a sore elbow. It snapped a consecutive start streak of 51 games for Palmer.

Career stats

		Passing								Rushing
Season	Team	GP	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	INT	Rating	Att	Yds	TD
2003	Cincinnati Bengals	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2004	Cincinnati Bengals	13	263	432	60.9	2897	18	18	77.8	18	47	1
2005	Cincinnati Bengals	16	345	509	67.8	3836	32	12	101.1	34	41	1
2005-06 Playoffs	Cincinnati Bengals	1	1	1	100.0	66	0	0	118.7	0	0	0
2006	Cincinnati Bengals	16	324	520	62.3	4035	28	13	93.9	26	37	0
2007	Cincinnati Bengals	16	373	575	64.9	4131	26	20	86.7	24	10	0
Totals	Cincinnati Bengals	61	1305	2036	64.1	14899	104	63	90.1	102	135	2

Bengals franchise records

Highest Passer Rating, Career (Min. 500 attempts) - 89.0
Highest Passer Rating, Season (Min. 14 attempts/team game played) - 101.1 (2005)
Highest Completion Percentage, Career (Min. 200 attempts) - 63.8%
Most Completions, Season - 373 (2005)
Most Passing Yards, Season - 4131 (2007)
Only Bengals QB to pass for 4000 yards in a season (twice; 2006-2007)
Most 300+ Yard Passing Games, Season - 5 (2007; tied w/Boomer Esiason, 1987)
Most Touchdown Passes, Season - 32 (2005)
Most Touchdown Passes, Game - 6 (9/16/2007 at Cleveland Browns)
Most Consecutive Games w/Passer Rating over 100 - 9 (NFL Record; tied w/Peyton Manning and Tom Brady)

Personal life

Palmer married Shaelyn Fernandes, a former USC soccer player whom he met during freshman orientation, on July 5, 2003. In the off-season, they reside in Laguna Beach, California.

He is the brother of fellow Bengal quarterback Jordan Palmer. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no brothers have played quarterback for the same team during the Super Bowl era. (Koy Detmer was on injured reserve for Philadelphia while his brother, Ty Detmer, played for the Eagles in 1997.)

In 2008, Nike released 3 Air Max 90s, one of which was designed in the Nike ID studios by Palmer. The shoe's colorway bears a strong resemblance to the famous Air Max 90 Infrareds.

Also in 2008, an underground group of Arizona Iced Tea fans invented a new version of the Arnold Palmer (drink). The drink contains Pink Lemonade in place of the more traditional kind and is called the Carson Palmer.