Palmer needs to play to keep team in order

By Neal Coolong  |   Friday, October 03, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Cincinnati Bengals
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Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is adamant about starting Sunday at Dallas.

According to Shannon Russell's blog from the Cincinnati Enquirer, Palmer didn't practice much Thursday, but he says his inflamed right elbow feels better; he expects to play Sunday.

For the sake of the morale of the team, he almost has to. Whether Bengals coach Marvin Lewis agrees with that is another story. Palmer hasn't been named the starter of the game, giving way to the possibility of Ryan Fitzpatrick starting the second game in a row; this time, though, it won't be against Cleveland but one of the best teams in the NFL.

Commentary: Palmer's the heart and soul of a beaten-up Bengals team. It's almost to the point where he has to play if the Bengals have any hope of salvaging something from a disastrous start to the 2008 season.

Wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco is starting to become a distraction; earlier this week, he yearned about the old days when the Bengals got into trouble off the field but played well on it.

As unfair as it may be, it will only be tougher for Palmer to keep the locker room in order as the leader of the team if he's unable to play. To his credit, he's not showing any reason to believe he won't, but he hasn't been cleared yet to play.

Fan Pulse: The Bengalszone fan message board isn't cutting Ocho Cinco any slack, either. They're discussing his antics in a thread titled "Chad the circus clown."

Fantasy Football Impact: Considering Dallas' talented secondary and explosive offense, there doesn't appear to be a Bengals player worth starting in Week 5, except perhaps Ocho Cinco or T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Injury Watch: Running back DeDe Dorsey was put on the IR this week, and safety Dexter Jackson will miss Week 5 as well.
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one ...
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