Week Three preseason eyes will be on Palmer

By Connor Byrne  |   Friday, August 25, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Cincinnati Bengals
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In ESPN's third preseason installment of Monday Night Football, the Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Green Bay Packers on a large stage. Normally, a somewhat unappealing matchup like this wouldn't really matter, but considering Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is making his season debut, the game is enormous.

For, you see, last January, Palmer suffered severe injuries to his knee stemming from a hit courtesy of former Pittsburgh Steelers (now New York Jets) defensive lineman Kimo von Oelhoffen. The injury happened on Palmer's first passing attempt of the game, when von Oelhoffen inadvertently ran into his knee. Despite the shot, the former Heisman Trophy winner completed a 66-yard heave to receiver Chris Henry. Thereafter, however, Cincinnati went on to lose its first playoff game since Jan. 1991. Backup Jon Kitna tried desperately to put the Bengals on his back, but it simply couldn't be done.

Thanks to Palmer's injury (he tore several ligaments, damaged cartilage and dislocated his kneecap), he had to endure intense rehabilitation all offseason just to earn the chance of playing in the NFL again. Originally, Palmer's specialist, Dr. Lonnie Paulos, said the QB's injury could have been career-ending.

"On a scale of one to three, it was a four," said Paulos. "It was off the chart. It was pretty badly damaged -- shredded is the better term."

After going through all that and dealing with constant questions, Palmer's finally ready to return - at least, physically. The Bengals' doctors cleared him to play a couple weeks back, but the 26-year-old simply wasn't confident enough in his knee to reenter the playing field.

As a result, there was a slight controversy between Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis, who supposedly wanted his franchise performer to get back on the field for last Friday night's contest against Buffalo. However, that perception was shot down by both Palmer and Lewis, as they made manifest that they have both been on the same page from the start.

It's not completely clear how much on-field action Palmer will see on Monday, but it will probably be a decent amount. The Packers' defense isn't exactly reminiscent of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens or '85 Chicago Bears; however, if and when Palmer gets sacked or takes a hit around his knee area, the entire city of Cincinnati will probably collectively hold its breath.

Assuming Palmer is fully healthy, this game will simply be a welcome back party for one of the league's elite quarterbacks. If he looks takes another severe smash to his knee, though, the Cincinnati Bengals' almost limitless hopes will be shallow for this season.

--Got feedback? Connor J. Byrne would love to hear from you: cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

Get more on Carson Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals at Realfootball365.com.
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