Cards’ Palmer on bye week: ‘I learned a lot’

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has been sacked 23 times through the first half of the season. Last weekend, during his team’s bye week, the rest of the Cardinals had an opportunity to join him.

“It was great for the entire team to get off their feet for a little while,” Palmer told media gathered at Cardinals’ practice in Tempe on Wednesday.

Although the Cardinals stand at 4-4 and have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs this season, their new quarterback hasn’t fared as well as fans may have hoped, throwing 14 interceptions through the first half — the same amount he threw in 15 games with the Oakland Raiders last season. And the bye week, as Cardinals’ personnel have made platitudinous, couldn’t have come at a better time for Palmer and teammates.

“It just kind of gives you a chance to recharge,” said Palmer, “and it gave me a really good chance to go back and look at what we were doing.

“I’ve always used bye week as a chance to self-scout.”

For the 33-year-old signal caller, such introspection may have been unpleasant, given his poor decision making thus far. Palmer’s 14 interceptions are the second most in the NFL, behind only the New York Giants’ Eli Manning, while 17 other league quarterbacks have thrown more touchdowns than his 10.

Palmer’s total quarterback rating (QBR) meanwhile, as determined by ESPN Stats & Info, ranks 31st among 34 qualified NFL quarterbacks, with only the New York Jets’ Geno Smith, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Chad Henne and the Cleveland Browns’ Brandon Weeden ranking worse in the measure.

“You know, you try to figure out any tendencies you can find in yourself and get ready for the second half of the season,” Palmer went on.

Hopefully, for both his sake and that of the Cardinals, the 10-year veteran was able to pinpoint his problem areas and assess the issues with his decision making.

Palmer, himself, believes that he was able to do just that.

“I learned a lot.”