Carson Chats: QB Palmer trusts Cardinals in taking more time off

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Quarterback Carson Palmer, now in his fifth year with the Arizona Cardinals, meets the media several times during training camp.

Here, in this space, we’ll highlight many of the key topics and personnel conversations he has with reporters following the morning walk-through:

The offensive line suffered injuries last year and struggled some, how do you feel about the group this season if it can stay healthy?

“That switch last year was tough. People think, well, you can play tackle, but you play left tackle and you play right tackle, and to make that move is difficult. It’s difficult on D.J. (Humphries) but it’s difficult on whoever ends up playing next to him, too. There’s a lot of communication, there’s a lot of comfort; you build timing, rhythm with different stunts you have to block. So being in camp an extended amount of time has been really, really good for and it will be really good for our guys up front. The longer you play next to somebody, the more comfortable you are with their strengths, their weaknesses, all of those things. So I think it’s going to be a big benefit for us.”

Are you OK with getting another off day so early in camp?

“I like practice, I enjoy it. I love what I do, I love the practice aspect, I love throwing in blitz period and team periods and 7-on-7 and routes on air. But I’m listening to the professionals, the people that have studied this and read and been to seminars and all kinds of stuff. Just going with the recovery process and listening to the people telling me what to do.”

Do you think it’s too much time off?

“No. I believe in Buddy (Morris), Anthony, Tom Reed, all the different stuff that Michael’s bought to help with the recovery. We start the first, really, the first month of the season with the last two preseason games and then the first two regular seasons are all road trips, so they’ve invested heavily in recovery mechanisms and done a ton of stuff. Michael’s done a ton of stuff for us because he thinks it might give us an edge and there’s technology behind it. Obviously there’s technology behind it, but there’s a lot of research, there’s a lot of things he’s put around us to help us with that, so I’m all in on that stuff. I’ll take all the recovery I can get and all the technology that we have here has been great for us.”

Do you take mental reps when given a day off?

“You do. The first hour and a half of the day is walk-through. Obviously you get the mental reps from that and the physical reps that aren’t full speed. But you absorb practice. You watch it, you go through plays in your head, you make protection adjustments in your head and then you watch it on film and learn from it.”

Does John Brown look different from last year?

“Yeah, about 180 degree difference. He’s got that behind him. There was so much unknown around that — I was scared for him. I don’t know how, he hasn’t really expressed how he felt about it, but to not really know and to think it’s sickle cell and then find out it’s not. He’s stronger, he looks faster. He looks like what we’re used to seeing, and last year was such an odd year. He had that concussion, that really bad concussion early in camp that put him out for a while. So dealing with that — just dealing with all the things he’s had on his plate, the stress, the pressure to want to play and just know something’s not right and you don’t quite know what the issue is. He looks powerful in and out of his breaks, he’s catching the ball really strong. He’s competing against Pat all the time and I’ve been throwing it his way a bunch. He’s won a bunch of those battles and I think that’s great for Pat, it’s great for his confidence. And I think his confidence is really starting to come along too, because you have such a down time and such an injury-plagued year, it takes a while to get back and I just see that continuing to go up.”

What will it mean to get Brown back to being himself?

“He’s the X-factor of the offense, especially the way we’re built where you’ve got to really worry about David and focus on David, probably double David. You’ve got to worry about Larry, but if you can put him on the other side of the field from Larry, it just makes us a lot more potent.”

Are you missing anything at receiver right now?

“We have too much. There’s going to be somebody that, maybe five spots, maybe six spots go to receivers depending on special teams. There’s seven or eight guys that you just like and you want to watch continue to grow and develop. You just can’t keep eight receivers.”

Do you see a difference in David Johnson’s approach this season?

“No. I mean, I think he just probably has a little more confidence. You don’t know you can do it until you do it, and he did it. Now I think he can continue to look to the future and see statistics and read and hear things people are saying about you. I think his confidence has gone through the roof because he’s done it and he’s proved he can do it, and now he wants more. But as far as his approach to practice, to training, nothing’s changed. He doesn’t all of a sudden have an ego, at all. He’s very, very even keel.”

Heading to Canton for the Hall of Fame Game, have you ever thought about your place and the possibility of ending up there?

“Not really. I mean, I think that’s probably everybody’s pipe dream coming into the league. But really haven’t put too much thought into it. I’ve had a chance to go there and play in this game years ago, and had a chance to tour it. Obviously a very, very special place. And just cool. Everything about it’s cool. But I haven’t thought much about it.”

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