Cardinals coach Arians: Carson Palmer is ‘already working like crazy’
Feb 24, 2016, 1:48 PM | Updated: 5:03 pm
Arizona Cardinals' Carson Palmer throws during the first half the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
(AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
One of the biggest storylines regarding the Arizona Cardinals this offseason is at quarterback.
It’s not so much about who will man the position for the team, rather it’s about how Carson Palmer, the team’s unquestioned No. 1 passer, will rebound from a disastrous NFC Championship Game performance.
Because for all the good Palmer did in 2015 — franchise records in passing yards (4,671), touchdown passes (35) and QB rating (104.6) while earning some MVP votes — his struggles in the postseason, which culminated with a 23-of-40 for 235 yards with one touchdown, four interceptions and two fumbles performance in Carolina, have left some wondering if he is the guy to get the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.
Asked at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis how his quarterback was doing, Arians did not even mention football.
“Mom’s doing good, baby’s doing good and his golf game sucks,” the coach said. “That’s because he didn’t play for a year.
“He was bound and determined he wasn’t going to play any golf until after the season, and he’s paying for it now. He’s losing every bet.”
Earlier this month Palmer posted a video reacting to the birth of his son, the fourth child in the Palmer brood.
But as the offseason moves along, soon the focus will return to what the 36-year-old can or cannot accomplish on the field. Last season was the best of his career, at least statistically, though it had one of the most bitter endings he could have imagined.
Arians, however, thinks the veteran will learn from it all.
“Just the experience, having failed,” he said. “Last year, the knee was the driving force. This year he’s already working like crazy because of the way it ended, and that’s what you want. You want your guys back and when he’s back working like that, the rest of them will be back working like that.
“As a coach you don’t have to say anything; it’s just get going again and see if we can reach that pinnacle again and play better.”
