By this time in Carson Palmer’s career, he was expected to be nothing short of one of the best quarterbacks in the league, one likely headed straight to Canton when his career was over. But after a devastating knee injury and difficulties throughout the Cincinnati organization, Palmer is no longer an elite quarterback in the league and is hovering just above mediocrity among starting signal callers. Heading into this season in the wide open AFC, however, Palmer has a good team behind him that has the potential to get back to the playoffs. For the former number one overall pick, the time is now to get back into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks.

After winning the Heisman Trophy for USC, it seemed that the sky was the limit for Carson Palmer when he was selected by the Bengals with the first pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Behind the surprising Jon Kitna, Palmer learned plenty about the pro position and stepped smoothly into the starting role in 2004 before having a breakout season in 2005. That year, Palmer had a 101 QB rating, tossing 32 touchdowns against 12 picks in the process. Palmer’s poise in the pocket and rocket arm made the Bengals one of the most explosive teams in the league and it seemed that Palmer would be a superstar in the NFL for many years to come.

More importantly for the Bengals, Palmer led the team to a division title and a rare entrance into the playoffs with an 11-5 record. But just as it seemed that the Bengals and Palmer were on the rise, Palmer suffered a season-ending injury very early in the first quarter of the playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Without Palmer, the Bengals simply were not the same team and lost to the Steelers in front of their stunned home fans.

Though Palmer still played very well following his knee injury, posting a QB rating of 93.9, the very next year the Bengals were not quite as explosive and struggled significantly on defense. It wasn’t until last season that the Bengals got back to the playoffs, and much of that had to do with a revival on defense and the comeback season of running back Cedric Benson. Since his last good season in 2006, Palmer has battled various injuries and has seen significantly declining touchdown numbers from season to season. Though it was previously impossible to create a list of top quarterbacks in the league without him, Palmer has since been pushed down to the middle of the pack – something he has never been relegated to at any point of his football career.

The advantage for Palmer, however, is that he’s still just 30 years old and has a fairly solid team surrounding him. Though 30 is old for many positions in the NFL, Palmer still has a handful of peak years ahead of him if the offensive line can protect him. Palmer is also still popular in the area and helps sell plenty of Cincinnati Bengals tickets.

As a sign of good faith, the Bengals even brought over wideout Antonio Bryant from the Tampa Bay Bucs, giving Palmer another very good receiving option to go with Chad Ochocinco. In Cedric Benson, the Bengals again have a workhorse who can provide offensive balance and keep safeties near the line of scrimmage, which should continue to open up the deep ball for Palmer.

Of course, it won’t be easy to get back to the playoffs with the up-and-coming Baltimore Ravens also in the division. After adding Anquan Boldin, the Ravens now have one of the scariest offensive teams in the league to go with a very strong defensive squad, even if the veteran-led defense may not have too many peak years left. With such a strong Kamagra Gold core on offense, however, the Ravens look to be set up for quite a while within the AFC North as consistent division contenders. But even though most fans have forgotten about Carson Palmer, the Bengals are still his team and he’s in a great position to get them back over the hump, making 2010 a pivotal year for one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league. Regardless of what happens, it will be interesting to see how he responds.

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