atlamit
11-13-2006, 12:18 AM
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061112/SPT02/311120010
Shootout was 'no holds barred'
Big numbers not enough for Palmer, offense
BY KEVIN KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Carson Palmer thought back only to last season for a game that in pace and points rivaled the one the Bengals lost today.
Remember when Cincinnati had 492 total net yards and scored 37 points against the Colts on Nov. 20 and still lost? The Bengals quarterback sure did.
“It’s no holds barred,” Palmer said.
The Bengals, and Palmer especially, produced some astounding offensive totals in the 49-41 loss today at Paul Brown Stadium.
Palmer completed 31-of-42 passes for 440 yards and three touchdowns against the NFL’s eighth-ranked pass defense.
The completions, passing yards and his 131.1 passer rating represented single-game career highs for Palmer. In Bengals history, only Boomer Esiason (490) and Ken Anderson (447) have thrown for more yards in a regular season game.
“I think they weren’t used to an offense moving up and down the field like that,” Palmer said. “There was a lot of commotion defensively for them. They were fighting, arguing with each other, pushing each other.
“This is a defense that plays with a lot of confidence, a lot of swagger, and when you take that way from them you can blow defenses…. We were fortunate enough to get them in that position.”
One week after admitting that his throwing mechanics still needed some work, Palmer completed his first nine passes and 20-of-23 for 282 yards in the first half alone.
The Bengals held a 21-point lead at halftime.
“Talking to (offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski) on the phone, we were going to keep letting it rip,” Palmer said. “We were going to keep throwing the ball downfield and not sit on (the ball) at all because this was not a team that you sit on.”
Of the passes Palmer completed Sunday, more than half went for 10 or more yards. The two longest were a 51-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter and a 74-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 2:50 left in the third quarter.
He also completed passes of 35, 27, 26 and 22 yards.
“Carson Palmer is my vote for MVP,” Chargers safety Marlon McCree said. “We had some mental breakdowns (in the secondary). We put in some new things, some things that we were adjusting to, and he exploited them. He saw areas where we weren’t doing what we were supposed to do, and he attacked it.
“That’s what good quarterbacks do. That’s what Peyton Manning does. That’s what Philip Rivers does. And that’s what Carson Palmer does.”
The Bengals lost the lead, however, shortly after Palmer fumbled the ball with 14:46 remaining in the game.
San Diego linebacker Shaun Phillips sacked Palmer, stripped the ball and recovered it. The Chargers took a 42-38 lead six seconds later.
The fumble was Palmer’s 10th this season. The opposing team has recovered six of those.
“I was getting ready to throw the ball, release it, and that guy made a great play,” Palmer said. “I need to do a better job of protecting it.”
Shootout was 'no holds barred'
Big numbers not enough for Palmer, offense
BY KEVIN KELLY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Carson Palmer thought back only to last season for a game that in pace and points rivaled the one the Bengals lost today.
Remember when Cincinnati had 492 total net yards and scored 37 points against the Colts on Nov. 20 and still lost? The Bengals quarterback sure did.
“It’s no holds barred,” Palmer said.
The Bengals, and Palmer especially, produced some astounding offensive totals in the 49-41 loss today at Paul Brown Stadium.
Palmer completed 31-of-42 passes for 440 yards and three touchdowns against the NFL’s eighth-ranked pass defense.
The completions, passing yards and his 131.1 passer rating represented single-game career highs for Palmer. In Bengals history, only Boomer Esiason (490) and Ken Anderson (447) have thrown for more yards in a regular season game.
“I think they weren’t used to an offense moving up and down the field like that,” Palmer said. “There was a lot of commotion defensively for them. They were fighting, arguing with each other, pushing each other.
“This is a defense that plays with a lot of confidence, a lot of swagger, and when you take that way from them you can blow defenses…. We were fortunate enough to get them in that position.”
One week after admitting that his throwing mechanics still needed some work, Palmer completed his first nine passes and 20-of-23 for 282 yards in the first half alone.
The Bengals held a 21-point lead at halftime.
“Talking to (offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski) on the phone, we were going to keep letting it rip,” Palmer said. “We were going to keep throwing the ball downfield and not sit on (the ball) at all because this was not a team that you sit on.”
Of the passes Palmer completed Sunday, more than half went for 10 or more yards. The two longest were a 51-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter and a 74-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 2:50 left in the third quarter.
He also completed passes of 35, 27, 26 and 22 yards.
“Carson Palmer is my vote for MVP,” Chargers safety Marlon McCree said. “We had some mental breakdowns (in the secondary). We put in some new things, some things that we were adjusting to, and he exploited them. He saw areas where we weren’t doing what we were supposed to do, and he attacked it.
“That’s what good quarterbacks do. That’s what Peyton Manning does. That’s what Philip Rivers does. And that’s what Carson Palmer does.”
The Bengals lost the lead, however, shortly after Palmer fumbled the ball with 14:46 remaining in the game.
San Diego linebacker Shaun Phillips sacked Palmer, stripped the ball and recovered it. The Chargers took a 42-38 lead six seconds later.
The fumble was Palmer’s 10th this season. The opposing team has recovered six of those.
“I was getting ready to throw the ball, release it, and that guy made a great play,” Palmer said. “I need to do a better job of protecting it.”