When Carson Palmer threatened to retire if the Cincinnati Bengals did not trade him, team owner Mike Brown wasn’t having it. Instead, Brown shrugged his shoulders on July 26 and essentially said, “Fine, leave then.”
It was a decisive moment for management, which declared it wouldn’t have an employee dictate operations. The Bengals claimed they were ready to move ahead with rookie Andy Dalton taking Palmer’s place at quarterback.
There’s one problem with such a stance, though. If the replacement is clearly not ready to assume the same responsibilities as the former star employee, well, then management finds itself in a pickle. Dalton hasn’t looked like a starting NFL QB, throwing three interceptions and a touchdown with a 59.6 passer rating in the preseason.
The rumor that the Bengals and Palmer met this week is therefore not completely surprising. The team needs a quarterback; Palmer needs a job. Palmer and Brown met Thursday at Paul Brown Stadium, ESPN reported, and the team made a call to Palmer’s representatives last week. It’s not clear whether the meetings will resolve the issue, although it would be interesting to know which side came to the meetings hat in hand.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Palmer still looks good in stripes to many Bengals fans.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It might be a matter of 72 hours, it might be a matter of two weeks.”
— University of Oklahoma president David Boren on the timetable for OU and Texas to announce decisions on possibly leaving the Big 12 Conference for the Pa-12
TWEET OF THE DAY
High-definition reception on the Oregon Trail was spotty at best.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Cool? Yes. Necessary? Ummm…
