Chad Ochocinco: Carson Is Only As Good As His Supporting Cast

by Josh Kirkendall on Oct 13, 2010 3:19 PM EDT in Analysis

CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 10: Quarterback Carson Palmer #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals is pressured by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense at Paul Brown Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Through five games this year, Carson Palmer is on pace to have a season much closer to his 2007 season, throwing for over 4,000 yards passing and 25 touchdowns than he is 2009. The irony is that the team won in 2009 and not-so-much in 2007.

Yet, Chad Ochocinco says don't blame Carson Palmer.

After taking the blame for the pass that bounced away from his hands, resulting an interception by Buccaneers safety Sabby Piscitelli that led to a game-winning field goal to end the game, Chad Ochocinco responded to a question that was asked, wondering what's wrong with Carson Palmer.

There is nothing wrong with Carson Palmer. I’ll say it again and I’ll say it over and over again: Carson is an elite quarterback regardless of what anybody thinks or what anybody says, and Cincinnati needs to have patience with that and understand that when things aren’t going well it’s not the quarterback’s fault. Carson is only as good as his supporting cast and his supporting cast would be me. So if you’re going to boo, you need to start with booing me. You know, ummmmm, that’s it. Carson is only as good as those around him. And that’s how it goes…

Unfortunately, some aren't so pleasantly patient with the team's frustrating passing development process. Fox Sports' Adam Schein writes that it's time for the Bengals to move past Palmer now, writing:

But there’s no debating anymore that Cincinnati needs a new QB. You cannot win a title with Carson Palmer. Heck – you can’t beat the Bucs and Browns.

I'll be honest. I haven't been so much a Palmer apologist, but I have been very patient in my criticisms. The idea of changing quarterbacks by next year isn't completely deaf to my ears. But neither is Chad's point that the quarterback is only as good as the team around him.

Mike Freeman writes that Palmer gets a free pass:

Jay Cutler is playing better. So is Ryan Fitzpatrick. So is David Garrard.

Palmer's 78.3 passer rating barely trumps Jason Campbell (76.2), Matt Cassel (74), Bruce Gradkowski (71.1) and Alex Smith (71.6).

Carson Palmer continues to play like Carson Daly, and yet the outrage continues to be mostly muted. It's been this way for years with Palmer, and so goes one of the greatest free passes, in the NFL and the media, any quarterback has ever received.

Ouch. Apparently Freeman doesn't associate himself with any Bengals fan.

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Josh, I really hope he can get 4000 touchdowns :)

Through five games this year, Carson Palmer is on pace to have a season much closer to his 2007 season, throwing for over 4,000 touchdowns and 25 touchdowns than he is 2009

In Zim We Trust......Collaros for Heisman...An Avid Reader of Cincyjungle.com

by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 3:25 PM EDT reply actions

Wake up Do the Dew!!

In Zim We Trust......Collaros for Heisman...An Avid Reader of Cincyjungle.com

by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm drinking Diet today. :(

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by Josh Kirkendall on Oct 13, 2010 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions

ewwww

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by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

My fear is him leaving to another team and star lighting it up and we have to sit here and deal with a rookie QB again

by Throw the ball on Oct 13, 2010 3:37 PM EDT reply actions

Yes that would probably happen

In Zim We Trust......Collaros for Heisman...An Avid Reader of Cincyjungle.com

by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Everyone knows it would happen

You plug in any QB not named Manning or Brady in Cincinnati and they’re not going to look good.

Palmer needs a fresh start big time and as a CP fan I want him to do well. Maybe for his sake he needs to be somewhere else, but there isn’t a QB playing in the NFL right now that we could ACTUALLY trade for that I would take over Palmer.

As bas as Palmer is playing none if matters with the way our coaching staff is performing. I’m 100% convinced most of the blame needs to go in that direction.

Look no further than Jay Cutler. The guy is playing great after a new OC.

by Throw the ball on Oct 13, 2010 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions

When his brains aren’t scrambled into stir-fry, at least.

But yeah. I think Chad is 100% correct. Carson is only as good as his supporting cast. With a perfect supporting cast he’d be good enough to at least give Tom/Peyton/Drew/Phillip a run for their money. Maybe even join them. Without it, he can’t and won’t.

But what Chad either can’t or won’t say is the biggest problem is the supporting COACHING staff. The OC at the very least, but I’m pretty sure the WR coach, strength coach, and probably QB coach as well could all be improved. In some cases a pet monkey might be an improvement. Well that’s probably a slight overstatement in reality. Even Bratworst is better than a pet monkey. But the pet monkey would actually have a positive effect on the team, because nobody would expect the pet monkey to actually do anything, and so he wouldn’t HURT the team either, which Bratworst does do on a daily basis.

by FriarBob on Oct 13, 2010 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree

You can just see it on the tip of the player’s tongues that when asked whats wrong with the offense they want to say Brat. Benson already said it and hinted at it again today in his interview. “I want to be in on 3rd and short, I will get the first down” I’m sure that was directed at Brat too, I think he gets upset when Leonard gets the third down action.

Brat also needs to learn how to use Scott, it seems every time his number is called it’s a dive up the middle, they need to use him more on screens and sweeps/pitches, but Brat doesn’t seem to know that much about the two different backs.

In Zim We Trust......Collaros for Heisman...An Avid Reader of Cincyjungle.com

by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions

or maybe....

gasp

have two RB’s in on the same play???? Does Brat even know thats an option?

I know the guy takes a beating, but its amazing that we only run plays out of 3-4 sets. 3 WR 1 RB, Unbalanced line, 4 WR (rarely), Power I, and Trips (rarely). No wonder its so easy to defend the Bengals.

Hi fans it Brandon Roy.
And ME.....LaMarcus Aldridge

by Derftron on Oct 13, 2010 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions

I would like to see them both in like a wishbone

but we don’t have a FB to run I-forms, thats why you dont see them to often. But when you have only 20 offensive plays in your playbook and they are all telegraphed, it’s very easy to defend the Bengals

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by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions

What about a 5 WR set too?

I haven’t seen that since, well, I don’t know when.

by WHYUS!! on Oct 13, 2010 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Anything!!

I’m telling ya, Brats playbook only has 3 pages, 3 formations and 20 plays

In Zim We Trust......Collaros for Heisman...An Avid Reader of Cincyjungle.com

by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 7:55 PM EDT up reply actions

It sure looks that way from a distance at least. Supposedly it’s exactly the opposite — extremely complicated — which is why rookies never seem to contribute for us.

Frankly, whichever is true, extremely simple or extremely complicated, it doesn’t matter. He still is horrid and needs to go.

by FriarBob on Oct 14, 2010 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

But what Chad either can’t or won’t say is the biggest problem is the supporting COACHING staff.

I thought that was what he almost accidentally said before he hem-hawed out of it.

I could sleep when I lived alone.
Is there a ghost in my house?

by supergrover on Oct 14, 2010 7:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah others have said that you can see that almost all of them want to say it and aren’t willing to do it. Maybe they don’t want to piss of Mikey. Maybe they want to avoid a complete meltdown while there’s still a theoretical chance of saving the season. Maybe they just figure any intelligent observer has to know the truth and so there’s no need for them to say it.

Whatever the reason, they all have to know it. We know it. Marvin knows it. The only two people on the planet who don’t know it are Brat and Mikey. Well maybe three. Zimmer might not know it either. We don’t know. Then again, you can have a friendship with an incompetent buffoon even while you know that’s what the moron is. So I’m not yet willing to write off Zim just because he’s friends with Brat.

by FriarBob on Oct 14, 2010 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Well uhh lets see...3rd and 13,uhhh Dime defense....uhhh

“What will I call?” (Ask Madden switched on)

Maybe we should just run it boss,unlikely to get a 1st down but lets get Huber to pin them deep,that team wont go 80yds in 2 mins

“Nah,lets throw it by golly,we get that 1st down and the game is done diggly done,uuuh lets see,yup,got just tha play,Lets try a 15yd dig.”

But there in dime boss,its a big ask,maybe better throwing it underneath?

“No Dammit throw that fucker downfield and win tha game.”
The above is an alleged transcript of the actual discussion between Sideshow Bob and someone who knows what the fuck they are talking about.

This cant all be pinned on Carson.

by pilks1075 on Oct 13, 2010 5:32 PM EDT reply actions

Your giving him to much credit

He definitely has no idea how to turn on an xobx or PS3 let alone ask madden. If he asked madden all the time he might actually have good play calls

by Diesel2405 on Oct 13, 2010 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions

+1

He is still playing techmo bowl

In Zim We Trust......Collaros for Heisman...An Avid Reader of Cincyjungle.com

by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2010 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I think there is something to be said for............

the concept that the supporting cast is only as good as Carson. I don’t want to blame Carson. I don’t want to blame Chad. I don’t want to blame the Oline of Dline of even Marvin. I want them to play better, that’s all.

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Oct 13, 2010 9:45 PM EDT reply actions

Would supporting cast include coaches?

by Dvdbumpus on Oct 13, 2010 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Oct 13, 2010 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions

There is an old saying in the business community.............

If everyone is responsible – nobody is responsible. It is B.S.

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Oct 13, 2010 10:03 PM EDT reply actions

Then i blame sideshow Bob….

by Dvdbumpus on Oct 13, 2010 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions

There would be a strong case for that but....

as much of a fan as I have been and still am of CP. I blame him primarily and then I blame ML for the overall poor preparation of the tean to compete. Maybe with a week off he will find a way to turn it around. It is up to CP to dig down deep and find himself again. Nobody can do that for him. It is up to ML to tighten up the bolts and change out parts that are worn out or not fitting correctly. Nobody can do that for him either.

"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"

by JUNGLEJOHN on Oct 14, 2010 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions