What does Jon Kitna mean to you? Well, if you're a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals, then you know Kitna is more than just a backup quarterback. He's the guy that took the 2-14 Bengals in 2002 and improved them to 8-8. He was the transition between nightmare second-rate quarterbacks (Akili Smith, Gus Frerotte, etc.) to franchise level quarterback (Carson Palmer). Since 2002, Kitna and Palmer have combined for three straight non-losing seasons (8-8 in 2003, 8-8 in 2004, 11-5 in 2005). Again, if you're a Cincinnati fan, you'll understand that was once called a dream.
This off-season has been saturated with Quarterback news. Carson Palmer's recovery is by far, the most concerning.
Speaking of which, the Review Journal reports Palmer was seen bowling.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, bowling during his spare time in the Kingpin bowling suite over the weekend in the Palms' new Fantasy Tower.
Sounds like recovery is going well.
Unsure at the time of Kitna's future, the Bengals signed Doug Johnson. Reports are now that Jamie Martin is close to signing a deal to become the next backup QB.
I'm sad to see Kitna go for many reasons; he was the most knowledgeable in this system; mentored Palmer in such a way Kitna calls Palmer his "best friend". There's been no player, current or past, that's said a bad word about Kitna. His reach in the community was, and hopefully still is, huge. Here's having a beer on you Jon, good luck.