For the third week in a row, we're stuck not knowing if the Bengals will put Carson Palmer on field, as the team prepares for their preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts. The team could be opting to rest his sprained ankle one more week before the regular season. You know, for good measure. On Saturday, Palmer said that it's "up to the training staff. They’re the experts and the ones who have dealt with these type of things for years and they’ll do a good job making the right decision."
Oh boy. This is the same training staff that Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis spoke about in late January, specifically concerned about the club's record of injuries in 2008. Furthermore, it's been documented several times in which former players took issue with the team's training/medical staff, because they dealt with additional time in rehabilitation than expected. So deferring on the training/medical staff hasn't really worked out so well for others.
Furthermore, I would think we'd all feel better if Palmer got some reps in against the Colts so he's not idle in game situations for three straight weeks. Consider this, the last pass attempt by Palmer in game conditions is August 14. If the next game he plays is the regular season opener against the Denver Broncos on September 13, then Palmer will have gone a month without playing in a game.