Carson Palmer: Don't Get Caught Up With Primary Receiver

(Chad will love this)

With the Bengals facing a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start this weekend, Carson Palmer provided some nuggets that he's learned as a quarterback. You never know, Casey Brandon Jimmy Clausen could open the newspaper this morning and find some golden lessons learned from the generations. The theme that Palmer kept pushing during the interview was mostly to trust your other receivers and never get caught up with one guy.

"It doesn't matter if your No. 2 receiver is Terrell Owens or a rookie starting for the first game of his life. You still have to go through your progressions," Palmer said Wednesday in a conference call with Charlotte media.

"If you try to squeeze balls into zones when you know your read told you to go the other way, if you decide to throw it to Steve Smith just because he's Steve Smith, that can work sometimes but it won't work over the long haul."

Palmer's master plan to get Steve Smith less involved is flawless goes on to reemphasize not depending totally on a single receiver.

"I've seen Steve Smith catch one-step hitches against cloud coverages and score touchdowns, which should never, ever happen," Palmer said.

"(But) if you feel painted into a corner, and feel you only have one player who can get open, you need to have a more positive outlook about the guys around you. You cannot just keep going to the same guy every single time...