The NFL has been in lockout mode for over 100 days now and former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has been in trade-me-or-else mode for even longer. Unfortunately, those two issues completely define the Bengals right now. The lockout has prevented this offseason from being anything close to normal and Carson Palmer's threat to retire basically guided the Bengals through the draft. Without that trade demand, the Bengals don't select Andy Dalton in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and Carson leads offseason player-organized workouts, not his younger brother.
The lockout and Carson Palmer. The lockout and Carson Palmer. The lockout and Carson Palmer. I know you've heard enough about it and I know we've written enough about it. It was old a long time ago, and we're not the only people who feel that way.
According to The Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy, Bengals players are tired of talking about it too. Who can blame them?
"I find it funny people keep publishing this stuff because we have been talking about it since January," Whitworth said.
"If he's made a personal decision that he feels is best for him that's great but the same way we respect that, he has to respect we have to move on. I play here and signed to win football games not for anything else. It's not for friends. It's to win and compete."
There isn't much else anybody can say. There's no news to report on the situation and everything that could have been said about Carson Palmer's trade demand, Mike Brown's stance on his trade demand and of Palmer's retirement plans has been said.
Dhani Jones, speaking of Jordan Palmer's quote in which he referred to his older brother as a former teammate, sums it up nicely.
"That tells you everything you need to know. If Jordan is saying that, he knows better than anyone else. I think Carson has had enough and he's ready to move on."
I really hope the lockout ends soon and there's something else to talk about so we can all move on too.