After generating only 94 passing yards in a 30-10 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, whispers have emerged regarding the elbow of quarterback Carson Palmer.
But Palmer insists that there’s nothing wrong with the joint that caused him to miss 12 games in 2008.
“My elbow is 101 percent,” Palmer told Chris Mortensen of ESPN. (Carson is as good at math as his linebackers are at singing.)
“My body is great. The Bengals are not protecting me. We went into a tough place [Minnesota] to play and laid an egg. We realize that as a team, an offense, a passing offense and we will bounce back in the passing game. There’s nothing wrong with my arm and we’re going to come out firing this week.”
Mort reports that owner Mike Brown asked the trainers about Palmer’s health, and Brown was told that Palmer is healthy.
As Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer pointed out over the weekend, the offensive production has dipped since receiver Chris Henry was lost for the year with a season-ending arm injury.
We think play-calling is an issue as well. The team stuck with the running game even after falling into a deep hole at Minnesota, and a decision to take three points instead of going for the end zone when the score was 23-7 kept the Bengals from making a game of it in the second half.