Pelissero: Cardinals' Carson Palmer may finally have Super Bowl shot
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer can admit it.
The fact he's in his 12th NFL season, coming up on his 35th birthday, and still hasn't won a playoff game — well, yeah, that absolutely bugs him.
"I don't want to be done, watching football on Sundays, and saying I never got a chance to play in the Super Bowl. That lingers, heavily," Palmer told Paste BN Sports on Friday.
"Not that that's going to make me the man that I am or the father or the husband. That's not going to define me. But I want to experience that. I want to experience a run — a chance where you just get hot, and you hit the playoffs, and you make one of those runs, those magical (runs)."
He has a shot to do it this season with the Cardinals, who are 5-1 entering Sunday's showdown of NFC front-runners against the Philadelphia Eagles despite Palmer's absence for three games because of a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder.
Super Bowl XLIX will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
It took a little of everything for Palmer to get back on the field — "prayer, acupuncture, massage, hot stone," he said — plus work with Peyton Manning's biomechanics specialist, Greg Roskopf, and patience through a process in which no one could tell him when he'd play again.
He says he's still rebuilding endurance in the arm. But Palmer's numbers in two games since he returned to the lineup haven't shown it: 50-of-75 passing for 503 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in wins against the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders.
"It's like he never left," Cardinals receiver John Brown said.
The No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft out of USC by the Cincinnati Bengals, Palmer lasted all of two snaps in his first playoff game after the 2005 season before Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen stumbled into his left knee, tearing multiple ligaments.
Palmer's only other postseason appearance occurred after the 2009 season in a 24-14 loss to the New York Jets. Then came a retirement threat, a trade to the Raiders in 2011 and then another less than 17 months later to the Cardinals, who have amassed an impressive arsenal for Bruce Arians' creative offense and are playing the type of defense that wins games in January.
"It's all you can ask for — to be on a good team, to be on a team that everybody in the whole building just wants to win, and that's the focus," Palmer said.
"There's no riff-raff. There's no young guys you worry about. This is a very focused group, and that's all you can ask for at my age."
Multiple sides of Mettenberger
Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger's colorful side was on display Wednesday when he conducted interviews about his first NFL start looking like Matthew McConaughey's sleazy David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused and tweeted about his hair and mustache.
That side of Mettenberger rubbed some scouts the wrong way in the pre-draft process. Perhaps the greater concern was his ability to move in the pocket against NFL pass rushers, reload and reset his base if needed and make throws from awkward body positions.
One NFL scout who studied Mettenberger extensively coming out of LSU, speaking on condition of anonymity for competitive reasons, compared his mobility to another sixth-round draft pick: New England Patriots star Tom Brady, except Mettenberger has worse feet.
"He can throw it. They just better block," the scout told Paste BN Sports. "He might light it up if they block for (him)."
No doubt. Mettenberger has immense arm talent. He can really push the ball down the field and be accurate when he has time. But it's a good bet the Houston Texans and their formidable front will throw the house at the rookie Sunday to see how he holds up.
No juice in Jets D
One stat that has to be particularly frustrating for New York Jets coach Rex Ryan? His defense has just 18 takeaways in its past 23 games, including an NFL-low three (one interception, two fumble recoveries) during this season's 1-6 start.
There is a randomness to turnovers, particularly fumble recoveries. But consider this: The Jets had 31, 30 and 31 takeaways in the 2009 to '11 seasons, respectively, ranking in the top eight each year. They slipped to 18th with 23 takeaways in 2012, then were 31st with 15 last season.
The drop-off coincides with star cornerback Darrelle Revis' season-ending knee injury early in 2012 and subsequent trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ryan's scheme is based on stressing the quarterback by sending pressure with man coverage behind it, and that's tough to do without good corners.
With former first-round pick Dee Milliner nicked up and eventually placed on injured reserve with an Achilles tear, the Jets' primary starters this season have been Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen.
The Jets have plenty of questions elsewhere, including a long-term solution at quarterback. But if Ryan remains coach in 2015, upgrading the corners has to be a high priority.
Three and out
— For all the Dallas Cowboys' success so far, it's not lost on people within the league that their schedule gets the toughest at the time of year they've typically played the worst under coach Jason Garrett. Since Garrett took over midway through the 2010 season, the Cowboys are 25-15 before Thanksgiving — including 6-1 this season — and 10-13 thereafter. This year's home stretch: the Eagles on Thanksgiving at home, at Chicago, at Philadelphia, home against the Colts and at Washington for the Dec. 28 finale.
— It's a shame FS Charles Woodson is spending his 17th NFL season on another bad Raiders team. He's still playing with fire and is willing to hit people at age 38, as he showed again in last week's loss to the Cardinals that dropped Oakland to 0-6. ProFootballFocus.com ranks him as the No. 4 safety in the league. If there's an 18th season — and there's no reason to think there won't be if Woodson wants to keep going — here's hoping it's with a team that can put his skills to use in January.
— The absence of DE Greg Hardy has been glaring amidst the Panthers' defensive struggles the past five games. But don't overlook the loss of FS Mike Mitchell in free agency. Mitchell brought toughness to a secondary that underwent an offseason overhaul and now is playing with Thomas DeCoud and 31-year-old Roman Harper, who was brutal in last week's blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers. The next night, Mitchell's strip of Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins helped the Steelers put away a win.
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Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero