I almost got caught in the trap.
It is called “Lazy Journalism”.
When you just look at something on the surface instead of getting to the root of the problem. Carson Palmer threw four touchdowns and no interceptions last Sunday in an upset win over the Chargers.
Only one major thing changed from the weeks before when Palmer had been horrible.
No Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.
Immediately everyone in the media came to the exact same conclusion:
“It wasn’t Palmer it was TOcho that was the problem, get rid of them and Palmer will be good again.”
Based off what we saw, it isn’t that the above statement is wrong. Palmer was better without T.O. and Ocho in the lineup, but that is the reason if you are the Bengals you have to trade him or release him in the off-season.
At this point you are confused, so let me explain.
The quarterback is the leader. Not the WRs, not the RBs and not anyone on the defense. If your quarterback isn’t a leader no matter how good the other parts are you will fail as a team. In essence the quarterback is like a head coach but he is on the field.
If your quarterback can’t handle stress and difficult players then he isn’t the leader you want controlling your squad.
Terrell Owens is a difficult player to manager for coaches and quarterbacks. Ignoring his stint in Buffalo which quarterback handle T.O. the best?
Donovan McNabb?
McNabb couldn’t co-exist with T.O. and was the main reason he was booted from the Eagles, but since T.O. left how has that worked out for McNabb?
Tony Romo?
Jerry Jones never wanted to get rid of T.O., but Romo couldn’t handle T.O. either so he was let go and how have things been working out for the Cowboys?
Jeff Garcia?
Garcia didn’t give a crap about T.O. antics, called him out on it and threw the ball to who he thought was open regardless of the situation. Garcia was never as talented as Romo or McNabb, but he garnered a lot of respect.
You take someone like Tom Brady who had to deal with Randy Moss for four years. If you think Moss just started acting up this year, you are being naive, but Moss respected Brady, because Brady Ugg Passion and all commands respect. Either you get in line or you get out.
Drew Brees has 75 different receivers capable of being stars and not one ever complains about looks or catches.
Great quarterbacks mask a lot of problems with their trouble teammates. Marvin Harrison wasn’t the easiest player to deal with no matter what ESPN told you, but Peyton Manning made it work.
Palmer doesn’t have that gift and the fact that he had needed both receivers to be injured to relax enough to play quarterback properly is a huge red flag.
He is the quarterback he shouldn’t bow down to anyone. Not T.O., not Ocho or anyone who is pressuring him for the ball. Ever since he knee was destroyed in the playoff game against the Steelers, his nerves are rattled by the slightest thing.
Don’t make excuses for Palmer. T.O. and Ocho are talented players, but they didn’t have a gun to Palmer’s head saying throw it into double coverage. If Palmer is more scared of the wrath of Ocho and T.O. than making the proper play for the team’s success, who is really the problem?
While there is truth in the statement not having TOcho around made Palmer a better quarterback for a day, it shows he isn’t a leader for the future.