ARIZONA CARDINALS

Bottom line: Carson Palmer is an upgrade for Cardinals

Apr 3, 2013, 4:35 PM | Updated: 4:41 pm

Remember last season, when the Cardinals were scuffling with injuries at the running back position? Struggling with poor performance at the left tackle position? Do you remember what the Cardinals did about it?

If you can’t, it’s ok. Because they didn’t do anything about it. Like the poets in Springsteen’s “Jungleland”, they just stood back and let it all be.

When viewed through that prism, the Carson Palmer trade requires no thought. The Cardinals had a chance to upgrade the position and they did. Why wouldn’t they make this deal?

I argued a week ago that it all depended on how much money they paid him. Ten million is more coin than I would have expected or maybe even wanted but what do I care. Ain’t my money.

My co-host John Gambadoro argues that Palmer is just another stop-gap, band-aid guy for an organization whose history is littered with them. Perhaps. But he’s better than what they had. A position that says much more about Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Ryan Lindley, Brian Hoyer and Drew Stanton than it does about Palmer, but that’s irrelevant.

He’s an upgrade.

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Bottom line: Carson Palmer is an upgrade for Cardinals