NFL writer: Arizona Cardinals should treat Carson Palmer like Kurt Warner
Aug 5, 2013, 9:26 PM | Updated: 9:26 pm
Like most everyone else, Sports Illustrated NFL writer Doug Farrar looks at Carson Palmer as an upgrade for the Arizona Cardinals’ QB position.
“Obviously the quarterback situation last year was, how do I put this, bad,” he told Arizona Sports 620’s Bickley with Marotta.
However, Farrar has some concern over how Palmer will fit in the offense, as head coach Bruce Arians has found the most success with quarterbacks who are mobile enough to avoid the rush and buy time for deep routes to develop.
That is not the 33-year-old Palmer, who was never much of a runner early in his career and certainly isn’t one now.
Farrar added that the trick will be Arians using Palmer in a similar way to how former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt used Kurt Warner, and that’s with shorter drops and quicker passes.
“It was, ‘Yes, we understand our offensive line stinks, but we have a great quarterback, we have Larry Fitzgerald, let’s go.'”
While no one is saying Palmer and Warner have the same skill set or talent level, that doesn’t mean what worked before won’t work again.
“If Arians adapts to what Palmer can and can’t do I think they’ll be OK,” Farrar said. “I mean, he threw for over 4,000 yards last year with the Raiders for God’s sake, so he has something left in the tank.”
How much Palmer has left will go a long way toward determining just how successful the 2013 Cardinals are. But at the very least, it’s safe to say they’ll be better at the quarterback position.
