Carson Palmer says his arm is fresh and lively after getting plenty of rest in the offseason. Palmer says he thinks he made the mistake last year of doing too much in the offseason workouts.
“I feel like I can go out and throw 150 balls in practice, Palmer says in an AP story. “I don't think I felt that way coming into camp last year.”
Palmer is 37, but if he holds up physically, he could be one of the more underrated quarterbacking options. There are plenty of good players at this position, but Palmer has put up good numbers in Bruce Arians’ offense.
In the 2015, Palmer averaged 292 passing yards, with 35 TDs. Even last year (in a down season) he averaged 282 yards, with 26 TDs. His arm wasn’t right, and his receiving corps also underperformed. John Brown was plagued by injuries for most of the year, and the Cardinals ended up releasing Michael Floyd.
If Palmer is going to rebound, however, the Cardinals will need to get better offensive line play. That unit underperformed last season, contributing to Palmer being involved in a lot more sacks, fumbles and interceptions. A year after fumbling only 6 times, he fumbles a league-high 14 times.
Arizona allowed only 27 sacks in 2015. It dipped to 41 sacks last year, the 2nd-worst drop in the league.
SACKS IN 2015, 2016 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | Sack | Sack | Diff |
Tennessee | 54 | 28 | 26 |
Jacksonville | 51 | 34 | 17 |
Miami | 45 | 30 | 15 |
Oakland | 33 | 18 | 15 |
Kansas City | 46 | 32 | 14 |
New England | 38 | 24 | 14 |
Green Bay | 47 | 35 | 12 |
Pittsburgh | 33 | 21 | 12 |
Detroit | 44 | 37 | 7 |
Minnesota | 45 | 38 | 7 |
Chicago | 34 | 28 | 6 |
San Francisco | 53 | 47 | 6 |
Dallas | 33 | 28 | 5 |
New Orleans | 32 | 27 | 5 |
NY Giants | 27 | 22 | 5 |
Houston | 36 | 32 | 4 |
Philadelphia | 37 | 33 | 4 |
San Diego | 40 | 36 | 4 |
Seattle | 46 | 42 | 4 |
Washington | 27 | 23 | 4 |
Denver | 39 | 40 | -1 |
Carolina | 33 | 36 | -3 |
Buffalo | 42 | 46 | -4 |
Atlanta | 32 | 37 | -5 |
Indianapolis | 37 | 44 | -7 |
Tampa Bay | 27 | 35 | -8 |
Baltimore | 24 | 33 | -9 |
Cincinnati | 32 | 41 | -9 |
Cleveland | 53 | 66 | -13 |
NY Jets | 22 | 35 | -13 |
Arizona | 27 | 41 | -14 |
LA Rams | 18 | 49 | -31 |
—Ian Allan