Palmer’s injury could be ‘career-ending’

[StillFunkyB]

I just don't even have words.

[OnBaseMachine]

This really hurts. I have followed Carson's career since his freshman days at USC. Not only is Carson a great player, but also seems like a great guy. I hope to see him bounce back to where he was before the injury...and that is as one of the best players in the NFL.

[Cedric]

You guys are writing his eulogy? The headline got you guys. Mcgahee came back from a worse injury at RB! I know we are fans of the Bengals and the Reds and expect the worst lol, but quit being so pessimistic.

[CTA513]

The article on Bengals.com says "Doc optimistic Palmer can start season".

Although his patient suffered what he called “severe ligament damage,” Carson Palmer’s surgeon is optimistic that the Bengals quarterback can return in time for the start of the regular season.

Dr. Lonnie Paulos also said Thursday that much hinges on the next few months of rehab and how it heals, “things that are really out of my control and Carson’s control. We need to give it a few months. But he’s got an excellent chance to be back playing as well as he did before.”

Paulos says the normal time frame for recovery for reconstructive knee surgery is nine to 12 months, but he thinks Palmer will be back “long before that,” even though he called it an atypical tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.

“The knee cap slipped off to the side and caused some damage,” Paulos said. “It’s not the usual ACL tear, but we don’t believe this is going to be a career-ending injury. Really, it comes down to rehab and determination, and knowing Carson, he’s going to do what he has to do.”

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5019

[Cedric]

CTA- What if the media had made that the headline? It's all in the hype.

[LoganBuck]

Dr. Paulos was on with Furman, he shared all the horrors, and then added "he should be back for training camp". I think some of this is "Doctor Talk". Prepare everyone for the worst, Accept nothing less than the best. I dare say that Carson Palmer is the highest profile, most expensive athlete to date to suffer such an injury.

The Bengals would be well served to bring in a backup that has a reasonable expectation to actually lead the offense. Palmer's Stable Pony, John "Mittens" Kitna, is not that guy.

[deltachi8]

Ill give you Tommy Maddox. OK, I'll even pay for the train, er, bus ticket to get him there.

[wheels]

David Carr's available.

[KronoRed]

David Carr's available.

I think the bengals should go after someone..you know..who is good

[macro]

from bengals.com:

“I believe and regret that media reports, based on interviews with me, have misinterpreted my view of Carson Palmer’s knee injury. Though the injury was serious, the essential facts remain his ACL and MCL have been repaired. I would consider this a typical MCL-ACL football injury. My comments attributed to me that the knee injury was, “devastating and potentially career ending,” were meant to describe such injuries in general, not Carson’s particular case.

“I was accurately quoted by the Associated Press that my bottom line is optimism regarding Carson’s prognosis. With a successful rehabilitation program, he has an excellent chance of being medically cleared for play at the beginning of the 2006 NFL regular season.”

[Cedric]

Knew that would happen. Thanks Macro.

[macro]

Our friends at profootballtalk.com had some very interesting insights into all of this...

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 10:36 p.m. EST, January 12, 2006

PALMER DOC OUT OF LINE

There's a feeling in league circles that Dr. Lonnie Paulos should have kept his piehole clamped shut regarding the severity of the knee injury suffered by Carson Palmer.

According to The Associated Press, Dr. Paulos called the injury "devastating and potentially career-ending."

Yikes.

"On a scale of one to three, it was a four," he said. "It was off the chart. It was pretty badly damaged -- shredded is the better term."

Said one league source, the comments are "reason number one for not allowing doctors to talk."

"It's not just like it was a torn ACL," Paulos said. "It's a magnitude more difficult to recover from and repair. It can and has ended careers, without a doubt."

So why would the doctor speak so publicly, and in such negative terms?

Easy. If Palmer plays again, it's because Paulos is the next James Andrews.

And if Palmer isn't recovered by the start of the 2006 season, Paulos's butt is tucked warmly under a blanket of "it wasn't my fault."

Also, there's a certain element of ego at work here, in two ways. First, the doctor has gotten his name out. With Dr. Andrews of Birmingham still the go-to guy when it comes to orthopedic injuries -- and given that Dr. Andrews recently had a heart attack -- a guy like Paulos surely would like to fill the niche.

Second, don't overlook the the fact that Palmer's agent, David Dunn, is still trying to reel in USC's latest Heisman-winning quarterback, Matt Leinart. The potentially devastating injury to Palmer comes on the heels of Dunn's negotiation of a long-term extension that puts a lot of money in Palmer's pockets in the short term. Put simply, Dunn can use the injury to Carson as proof that Dunn pulled off a shrewd move, since it's highly unlikely that the team would have given Carson the deal now, in light of the cloud of uncertainty now surrounding his future.

[savafan]

I'm hearing that Cincinnati may sign Tim Couch. That news may just be getting floated out there to motivate Carson to rehab properly.

[oregonred]

Dr Paulos sounds la bit like Doc Hollywood... Should have kept his mouth shut.

Say the injury is really, really bad to cover any issues and when Palmer recovers fine then he's a hero. Whether he can be ready in Sept or early october is the big question. Will be more psychological than anything else

Take comfort in that McGahee's injury was far worse and he now takes a physical pounding 25-30 times a game at the most physically demanding position in the NFL.

This whole thing has been a mess and I'm surprised the national media isn't making more of a big deal about the questionable hit that put one of the NFL's few premier QB's in this position

[Caveat Emperor]

This whole thing has been a mess and I'm surprised the national media isn't making more of a big deal about the questionable hit that put one of the NFL's few premier QB's in this position

I think, because it was the playoffs and the Bengals were eliminated (read: made yesterday's news), this magnitude of all this really hasn't sunk in. Carson Palmer is the rarest kind of franchise quarterback that elevates the play of everyone around him -- in just one year, he established himself as probably one of the 3 best quarterbacks in the NFL, behind only Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Even the chance that his rise has been curtailed by this injury should be enough to depress ANY NFL fan, regardless of what team they root for.

The NFL is facing a serious problem -- as the players get bigger, stronger, and faster it'll become more and more difficult to prevent these kinds of catastrophic injuries to key players. The Quarterback position presents special problems due to the way they leave their bodies exposed while completing the throwing motion and due to the general dearth of talent at the position across the NFL. The NFL surely doesn't want to see it's most marketable stars, such as Palmer, under the knife and out for a season, and nobody pays good money to watch guys like Brooks Bollinger and Anthony Wright throw passes.

Something should be done -- what, exactly, I do not know...