Bengals QB Carson Palmer

Paul Brown Stadium
September 8, 2010

What are your impressions of this team after five preseason games?
“Well, I think preseason's a tough situation to gauge what you think you have or what you are. It's so early on. You're not really game-planning, other teams aren't game-planning. I really wouldn't base much on what happens in the preseason and try to figure out who we are on those five weeks. But the way we work, the way we prepare, the professionalism of the group we have -- we have the right forming of a good team. There's still a long way to go before we're a good team or a great team, but we've done the right things, we've made the right steps, the guys that needed to improve improved. We've improved as groups in offense, defense and special teams, so we're feeling confident, we're feeling good about where we are right now and excited about opening weekend.”

“How has the chemistry between you and T.O. improved over the last five weeks?”
“It's gotten better every day. He runs routes differently than everybody else because of his stride length, because of his size. So he takes a little bit of getting used to. But he's always where he needs to be, he's always at the right depth, he has a natural timing in his head of when to come out of breaks if his route gets adjusted for whatever reason. So it's taken me time to catch up to him. I think we're at a great place right now. We've gotten better every day and we've talked about it every day. We've had great communication throughout this whole process.”

What have you learned about (Jermaine) Gresham and (Jordan) Shipley?
“They're both at the very beginning of it. They both have a long way to go, but a ton of potential. In Shipley's case, he came from being 'the guy' in college, playing X, playing Z, and now he's playing some slot. So it's a big adjustment for him, adjusting to hot routes. Jermaine didn't play any football last year, so he's still got some time to catch up and just get used to playing in a real game because you can't really compare a preseason game to a National Football League regular season game, so it's going to take him a minute. But I love the potential in both players, love the attitude, love the work ethic, and love what they bring to the team. They're rookies, they still have a ways to go, but they have the right mindset and the right focus for where they are in their careers right now.”

Is this still a run-first offense? Do you think it has to be a run-first offense?
“I keep saying, we're going to do what we do best. That's the recipe for our division, that's the recipe for this team, the way our defense plays. We have a great running back and a great offensive line. They can get holes open for Cedric, and we have great backups for Cedric, too. So we're going to be a tough, grinding football team and I think we have some guys that can get open in the play-action game and get open downfield to make the running game that much better.”

What are your impressions of the Patriots defense right now?
“With their coaching staff, they're always going to be in the right place at the right time. They're always going to be very disciplined. They're always going to have a great scheme, a great game plan to take away one or two of your favorite things to do. But being banged up a little bit and being young, you can't really factor that in. You've got to know you're playing against a Bill Belichick team and a Bill Belichick defense. They're going to have some new wrinkles, they're going to have some things that they do very well and things that frustrate you, and you've got to fight the frustration and move on. He is known for taking something away, but our offense has changed too, since the end of last season.

He (Belichick) has had awhile to prepare for this game…
“I don't know if he's necessarily preparing for us in January, but he doesn't need that much time to prepare for a team. But like I said, they'll be very disciplined, You won't find guys out of place and making a bunch of mental mistakes. They're going to be where they're supposed to be. We've had some time to prepare for them also. We're excited about the opportunity. It's a great test for our team, offensively and defensively -- going into their place. They're always good, year-in and year-out. So it's a good test to see where we are.”

Do you feel farther ahead coming out of this preseason than a year ago, when you had the ankle injury in preseason?
“I think that definitely hinders you a little bit, not getting all the work you want to get in. But I think I'm farther ahead just because I've had a whole other year. You've got to take every opportunity, every week, every month, every season and improve and know your offense, know yourself better than you did the year before, the week before. So I definitely would have loved to have played in every preseason game the previous year, but I don't think that's the reason I know the offense better now. I know the offense better now because I've had OTAs, minicamp, training camp, preseason games and just a chance in the offseason to really study us and study myself and try to improve in that way.”

What do you admire about Tom Brady?
“He doesn't have a weakness to his game. He does a number of things very well, but I think one of the things that has made him most successful is the way he can move in the pocket and sense rushes without staring at the rush. Feel the rush and keep his eyes downfield and make one step here, one step there and still deliver the ball, maybe not on time but in the right place.”

Is there any more significance to the opening game than maybe the third or fourth?
“I don’t think in the final outcome of things. Look at what happened to us last year in opening weekend. It didn’t affect our season or ruin our season the way we lost that game. I think we should be excited about Week 1 -- the opportunity, a new season, a fresh start. Opening day is just a great day on the calendar. We are playing in a great atmosphere. I don’t think you can take Week 1 and what happens on Week 1 and let it affect your season. But I think there is significance that is the start of things and is a fresh start and clean slate, and we are going to be fired up and ready to play.”

Some teams might have had a quitting mindset after that tough loss to open last year.
“One game in the grand scheme of things, of a 16 or 17-week season, doesn’t make or break you. I know I wouldn’t let guys throw their hats in and say that’s it, whether I was a rookie or a 15-year vet. I don’t think that in any way depicted our season or was a game we thought about in Week 3, Week 5, Week 12, Week 15. That was a game we let get by, and that was it, we moved on.”

Jordan (Palmer) is now at number two. What does that mean for you personally, working together?
“I don’t think that is going to change anything between us, whether he is the two or the three. He does a number of things for me on game day and during the week. It is great having somebody that will keep things in check for you. Jordan will tell me like it is. He doesn’t sugarcoat things. He tells me when I am wrong and doesn’t tell me when I am right. I think that’s what’s most important and helps me be successful more than anything -- somebody who keeps it real with you and tells it how it is. He helps me out tremendously, from different things I haven’t watched during the week. Things I haven’t watched on game day -- just a number of different areas.”

Do you wonder where criticism of you and the team comes from?
“It kind of comes from everywhere. That doesn’t bother me or affect me. I really don’t worry too much about that or think about it. During training camp I was focused on every practice and every preseason game. Now we are focused on the Patriots. I will let my play speak for itself and move on.”

What was the biggest thing you learned in studying yourself?
“I can’t say one specific thing. Mainly, the biggest area of improvement has been footwork -- setting myself up at the center of the pocket instead of moving around side to side a little bit, and giving myself the most amount of room between guards and center. I think if there is one thing I really focused on and spent the most time, on it was definitely footwork.”

Did you watch anybody else?
“I watched a ton of different guys - different quarterbacks, but mainly different offenses.”

Did you watch Tom Brady?
“I saw a lot of him, a lot of Drew Brees, newer Peyton Manning, older Peyton Manning. So a lot of different guys.”

So what is the newer Carson?
“I think what I was talking about, footwork. It will look different. Some of the things I am doing with my feet are different. The way I am setting into drops and getting myself prepared to throw a certain direction is a little bit different than what I have done in the past. Hopefully it will pay off for me.”

What are your thoughts on (former USC player) Reggie (Bush) losing the Heisman Trophy?
“I really haven’t heard much about it. I heard there is a chance it would be taken away, a chance it would be given up. It is just unfortunate. The whole situation has been unfortunate for him, for the university, for his family. It is just a tough situation to go through and in the end we will see what happens, but I don’t think anything is decided as of today.”

What are your thoughts on T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) being back in the division?
“It’s not good for us. I know the player that T.J. is. This team knows the player T.J. is. They (the Ravens) know what he is because he has beaten them, I don’t know how many times, but a lot of times. He made big plays, made significant plays to win games. It’s going to be tough. They were a good team without T.J. Now having to face him twice makes that game that more difficult because he is such an elite player and such a playmaker.”

Is there a sense of more excitement this year?
“I get really excited every year and very optimistic every year. Every year gets more and more exciting. I don’t know if that is because I realize that every year I have fewer years left and I need to take advantage of it, or maybe I feel like we are going to be better than the previous year. It is safe to say I am more excited this year than I was last, but I can say that every year in my career.”