Palmer Power

By Val Thompson

The Cincinnati Bengals are off to their best start in 15 years, due in great part to the turnaround of second-year quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer is leading the NFL with eight touchdown passes and ranks second only to Ben Roethlisberger in quarterback rating.

Palmer is at the head of the league's most surprising team (Dolphins notwithstanding). He's calling the shots on the NFL's most exciting offense. He's throwing to, quite possibly, the league's best wide receiver in Chad Johnson. He's performing like the leader the Bengals have needed for so many years.

But Palmer's influence in the world of football extends beyond the NFL. Exactly three years ago, Palmer emerged as the top passer in college football. It came after a mediocre season his junior year. Witnessing his rise (and most likely mirroring his moves) was freshman backup Matt Leinart.

The new stud of USC football spent his first two seasons watching Palmer from the sidelines. He redshirted as a freshman (2001), then watched Palmer win the Heisman Trophy in Leinart's first year of eligibility.

Palmer took the Trojans from a 6-5 team that lost to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2001, to an 11-2 team, that beat Iowa in a BCS bowl the next season. Since then, USC has won two consecutive Associated Press national titles, built on the strength of Palmer's protege, Matt Leinart.

Now, Palmer could be starting the same thing in Cincinnati. He had a rough rookie season, throwing just 18 touchdowns to go with 18 interceptions. The Bengals finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. This season, Carson and the Bengals are 3-0 (as are the Trojans), with a good chance to win their fourth straight next week against the offensively-anemic Texans.

Palmer's strength comes from his ability to open up enormous leads. The Bengals have trailed only once the entire season (down 3-0 early in week one to the Browns). In week two, Palmer helped open a 37-0 lead over the Vikings with three touchdown passes in the first half. On Sunday, Palmer already had two touchdown passes before the Bears got on the scoreboard. He's also poised, having completed more than 70 percent of his passes this season.

In the NFL, patience is usually something for losing coaches and losing organizations. But USC showed patience in Palmer, and the school was rewarded with another Heisman winner, not to mention a resurrected program. The Bengals have also shown patience. Not much, but just enough, for Palmer to start to feel comfortable and confident. The Bengals may or may not be on the verge of a dynasty. But Palmer is definitely the one to take them there.

After all, he's built programs before.