Arizona Cardinals: How Long Will the Carson Palmer Era Last?

Apr. 2, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (right) with head coach Bruce Arians during a press conference to announce his signing with the team at the Cardinals practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

How long will the Carson Palmer era last is a loaded question. The truth is, before the season it is impossible to know or should I say a crap shoot to really know at this point.

I believe most Cardinals fans will tell you they are hoping and crossing their fingers; Palmer will be the second coming of Kurt Warner. Fans are hoping and dreaming that Palmer will be their next franchise quarterback to create excitement at University if Phoenix Stadium once again. They are hoping Palmer will take us on a playoff run and Super Bowl run like Warner did.

However, as stated in my last article, more than likely it is going to take some time to find out if Palmer will be a main stay at quarterback with the Redbirds. It will take time for head coach Bruce Arians and Palmer to get on the same page with each other, for Palmer to get the feel of a new offense. It will take time for Palmer to completely understand what Arians wants from him in his offensive scheme. It will also take time for Chemistry to take place up-front and for Palmer to trust his offensive line.

Sometimes it takes time for even a veteran franchise quarterback to gain momentum and chemistry with his fellow running mates. We saw that with Kurt Warner when he first arrived in the desert.

When Warner first arrived in the desert, we saw some flashes of brilliance but more often than not he looked pretty awful. It really did initially; look like Warner was finished as a starting QB in the NFL.

It took Warner a couple of years and a new head coach in the desert (from Denny Green too Kenny Whisenhunt) for Warner to finally hit his stride and look like Warner of old (like a future Hall of Fame quarterback).

During the first couple of years, Warner more often than not, looked like a dear in the head lights behind center. It seemed he had no trust in his patch work offensive line, no trust in his receiving core and most importantly no confidence in himself.

However, when Warner gained trust in the system, trust in the coaching staff and the coaches began to understand Warner’s strengths. As well as, when he began to gain trust in his offensive line and gained complete trust with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and the rest of his running mates, he began to flourish.

Finally, I am not saying it will take Palmer a couple of years to flourish (as Warner did) or grasp the offensive system and so on and so forth. However, more than likely, he will not start out from the very beginning looking like a hall of fame type quarterback so to speak.

Realistically it is going to take some time for us to be able to see what Palmer has left in the tank. It will take time to be able to see Palmers full potential. Cardinals’ fans must be patient initially. It will take time for him to completely grasp Arians’ system and get completely on the same page with Fitzgerald and running mates.

How long will this take is anyone’s guess at this point. However if I was a betting man, I think he should be able to get up to speed rather quickly. Palmer has great familiarity with Arians’ system and Likewise, Arians has great familiarity with Palmer.
After all, Arians basically hand-picked Palmer to be his starting QB this year. He was able to see Palmer play (twice a year) for many years while they were both in the AFC Central.

He believes Palmer is a perfect fit for his stretch the field offense; mentioning that Palmer is the best deep ball passer in the game. He also said he watched the film of every pass he threw the last couple years with the Raiders. Mentioning that he thought Palmer still looks very impressive and has not lost anything.

Therefore, I believe Carson Palmer should be able to grasp the offense rather quickly. It should not take him long to get up to speed with Arians’ offensive scheme. The familiarity is already there with each other.

However, it will take time for Palmer to trust his offensive line and get on the same page with his receiving core. How long that will take is anyone’s guess, although, we will find out very soon.

In my opinion, Palmer still has at least a few years left in the tank physically. But how long will he be the Cardinals starting QB is anyone’s guess. This will simply depend on the type of protection he has up front from his offensive line.

This will also depend how good the chemistry will be between Bruce Arians and himself. In my opinion, this will be a perfect fit for Carson Palmer. In fact, this should be the match made in heaven and the best fit of his career.

So if I must put a number on how long Palmer (33 years old) will be the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals; in my opinion, baring he stays healthy and a premier young Franchise quarterback does not fall from the sky (with a chuckle) he should be at the helm for a minimum of 3 years and hopefully longer.

I believe Palmer will truly thrive in AZ. This should be the beast fit of his career. I believe head coach Arians will know how to push his buttons and get him playing the best of his career. It also will not hurt having Larry Fitzgerald there to cover his back and keep him motivated. I also believe that Palmer will help the likes of Andre Roberts and second year man Michael Floyd reach another level.

Look for some exciting times starting in the desert very soon. In the meantime, all the fans in the desert will be on the edge of their seats hoping that we have struck gold with Palmer at the helm.