Cardinals' Palmer hopes to return sooner than expected

Oct 24, 2017 - 2:03 AM TEMPE, Ariz. -- It's probably a longshot at best, but it could be a tipoff that one of the NFL's veteran quarterbacks is in no hurry to hang them up and retire.

Carson Palmer of the Arizona Cardinals is seeking a second opinion regarding his broken left arm, which he injured during Sunday's 33-0 loss to the Rams in London, in hopes of possibly returning in half the time he was initially expected to be sidelined.

Originally, it was thought he would miss at least eight weeks after undergoing surgery, which in effect, would end his season and possibly his career should the 37-year-old opt to retire.

Palmer, however, apparently has talked with doctors who believe he could be ready to play in as little as four-to-six weeks. The Cardinals (3-4) are off this week and play at the 49ers (0-7) a week from Sunday.

"Yeah, he was saying four-to-six," head coach Bruce Arians said, laughing. "And I said, 'That'd be great.'"

Asked if that is overly optimistic thinking, Arians said, "It depends what the surgeon says. He is a fast healer."

If Palmer is placed on injured reserve and becomes healthy enough to play in a reasonable amount of time, Arians said the Cardinals will hold one of their two IR activations for their quarterback. The other spot will go to running back David Johnson, who suffered a fractured left wrist in the season opener. If Palmer were to go on reserve/injured, he couldn't play for eight weeks.

Meanwhile, Arians reiterated on Monday that the Cardinals will turn to Drew Stanton as their starting quarterback. Stanton was 5 of 14 for 62 yards with no touchdowns and one interception after replacing Palmer on Sunday. Stanton is 6-3 as a starter during his five seasons as Palmer's understudy.

"I know Drew will bounce back and play a whole lot better when he gets all the practice time," Arians said. "It's nice to have an extra day's work. He got literally no reps last week in our offense, so we'll get that straightened out."



NOTES, QUOTES

--The Cardinals are signing former Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici to their practice squad, pending Bercovici clearing medical protocols on Tuesday morning.

Bercovici most recently was on the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad. He was released in September during the team's roster cuts after the preseason to 53 players.

--"Yeah, it sucks because you have a really good football team that you're excited about. We went through a really tough camp, injury-free. We have four broken arms, four left arms, and it's kind of crazy. But it is what it is. Nobody's throwing a pity party for Green Bay. Nobody's going to throw one for us. We have four practices to get ready to beat the Niners, and that's all that matters right now. And we did it with Drew (Stanton) last year. ... Nobody's going to throw a pity party for us as far as who's playing and who's not. We don't have David Johnson. We don't have Carson, and we still have to find a game plan that wins, and my job is to get our players ready to win." -- head coach Bruce Arians on how the Cardinals' rash of major injuries, including the recent loss of quarterback Carson Palmer, has affected him, emotionally.

--Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said the Cardinals lacked desire and effort during much of their 33-0 loss to the Rams at Twickenham Stadium in London.

"The intensity wasn't there, the urgency that you need to beat good teams -- it just wasn't there," Fitzgerald said. "It's unfortunate traveling this far, having a good week of practice and doing everything that you possibly could to prepare yourself to win a football game. To come out and lay an egg is frustrating and disappointing."

On the loss of Palmer, Fitzgerald said, "That's a real gut punch, to lose your best offensive player, your quarterback. There's no really positive way to sum it up, honestly. You say you have to go forward and you have to do things, but we all know that's a tough pill to swallow for us."

NOTES: K Phil Dawson has missed five field-goal attempts, including a 32-yarder on the game-opening drive during Sunday's 33-0 loss to the Rams in London. Asked where his patience level is at the moment with the 42-year-old Dawson, head coach Bruce Arians said, "He's our guy, you know. Unless it's something better behind door No. 2, he's our guy." ... QB Blaine Gabbert will be the backup quarterback to new starter Drew Stanton, head coach Bruce Arians reaffirmed on Monday. "I saw a really good athlete that has a tremendous arm," Arians said Monday when asked what he liked about Gabbert during training camp and the preseason. "It's just a matter of continuing to learn this system. But his physical attributes made us go, 'Hey, this guy has a chance. We're going to go with three quarterbacks this year and continue to try to get him taught.' Now, he's got to be more than ready to go." ... ILB Karlos Dansby suffered a finger injury and defensive tackle Frostee Rucker a knee injury during Sunday's loss to the Rams in London, although they each were able to return to the game. Players had the day off on Monday and head coach Bruce Arians did not provide any specific injury updates on any player other than quarterback Carson Palmer.



REPORT CARD VS. RAMS

--PASSING OFFENSE: D -- It was nonexistent as Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton combined to pass for just 168 yards and both players were intercepted once. Palmer wasn't bad, but he left the game in the second quarter with a broken left arm. Stanton held onto the ball too long and was off on a handful of important throws. The offensive line once again wasn't good enough. Neither were some of the receivers.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D -- It never materialized and then it was completely abandoned. The Cardinals finished with just 25 yards on 12 carries. Adrian Peterson could never get it going, as he ran for just 21 yards on 11 carries after a 134-yard performance in his Arizona debut the previous week.

--PASS DEFENSE: D -- Arizona only got to Jared Goff once and the Rams quarterback had all day to throw, completing 22 of 37 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals played a very loose zone coverage and Goff exploited it. None of James Bettcher's blitzes worked. Deone Bucannon had an interception, but the Cardinals couldn't convert it into any points.

--RUSH DEFENSE: D-minus -- For the first time in 20 games, this unit allowed a 100-yard rusher as Todd Gurley II finished with 106 yards on 22 carries. It also allowed two rushing touchdowns and did not seem interested in tackling for much of the second half. Too many defenders shied away from contact in the second half, which was inexcusable.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: D -- It started with a low snap and a missed 32-yard field goal by Phil Dawson on a promising game-opening drive. After that, it all went downhill like it often does with this unit and this team. The punt coverage team blew a chance to down the ball at the Rams' 1-yard line. The Rams had 48 return yards overall. Punter Andy Lee couldn't pin a single boot inside the Rams' 20.

--COACHING: D -- Even though the Cardinals lost Palmer early, it felt like a majority of the players stopped playing with any real passion for much of the game. That falls on Bruce Arians, assuming he saw the same thing. Why was Larry Fitzgerald only thrown to three times? Why did Arians abandon the running game so early? Why can't the defensive front bring any real pressure on a quarterback? Why do special teams continue to be a problem?