Tag: Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer: USC Heisman Trophy profile

Carson Palmer was a joy to watch. His spectacular career for #USC culminated with a #Heisman Trophy victory.

With Caleb Williams being a near-lock to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, it is worth noting the USC Heisman winner whose season most closely parallels Williams’ journey: Carson Palmer.

If you think about it, the 2022 and 2002 USC seasons have a lot in common. We noted this in our November coverage of the Trojans.

You could see this coming, too: As soon as USC beat Arizona on Oct. 29, the Trojans knew they would stay home for the full month of November. If they won every game in Los Angeles, they would play for the Pac-12 title.

Caleb Williams would be a Heisman finalist with a chance to win the award.

USC did win every game it played in Los Angeles. Caleb Williams played brilliantly against Notre Dame in prime time on national television. USC went to a big bowl game. The Trojans restored the program after years of drift.

Carson Palmer, in Pete Carroll’s restorative 2002 season which launched the USC dynasty, smoked the Fighting Irish in L.A. in prime time to seal his Heisman 20 years ago.

Palmer in 2002. Caleb in 2022. The parallels are there.

Let’s look back at Carson Palmer’s USC Heisman story and his Trojan career:

How Twitter reacted to Notre Dame-USC: Trojans side

Lot of happy people in Los Angeles and beyond.

If you’re a USC fan, you have to be feeling high and mighty right about now. The Trojans’ 38-27 win over Notre Dame meant a lot of things. It snapped a skid over their biggest rival, and it provided more Caleb Williams fodder for the Heisman Trophy voters. On top of that, this win, coupled with LSU’s loss to Texas A&M, put them in position to make the College Football Playoff provided they win the Pac-12 title game.

The Trojans are nationally relevant for the first time in years, and their fans will tell you it was worth the wait. They already are prepared to induct Williams into their Heisman quarterback club alongside Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer. Even with the stiff competition the playoff is sure to have, the confidence for both the Trojans and their supporters has to be through the roof. After reading these tweets, it’s hard to think otherwise:

2002 USC-Notre Dame game is a reminder of what national relevance feels like

#USC is nationally relevant after a period of slumber and struggle. 2022? Yes, but also 2002. The two seasons have a lot in common.

USC enters this week’s game against Notre Dame with a record of 10-1 and a No. 6 ranking in the College Football Playoff chase. The Trojans are playing the Fighting Irish with a lot on the line. The playoff berth, the Heisman Trophy for Caleb Williams, a New Year’s Six bowl bid, and the Trojans’ first win over Notre Dame since 2016 are all very big goals.

This is how USC-Notre Dame is supposed to feel. This is supposed to be a very big game for the Trojans, but since 2017, it hasn’t been. USC seasons have generally slid into irrelevance.

This year’s game? It’s very relevant on a national level.

In the various note panels below, college football historian Chris Kreager recalls the 2002 USC-Notre Dame game and aspects of the Trojans’ 2002 season, when the Men of Troy became relevant again under Pete Carroll:

(h/t Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire)

20 years ago, USC used Notre Dame as a catapult to greatness

2005 is easily #USC’s greatest win over #NotreDame, but the 2002 game offers a better comparison on its 20th anniversary.

The USC Trojans are rising to the top tier of college football in Year 1 under Lincoln Riley. It has to be noted that 20 years ago, USC rose from the ashes under coach Pete Carroll. One of the central moments in the Trojans’ ascendance was their 2002 blowout of Notre Dame, which sealed the Heisman Trophy Award for quarterback Carson Palmer and sent the Men of Troy to Miami for the Orange Bowl against Iowa.

Courtesy of college football historian Chris Kreager, here are some notable facts in the sections below about the 2002 USC-Notre Dame game, the 2002 USC team, the Pete Carroll era, the 2003 Orange Bowl win over Iowa, and more:

(h/t Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire)

WATCH: Roman Harper breaks down insane App State Hail Mary TD

Roman Harper broke down App State’s huge Hail Mary touchdown pass against Troy, reflecting on how he helped save the Saints avoid a similar fate during his playing days:

Quite a few New Orleans Saints players have begun to make second careers for themselves in football media, and today we’ll be checking in on Roman Harper. The longtime starting strong safety won a Super Bowl XLIV ring with New Orleans, but these days he’s working as an analyst for the SEC Network. On Monday evening he sat down with “Thinking Out Loud” hosts Richard Johnson and Spencer Hall to recap one of the weekend’s most exciting college football games: Appalachian State’s dramatic win over Troy, one of their Sun Belt rivals, on a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass.

“Who says grown men don’t cry?” Harper quipped after reviewing the game’s highlight play, complete with an all-time-great radio call from the App State press box. His brother is a Troy alum, so this wasn’t exactly a defensive performance he looks back on fondly.

“Hate that, I like to sometimes rush four, five, six,” Harper said, when examining Troy’s decision to rush three linemen and drop eight defenders into coverage. “I like to zero blitz it. I’ve actually ended a game against Cincinnati, versus the Cincinnati Bengals, I told everybody to get up out of here after the sack.”

The game Harper’s referring to there was a 2010 clash between his old Saints team and Carson Palmer’s Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. A furious fourth quarter scoring output saw the lead change twice and tie up until Marques Colston caught a 3-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds left in regulation to retake the lead and go up 34-30 in Cincinnati.

And the Bengals put themselves in position to win the day with a 47-yard return on the subsequent kickoff, setting up Palmer and his offense at midfield. A quick pass moved them further up field, into New Orleans territory. With eight seconds left to play and just 37 yards separating them from an upset, Palmer dropped back to pass, targeting his dynamic receiving duo of Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens (who had already combined for 11 catches and 143 yards on the day). It was a tight spot for the Saints.

But as Harper recalled, the Saints chose to pressure the quarterback. They sent him on a blitz and he dropped Palmer for a 16-yard loss as time expired, very much saving the day for New Orleans. A rare pressure player who normally lined up at safety, Harper became something of a sack artist with the Saints — he’s currently tied with defensive tackles Don Reese and Mike Tilleman to rank 31st in the franchise record books with 17 sacks (per Pro Football Reference).

Blitzing the quarterback on these desperation Hail Mary heaves has become a trademark for Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who was Harper’s position coach on that 2010 squad. Serving as defensive coordinator in 2019 and charged with protecting a 2-point lead in the final seconds, he opted to pressure Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott with a similar safety blitz, sending C.J. Gardner-Johnson in to harass the passer before he could fully read the field. Prescott flung the ball far downfield to avoid taking a sack, and it ended up being intercepted by Marcus Williams. That’s just one example.

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How did Larry Fitzgerald, other former Cardinals do at American Century Championship?

Four former Cardinals players played in the American Century Championship. Carson Palmer did the best of the four players.

Over the weekend at South Lake Tahoe, the American Century Championship, a yearly celebrity golf tournament, took place and many former Arizona Cardinals players participated.

Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald and Patrick Peterson have participated for years and Dwight Freeney also played this past weekend.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS analyst Tony Romo won the tournament in a two-hole playoff.

How did the former Cardinals players do?

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Former Cardinals QB Carson Palmer’s college number unretired for stud WR

Stud WR Jordan Addison will don Palmer’s No. 3 for USC this coming season.

Carson Palmer is a member of the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor and was one of the best players in college football at USC. He had his No. 3 retired by USC.

However, he has given his blessing to have No. 3 taken out of retirement for wide receiver Jordan Addison.

Addison, a big-time receiver, transferred from Pitt to USC after a 100-catch, 1,593-yard season in 2021. He wore No. 3 at Pitt.

Palmer is a big supporter of his alma mater.

This is not something unfamiliar for Cardinals fans.

When defensive end J.J. Watt signed with the Cardinals as a free agent, No. 99 was taken out of retirement for him to wear. It was retired for Marshall Goldberg and his daughter gave Watt and the team the family’s blessing to do so.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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USC brings Carson Palmer’s No. 3 out of retirement for Jordan Addison

Why is USC unretiring Carson Palmer’s No. 3 uniform?

Times have changed in college football. NIL has players getting massive deals. The transfer portal has them moving from school to school.

And USC added another sweetener it turns out to get Pitt’s Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison to leave the Steel City for Los Angeles.

Turns out the wide receiver will wear the No. 3 that he rocked for the Panthers.

That took some permission, however, as the Trojans had retired the number worn by Carson Palmer when he starred for the school and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002.

School AD Mike Bohm said Palmer was okay with the move.

Addison will be a junior in Los Angeles in 2022. That means almost assuredly the No. 3 will be donned for one year before he heads to the NFL via the draft.

Addison had 100 catches for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore with Pitt. He made 60 catches as a freshman.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

He wasn’t listed on the school’s spring football roster because he didn’t make the decision to transfer official until May.

Unretiring the jersey will certainly open Pandora’s box when it comes to uniforms for schools. How many will be willing to break tradition to land supreme players?

Texas’ best recruiting pitch for five-star QB Arch Manning

Texas will give its best pitch this weekend.

The Texas Longhorns are set to host multiple program changing players over the next few days. Most notably, top quarterback Arch Manning, talented receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, and Hewitt-Trussville (AL) edge rusher Hunter Osborne.

The pitch for Manning is simple: Arch can play for offensive guru Steve Sarkisian and carve a legacy at Texas.

Texas hired Sarkisian for these moments. Sarkisian is adept at getting quarterbacks drafted early. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Jake Locker, Mark Sanchez, Tua Tagovailoa, and Mac Jones are a few of the quarterbacks Sarkisian has gotten drafted early.

Manning can see the offense Georgia runs. Sarkisian does not have to negatively recruit the Bulldogs. All Sarkisian has to do is present his coaching track record alongside Texas football’s history of excellence. The recruiting pitch sells itself.

Manning, like Quinn Ewers, has a statue waiting for him if he can help turn the program around. Texas will give its best pitch this weekend.

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It’s Super Bowl Week, but Carson Palmer wants to talk about Joe Burrow’s future with the Bengals

Examining Carson Palmer’s comments on the Bengals during Super Bowl week.

Carson Palmer is trending on Twitter early this Friday, and I didn’t have to read any tweets to know why.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in the national spotlight (Super Bowl LVI), which means legends of the team’s past will emerge from the shadows and make some appearances that bring the vibes and positive energy to the fanbase.

We already got an appearance from Elbert “Ickey” Woods, the great Bengals’ running back of the 19980s. He blessed the stage and awarded Bengals’ owner Mike Brown with the Lamar Hunt Trophy during the AFC Championship celebration, which was preceded by an on-the-field embrace with quarterback Joe Burrow who showed his appreciation by hitting the famous “Ickey Shuffle.”

As always, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson steps in and uses his platform to represent the Bengals in a positive light.

Even legendary Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason openly embraces the moment and shows his love for the team.

But not everyone has that love and appreciation for their former employer. Carson Palmer certainly doesn’t, and he continues to let everyone know about it when given the chance — no matter the situation.

Palmer went on Michael Smith’s and Michael Holly’s Brother From Another to discuss a handful of topics regarding the Bengals, including his relationship (or lack thereof) with the organization, his excitement for the city and the doubts that Joe Burrow should have with the organization going forward.

“I think Joe’s gonna sit back after this game, win or lose, and be like ‘man am I gonna re-sign with this team? Are they willing to do what it takes to continuously build to get back to the next Super Bowl?” – Carson Palmer.

With the Super Bowl just days away and Joe Burrow in the second year of his contract, it sure seems like an odd time to be talking about Burrow’s contract extension and future with the team, right?

Palmer’s poor experiences with the Bengals are well-documented and shouldn’t be dismissed. He wanted to see improvements in the scouting department, up-to-date facilities and money spent in free agency. His requests weren’t granted, the Bengals kept losing and the relationship went south, so much so that Palmer requested to be traded. His request was denied and he “retired” in order to get away from Cincinnati.

But, that was nearly 11 years ago. The Bengals have spent in free agency over recent seasons, as seen in their stout defense, and finally, they have a quarterback that is winning playoff games. Perhaps they believe in Burrow enough to give him a say in what the future holds, which evidently wasn’t the case with Palmer.

As for now, we’ll focus on the present and enjoy Super Bowl LVI.

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