Carson Palmer and Other NFL Stars Who Will Rebound in 2012

The National Football League’s season is full of surprises and disappointments. Mainly driven by fantasy football, players are judged heavily on their stats. Carson Palmer had a disappointing first year with the Oakland Raiders; the veteran quarterback, who will be entering his 10th season in the NFL, never got into a rhythm during the 10 games he appeared in during 2012.

While Palmer looks poised to have a rebound season, he is not the only NFL player who had a rough 2011 season and is likely to bounce back in 2012. 

Carson Palmer

There are many reasons why Carson Palmer did not have the year the Oakland Raiders thought he would have when they traded for him in the middle of October. The Raiders called on Palmer once Jason Campbell went down with an injury.  

When Palmer arrived in Oakland, the Raiders were 4-2 and playing very good football, but after Campbell broke his collarbone, the Raiders became desperate. Palmer, who was living in Southern California, made the trip up the coast and began work with his new teammates.

Palmer never could get in sync with his receivers and the Raiders began to fall apart. Palmer started nine games for the Raiders in 2011. In those nine games, the Raiders went 4-5 and Palmer threw 13 interceptions. In the season as a whole, Palmer threw for 2,753 yards and just 13 touchdowns.

These numbers will improve with an offseason that will allow Palmer to get his normal workouts with his receivers and coming into camp in shape rather than just coming out of “retirement."  Palmer will also have the luxury of having his running back, Darren McFadden, return to the lineup. Although Michael Bush did a great job at filling in for McFadden, the threat McFadden provides will scare defenses much more.  

Expect Palmer to have a much more productive season under center for the Raiders. At age 32, he still has a couple more years of being a productive quarterback, and the Raiders will be much more pleased with the outcome of their trade this year. 

Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers is another quarterback in the AFC West who had a poor season in 2011, especially considering his normal fantastic numbers. Last year Rivers just was not himself, and whether he was hurt or not, you won’t hear him making excuses. Rivers started every game, something he has done in every year since he was named the San Diego Chargers’ starting quarterback in 2006.

Rivers had an issue with turning the ball over, which seemed to stay with him all year. Last year, Rivers threw a career-high 20 interceptions to go along with five lost fumbles. He still managed to throw for 4,624 yards and 27 touchdowns, but in watching the Chargers you could tell it was not the same Rivers from past seasons.

Expect Rivers to cut down the turnovers in 2012 and return himself to the elite quarterback discussion. With the Chargers offensive line getting healthy and a full training camp to work with, Rivers will have more time to make decisions. When Rivers has the time to pick apart defenses there is almost no stopping him and his Charger offense. 

Greg Jennings

Greg Jennings fell victim to the ability of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offense in 2011. Rodgers is so good as distributing the football that Jennings found that his stats fell off in 2011 compared to 2010. With other receivers such as Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley it was tough for Jennings to get into a rhythm offensively.

Jennings recorded 949 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, and both were less than he had in 2010. The 949 receiving yards is the lowest Jennings has recorded since the 2007 season. Although Jennings missed the final three games with an injury, it would have been tough to meet his standards he set for himself in 2010.

The Packers are at their best when they are throwing the ball all over the place and marching down the field. Jennings is their best receiver, and when he gets the ball more than six times in a game the Packers offensive is much more dynamic. Jennings will return in 2012 at full health and extra motivation after his down year in 2011. Expect him to put up similar numbers, if not better, than he did in 2010. 

Chris Johnson

The Tennessee Titans had a frustrating year with their prime offensive weapon, Chris Johnson. Johnson, who is known around the league as one of the most explosive players in the NFL, had a poor year in 2011. In 2009, Johnson set the league on fire when he rushed for 2,006 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also added 503 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Since the 2009 season Johnson has taken two steps backwards in his production, but none was worse than the one he took in 2011.

What really plagued Johnson in 2011 was his inconsistent play all year. During the first nine weeks of the season Johnson rushed for more than 100 yards just once. He ended the season on an up-and-down streak, which saw him, rush for 13 yards in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then a 190-yard performance against the Buffalo Bills the following week.

Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer needs to realize his team is at its best when Johnson is getting the ball. The offense that the Titans should run in 2012 will be designed around Johnson, and his numbers should improve with his increase in touches. 

Clay Matthews

Clay Matthews has had a tremendous three-year career in the NFL as a Green Bay Packer. The 2010 Butkus Award winner had a down year in 2011 compared to his usual numbers. Constant double-teams, which he faced all year, slowed Matthews’ incredible rush that he is known for as he saw his tackles and sacks both decline in 2011.

In 2010, Mathews had one of the best defensive seasons in the history of the NFL. He recorded 13.5 sacks and 54 solo tackles, which earned him almost every postseason award that you can win. He finished a close second to Troy Polamalu in the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year votes.

With the addition of Nick Perry, Matthews will have a lot of pressure taken off him. Perry will line up opposite of Matthews and will force teams to pay attention to both him and Matthews. This will free up Matthews to get after the quarterback, which is what he is best at.

Expect Mathews to have another outstanding season in 2012, much like the one he had in 2010.