Carson Palmer Needs a Target in Cincinnati

Now that Carson Palmer has been letting everyone within earshot know the Bengals are going to be "good" this year, the question remains, "Who will his primary target be this season?"

In the recent past, that would be a no-brainer. Mr. Ocho Cinco (or CJ, Ohcocinco, etc.) would have been the automatic answer. As training camp approaches, that same question is a bit more interesting.

The 2009 Bengals' season might as well call itself "The Trial Of Mike Brown." There are no more excuses. Cue "The Final Countdown" and hope that Gob Bluth can really make the two decades worth of hopeless futility disappear like so many corrupt CEO yachts. It is high time for Brown to earn all those general manager bonuses that he has almost secretly paid himself. 

Palmer opted out of quick-fix elbow surgery last year and decided to go the old-fashioned route of Blood, Sweat, and Tears style P.T. He says that he is healthy as a horse and ready to go. Unfortunately, there is no T.J. Houshmandzadeh this year to balance out all the double and triple coverages that O.C. seems to command.

In fact, the whole question of O.C.'s desire has to be examined. It is still no secret that he wants out of here. Will he force the issue even more by sitting out? He didn’t attend the recent voluntary workouts.

Allegedly, Mr. Cinco has been working out in L.A. where he has spent a great deal of time lately (making appearances on such high-profile talk shows as Carson Daly at around 2:00 in the morning).

Fans will note that O.C. had his worst season since his rookie year last year.

Luckily, again, seriously, for at least the fifth time, Chris Henry is back. This is actually crucial because he is really needed. When Henry isn’t busy auditioning for the remake of A Clockwork Orange, he is the best receiver talent that the team has, bar none.

Hopefully (for fans and he alike), Henry has seen the light and it is leading him to the No. 1 receiver slot along with a steady diet of idolizing Isaac Curtis.

One thing is for certain. Good or bad, the 2009 season is the fork in the road that will permanently determine the future of the Cincinnati Bengals.