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Kelley Washington was part of the same Cincinnati Bengals draft class as quarterback Carson Palmer. The Patriots wide receiver was a third-round pick of the Bengals in 2003, who used the first overall selection that year on Palmer, betting the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner could lift the franchise out of an era of ineptitude. Washington saw Palmer, who didn't play a down as a rookie, go from clipboard-toting pup to bona fide Bengals savior during their four seasons together. In 2005, Palmer led Cincinnati to the AFC North crown and its first playoff appearance since 1990. Last year, he was named MVP of the Pro Bowl.
The opportunity to play with Tom Brady was too much for Washington to pass up this offseason, but he knows the quarterback he left behind in Cincinnati, where the Patriots face the Bengals tonight at Paul Brown Stadium, is no slouch either. Palmer might not have Brady's championship cachet or Q rating, but he has similar command as a signal-caller and the same passing pedigree. "Carson is just so talented. He has all the attributes as far as being a superstar quarterback," said Washington, who is out for the game. "He's big, tall, strong. He can throw the ball a mile, and he just has an understanding of the game similar to Tom. He just has total control over the game and knows what he is going to do and where the blitz is coming from. "He's just a great leader and I know that he is probably one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and he's going to complete passes and put up big numbers. That's just what he does. That is just what that offense does." Few quarterbacks can touch the white-hot start Brady is off to this season: He has completed 70 of 88 passes (79.5 percent) for 887 yards and an NFL-best 10 touchdowns. But Palmer is right there. His 937 passing yards were tops in the AFC entering Week 4. He had completed a respectable 64 percent of his passes and had thrown for nine touchdowns. A three-game sample size can be deceiving, but over their first three seasons as starters, Palmer compares favorably to Tom Terrific. From 2001, when he took over for Drew Bledsoe, to 2003, Brady was 954 of 1,541 (61.9 percent) for 10,227 yards with 69 touchdowns and 38 interceptions and, of course, two Super Bowl rings. Palmer's first three seasons as a starter (2004 to 2006) he was 932 of 1,461 (63.8 percent) for 10,768 yards with 78 touchdowns and 43 interceptions. "Carson, he gets better each and every year," said Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green. "You got to really be prepared." Where Brady separates himself from Palmer - and just about every one of his quarterback contemporaries - is wins. In his first three years as a starter, Brady was 34-12 during the regular season. Palmer was 25-20. Brady entered 2007 with the second-best postseason winning percentage in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 10 playoff starts, a 12-2 mark that trails only Green Bay Packers great Bart Starr's 9-1 record.Continued... Palmer's postseason grade is incomplete. He guided Cincinnati into the playoffs in 2005 with an 11-5 mark, but on his second postseason snap then-Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Kimo von Oelhoffen plowed into his left knee on a 66-yard completion to Chris Henry. Palmer suffered a torn ACL and MCL and the Bengals lost, 31-17. Palmer bounced back last year to set a franchise record for passing yards in a season (4,035) but the Bengals were 8-8. In just his fifth year, the 27-year-old USC product owns the Bengals season records for touchdown passes (32 in 2005) and completions (345 in '05), and earlier this season he set the mark for touchdown passes in a game, tossing six in a 51-45 loss to the Cleveland Browns Sept. 16. "He can do it all well," said Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs. "He can throw the long ball. He can hit the comeback. He can hit the in routes, so we have to tighten up on the coverage and make plays." Patriots coach Bill Belichick was impressed by Palmer when he coached him at the Pro Bowl in February. The AFC won, 31-28, and Palmer led the winning drive. "I had the opportunity to spend a week with him out in Hawaii last year and that was a great experience," said Belichick. "He really has pretty much everything you want in a quarterback. He has great size, throwing mechanics, delivery, accuracy, sees the field well, has a lot of poise in the pocket, is a big, strong kid that's hard to bring down. I knew he was an outstanding player, but when you're up close and right next to the guy like that for several days and then in the game . . . "I have a lot of appreciation and respect for not only how good he is physically, but how good he is mentally and his awareness and his field presence." But in order for Palmer to enter the exclusive club inhabited by Brady and Peyton Manning, he's going to have to put up some big wins along with yards and touchdowns. Washington said Palmer just needs time. "I think that Tom is just experienced. He has played in Super Bowls. He's won the [Super Bowl] MVP. He is established and Carson is up-and-coming," said Washington. "He's going to be there one day. It's coming. It's just a matter of time with Carson." The Patriots hope that time doesn't start tonight. Boston Globe http://members.boston.com/reg/login.do
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