Carson Palmer Quotations

We're going to lose a lot if we don't have him,

We were better in some areas this week and worse in some areas. We still have two more games to get sharp. There's still a lot of areas we need to fix up.

We have a Pro Bowl guy on a rookie, and that's something that makes me lick my chops,

You can always get better.

I personally believe that professional athletes should give back to their communities in any way possible. We are in a position to make a difference.

So many people get caught up in being a pro athlete and think they are better. I don't feel like I've ever changed or acted any differently because of the situation I'm in or that status I have.

Every kid thinks about the Heisman Trophy and dreams about it, but you never think it could happen to you.

You just can't let the outside world affect your game.You can't hold anything back. You can't play a different game.

I just need to be in a position where I can control the ball, make smart decisions, and do what I'm coached up to do.

I don’t have to play football for money.

It feels good to give your fans something to feel good about.

You learn from the good, you learn from the bad.

Whoever controls the line of scrimmage and wins up front is going to be the winner.

The one place where I can relax is on the golf course with my teammates and buddies, assuming I'm hitting the golf ball well. If I'm not, well, that is another story.

I used to come to practice and go through the motions. I don't do that anymore. I look forward to practices. I even enjoy the windsprints.

There's a point in everyone's career where they're not going to be playing as well as they should be. You just have to keep you confidence and not hang your head and realize that you're going to figure it out and that you're going to get better and that you're going to learn. Learn from all your mistakes.

No comparison. That first year, you don't know what to expect. You're not sure of yourself. You haven't taken a snap against a defense. There really is no comparison.

He understands that being a premier player in this league, you're going to have to fight through some of that stuff.

He did well when he threw from the pocket, setting up, but when he was on the move, he wasn't as impressive or as accurate as I thought he'd be.

He's just solid, and he's always been solid for us. Chad steals a lot of the highlight shows, but Kevin is in there making big blocks, making big catches on third down. We've got a lot of explosive guys, and then there's Kevin who just knows the playbook inside and out. He can play every position and he's strong.

His whole theme of starting fast you want to come out and score on the first drive,

Hopefully this is the last place I'll end up playing. That's so rare in this league these days. It's so rare to see a person have a five-, eight-, 10-, 12-year career in one place. And I feel very fortunate that it looks like that's going to be my future.

I take a lot of heat because guys say, 'You're lucky you don't have to run today,' but when you're in the position I'm in and you're hurt that's when you want to be running. I wish I could be out there running. It's like that for everyone in the season. When (tight end) Reggie (Kelly) broke his hand last year, he was standing on the sideline and some people were jealous of him, but there's nothing more he'd rather been doing than practicing.

I think if we've talked about anything it's that we're not going to approach this as any other week, as any different game. Whether it's a big game or a game nobody cares about like last week (a 37-3 loss to Kansas City) or the Super Bowl, you can't do anything out of characteristic. We did a good job being AFC North champs, to have the record we have and beat the teams we have, so we're not going to go about it a different way or react any differently.

That was my main concern, something that could help us out in the future.

That was kind of a dagger in the heart for them, ... That was a fun drive.

That Super Bowl was so long ago, I probably saw it but I don't remember it,

We realize our offense got a lot of guys back, and we've done a lot of things to improve our defense, ... We were 8-8 last year. We need to step up from there. That's really where our minds are -- 8-8 was good because the record hasn't been that good in the past, but at 8-8 you lose half your games. That's nothing to write home about, nothing to be proud of. We're definitely expecting to take drastic steps from last year into this year.

The only thing I know is just the change around here,

When you play a championship team, you can't give them anything,

We just wanted to come out and be crisp, ... We wanted to get our work in, get in and get out and keep everybody healthy.

What? That wasn't Chad? Man, I should have something when I didn't notice any gold teeth gleaming back at me. But, on the bright side, the more Johnsons, the better.

Complete 80-85. Don't set limits for yourself. The ones we really want to eliminate are the ones he completes to the other team. Then show the consistency to stay at a high level.

I've been given a lot of freedom as far as that's concerned, but no more freedom than I had last year, ... It's the quarterback's job to get you in the right play. That's just part of my role. If anything, I'm just more experienced doing it.

Probably the first quarter is getting the flex and the extension back in your leg, and I have done that fairly quickly. I was ahead of the game on that. Now I'll move into the second phase, which is strength and conditioning, and then I'll move into running and jumping, and then I'll be ready to go.

Our defense just kept us in the game. Whoever didn't turn the ball over was going to win.

That's what the preseason's for, to get all the mistakes and the funk out.

That's why we're 2-0 right now. It's created tons of points and taken points away from teams. We need to keep doing that. It's going to be tough for us because we've got some amazing numbers. We've got one guy with three picks and three guys with a pick in one game, that's a huge bonus for us offensively and defensively.

They took Chad away. They didn't think T.J. could beat them. He took every one of their corners out of the game.

You can't leave points off the board like that, especially against a team that's going to kill you on the run. They did a good job making adjustments at halftime and slowing us down.

There were some huge holes for him (Johnson) and Chris. Then you look at the two turnovers defensively at the end, which won the game for us.

They're both unique. They do completely different things well and complement each other perfectly. T.J.'s a physical guy, a physical blocker, physical when he gets the ball. He's like Hines Ward. And Chad, he's just physically a freak. He's so much faster than anybody else and so much quicker and explosive.

It seems like we're on top of the world right now. But I don't think guys in this locker room really feel like that. I think they feel we haven't arrived yet.

It was easy today. When the defense gets you the ball like that so many times in a row, that many times on that side of the 50, and a couple of times in the red zone, it really makes it a lot easier for you offensively.

It's a game we had to win to control the division. You can say all you want about how we had to beat Pittsburgh, we just needed to win this game.

It opens up the passing game, ... When a guy gets open that early, it definitely puts fear into their hearts.

It's a huge win for us, ... Coming in here, we said good teams and great teams answer after a loss.

It sucks, but I'm looking at it as a small bump in the road, ... I'm hoping I can get through this thing. I haven't thought of it as a big deal or a big problem. I just need to get it as solid as I can before game day, this Saturday, and hopefully I don't have to worry about it much more this season.

It's not offensive, it's harmless. He's just being Chad. He's being himself and doing what comes to his head.

It's one of those things you can't go into full-bore, ... You need to see what you're comfortable with and test it and move on from there step by step. It can be a disaster if you don't do it right. If you try to do too much, guys are confused. We've taken it really slow and tried to improve on it.

It's flattering to be named with Peyton Manning as one of the guys, but it's just something that comes along with winning. I'm proud of it and I'm happy, but I've got bigger things on my mind.

It's coming, and I keep getting asked the question,

They compete over who's going to have a better game. You can't ask for more than that as a quarterback. You've got one guy who wants to play better than the best receiver in the league. That's a tough combination to defend.

They did a phenomenal job of blowing open the pocket and giving me plenty of room to step into throws and move around. Now they know it's on them again. They're going against a great D line.

It was just a weird, eerie feeling in the stadium. It was something I've never felt before.

I'm not sure how many catches T.J. ended up having, but he ended up being the go-to guy.

I put a lot of it on myself, ... I don't think I've played well enough to beat them.

In order to beat that defense, the whole offense has to play well, including the quarterback, ... The last couple of times we've played them, the offense played well but I didn't. A lot of it falls on me and puts a lot more pressure on me.

I don't know how bad it was and how bad it can get, but just from hearing stories from guys and hearing the excitement that guys have about this season, that was never there before. In the past guys just dreaded being here because they knew they were going to lose. Hearing that makes you realize this place has changed. Everybody talks about the change, but it's for real.

He's unbelievable. He's probably the best receiver in the league now that T.O.'s not playing. In fact, maybe he's the best even if you include T.O.

The game meant a lot to us, ... It meant a lot to the city. We let ourselves - and everybody around us - down. But it's still early. We're 5-2. We've got a lot of things going for us. Right now, I think we're the better team. We just didn't play well.