The Arizona Cardinals have a football game in three days. It remains a mystery if Carson Palmer will be part of it.
Palmer was a surprise scratch last Sunday with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder. Drew Stanton stepped up and did a workmanlike job in the Cardinals' road win over the Giants.
But the days that have passed since that win have brought no clarity on Palmer's condition. The Cardinals have been tight-lipped, though there are some indications Palmer could be dealing with an injury that will cost him significant time.
"Could be a day, could be a month," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said Tuesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio (via SBNation), when asked about Palmer's timetable to return.
Arians added that Palmer's availability depends on when the nerve "starts firing" again.
Palmer told the media this week that he's never dealt with an injury like this before and has been limited to four or five hours of sleep per night to maximize his rehab time. He said he's thrown "a little" this week.
"It's extremely frustrating," said Palmer, who suffered the injury when he hit the ground after a collision with Chargers safety Eric Weddle. "I wish I had a concrete answer or somebody knew exactly what to do to wake it up, but that's not known. It's just time ... the only answer is time, and I'm hoping it doesn't take any more time."
"It's been very time-consuming, it's been very costly," Palmer later added, "but I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
The fact that the Cardinals don't have a true treatment plan for Palmer -- or even grasp what he's really dealing with -- is certainly disconcerting. It's become a waiting game, and time is working against the quarterback and his team.
The latest Around The League Podcast breaks down the latest on Adrian Peterson and continues the search for this year's "Team Of ATL."
