Carson Palmer and Bruce Arians can't seem to agree on whose idea it was to curtail the quarterback's offseason work, but the plan for Palmer to throw less these early months is in full effect.
"I'm really doing everything except for throwing a football," Palmer said, via the Arizona Republic, "working out, lifting, footwork. All the muscles around the shoulder you can work without throwing a football. I'm just cutting back on all the throws."
The plan is for Palmer to rest his arm all spring, have a few tune-up practices in June and be ready for training camp in late July. The Cards began holding back Palmer during practices last season, having the veteran skip Wednesday sessions and take limited snaps on Thursdays. It was only natural to continue the resting pattern in the offseason.
At 37 years old, Palmer understands the steps needed to take to continue playing at a high level.
"I don't think I've done a good job the last eight or nine years of my career," Palmer said. "I've treated the last eight or nine years like I was 24, 25, 26, like the first eight or nine years of my career.
"You've got to adapt. It's difficult for me to do. It's just not natural to not throw and not do the things you've been doing and enjoy doing. All the work you put in, you feel like you're missing out on stuff because you don't get to throw. But we're going to stick with the plan."
Resting Palmer's arm certainly helped last season. To open the year Palmer's arm strength seemed weakened and his deep ball was noticeably off. As the year wore on and the rest took effect, he returned to being a top-10 quarterback down the stretch -- throwing 16 touchdowns to just eight interceptions in the final eight games.
With retirement on the horizon, Arizona needs to eek every ounce out of their quarterback before he rides into the sunset. The hope is that the rest in the spring and summer months will allow Palmer to start the season in the same fashion he ended last year.
