Cincinnati Bengals fans aren’t the only ones seeing the public problems confronting the team right now.
Former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer sees it with Joe Burrow, too.
During a recent appearance with Colin Cowherd, Palmer inevitably got asked about the Bengals while otherwise chatting about his being named head coach at alma mater Santa Margarita.
“I just see a frustration on his face and that’s what concerns me,” Palmer said. “It looks to be building. It looks to be weighing on him. I think the thing that jumps out at me is you can see the frustration on his face. It’s tough to put up the numbers he’s put up, score the points they’ve put up and be in the situation they’re in, which is on the outside looking in. Their playoff shot, unfortunately, looks to be slim to none and you got to start thinking about next year.”
The knee-jerk reaction for many fans might be more anger directed at Palmer which, given how his time in Cincinnati ended, is reasonable.
But…Palmer is right. For one, Palmer can’t help that he was asked the question. And two, Burrow’s sending message after message to the front office about Tee Higgins in a very public manner sort of says it all.
Burrow is not a happy camper, and he shouldn’t be after the team-building by the front office has caved in the roster around him during an MVP-worthy season. That doesn’t mean he’s headed for a Palmer-like departure or anything so dramatic, but the frustration and desire to get things turned around couldn’t be more obvious.
So, perhaps the wrong messenger, sure. But anyone can look at Burrow after losses and at the very obvious pressure he’s applying on the front office and understand the frustration is there. Now, it’s on the front office to see it and fix it.
