Let Carson Palmer Go!

As you all know, my blog covers all things entertainment and that's why I occasionally cover sports. In recent weeks, I've heard about the struggle in Cincinnati and here it.

Carson Palmer, star quarterback, wants out of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown, who also acts as team GM, will not grant Palmer's request. Brown, being the stubborn old coot he is, says that Palmer signed a contract and he's holding him to it, and that by seeking a trade would "reward" Palmer, therefore, he is sticking to his guns by refusing Palmer's request.

Really?

Here is my take on the situation.

Brown, you wouldn't be rewarding him, you'd be rewarding your fans.

Carson Palmer is not John Elway. He's not Troy Aikman. He could be another Rex Grossman, but he's not a Super Bowl winning QB.

Even with Palmer taking snaps, it wouldn't make a difference.

Trade Palmer and get that ridiculous contract out of Cincinnati.

Act now and maybe even get a first round draft pick out of the deal.

The Bengals are going into 2011 like lambs to the slaughter, wouldn't it help to know that with an additional first round draft pick, you might not only land Stanford's Andrew Luck in the draft, you may even get his offensive tackle, Jonathan Martin. That could be achieved by trading Palmer to another lowly team in desperate need of a QB, a team like the Buffalo Bills.

Like I said, this season is going to be brutal for Cincinnati fans.

The idealist in me wants to think, maybe Bruce Gradkowski will be another Kurt Warner, maybe Cedric Benson will post a 1500 yard season, maybe A.J. Green will win NFL Rookie of the Year honors...

The realist in me says, that the Bengals are in the same division as the defending AFC Conference Champions, the Steelers...the Ravens who may have a Super Bowl run in the making and the Browns with the emerging force that is Peyton Hillis...3 dangerous rivals in an already tough schedule. At best, I can only see a 3-13 record out of this.

With that, why not trade Palmer and make a serious effort towards rebuilding the franchise?

Andrew Luck may be your QB of the future.

Make plans now on rebuilding around a rising star.

And who knows, maybe in 5 or 6 years, the Bengals might have that Lombardi trophy that escaped them in the 1980s.

But all of this is just mere suggestions from a former Cincinnati Bengal fan. I expect Mike Brown to still be stubborn and continue to do so until the day he passes away and the reigns will go onto his successor.

It's a shame too, because I do believe the Bengals have potential of being a contender...but only if Brown makes the right moves, maybe hires a real GM to make decisions and maybe he will get to hold the trophy once in his lifetime.