In 2003 the Cincinnati Bengals selected Carson Palmer out of USC with their first overall pick. Palmer was considered the safest and best pick at QB that season and fresh off of a Heisman Trophy hull. The scared face of Palmer on draft day will be remembered in Bengals history forever as the struggling organization hoped to build around this prototypical pocket passer. His uneasy face lifted that jersey for his Commish pic and was unsure what was next. So many QB’s had struggled in Cincinnati as a first round pick, those biggest letdowns being Akili Smith and David Klingler. Would Palmer be the next bust? He certainly could have been. The Bengals struggled to put up points and most importantly wins. In 2002 they went 2-14 which earned them that first overall pick…..wow 2-14….where have we seen this before?
Waiting first to congratulate and welcome to the team was, now journeyman, Jon Kitna. Kitna was in his third season as a Bengal where he was signed in FA after a stint at the Seattle Seahawks. Kitna was an average QB and based on his passing numbers was likely a career backup even at this point. Something special happened though when Palmer and Kitna were united, Kitna knew that Palmer was the future and it was his job to teach him the in’s and out’s of both the offense and being a pro. If there was one thing that Kitna knew it was how to be a class act. He was extremely involved in the community and even started a worship center in Cincinnati. You would never hear Kitna curse and always thanked the Lord when something right would happen on the field. Unfortunately not much positive happened in the way of the Bengals.
Cincinnati also took a peculair approach, they decided to sit Palmer and let him learn from Kitna the entire season. At the time some say it was heresy and others said it was genius and only time would tell if it was in fact the right call. It turned out to be the right one for Palmer and in 2004 he took over for Kitna with a graceful transition of power. Kitna still played 4 games that season, filling in for Palmer when injured. In 2005 Palmer was on a heater and would have taken the Bengals to a Super Bowl if it were not for the cheap hit of Kimo von Oelhoffen in the game against the Steelers where Kitna almost mustered that great team to a victory despite losing their captain.
Why is 2002 so relevant to 2020? Andy Dalton is a better football version of Jon Kitna. Dalton has played at a higher level and is still considered a borderline starter in the league. Dalton was also in the MVP race before getting injured in 2017. Like Kitna, Dalton is also extremely religious and patient. When he was benched this season to give Finley a shot he was the ultimate professional and had earpiece attached helping Finley to his best ability.
It is almost certain that the Bengals will be selecting Joe Burrow with the first overall 2020 pick. Gurus on both sides still argue whether to start a first year player or let them sit. How many years did Aaron Rodgers sit behind Brett Favre? Recently even the MVP Lamar Jackson sat behind Joe Flacco until the season was sunk and they rolled the dice to see what they had.
Can Dalton be to Burrow what Kitna was to Palmer? Maybe, but conventional wisdom says that the Bengals will cut ties with Dalton in some way (trade or cut) so it might not be a factor, but what if this was the plan? Dalton gets to prove one more time that he is a legitimate starter and makeup for his down 2019 season. Burrow gets to learn behind a guy who has held a starting job for 9 years and has been to multiple Pro Bowls. Would everybody be on board with this? At least it is fun to think about and invoke your fond memories of Kitna. He wasn’t a great player but there is no doubt he was a Bengal and man.