In 2008, veteran quarterback Kurt Warner led the Arizona Cardinals to their first NFC Championship appearance – a 32-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The victory led to the Cardinals first and only Super Bowl appearance. Playing in their second NFC title game this Sunday, Arizona will be depending on another veteran quarterback in Carson Palmer to once again get them to the promised land.
Unlike Warner who was an unknown when he debuted with the St. Louis Rams in 1999, Palmer was the number one overall pick out of Southern California in 2003 by the Cincinnati Bengals. The 2002 Heisman Trophy winner was the face of the Bengals franchise during their resurgence in the mid-2000s, but would briefly retire in 2010 after becoming disgruntled with the Bengals front office. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders where he had two uneventful seasons with a record of 8-15 as a starter before being traded to the Cardinals in 2013. Palmer has been his best statistically this season while getting the first post season win of his 13-year career and playing in his first conference championship game.
