Where Have You Gone, Carson Palmer?

It seems like a lifetime ago that the former Trojan, in only his 3rd NFL season and 2nd as a starter, was already considered to be a top 5 quarterback in the league. He led the Bengals to the top spot in the AFC North and led his team to the playoffs to face the eventual Super Bowl Champion Steelers. He severely injured his knee in the games which 4 years later seems to have been the springboard to a downward spiral that has made him more irrelevant to the football watching public than a Dan Patrick commentary. While the injury was serious, the former Heisman winner and first overall pick has always been a pocket QB and therefore should have been able to rehabilitate quickly. When the Bengals take the field tomorrow against the once again defending champion Steelers, which Carson Palmer will we see? The one who led the league in TD passes in 2005, or the one who has since taken more bad drives than Donte Stallworth? It will certainly be to his advantage that his college roommate, Troy Polamalu, will be watching from the sidelines.