There are many things a quarterback has to go through when training camp comes along. For Arizona Cardinals starter Carson Palmer, coming off of a major knee surgery meant that list had many more things to check off the list to make sure he is ready.
One is taking a hit in pads, which should happen in the first preseason game. Palmer mentioned last year about looking forward in a way to getting hit.
This year it might be a little more important to get it out of the way.
Head coach Bruce Arians said Palmer might like to have it happen in practice before the team's preseason opener, although hitting the quarterback is not allowed.
Palmer clarified the idea.
"Every year it is (welcome)," he explained to reporters. "The downtime from that last hit in January is so many months removed from that last hit. Every year you're always, I wouldn't say looking forward to it, but you just want to get the first couple of hits out of the way and move on."
For Palmer, it has been since November, when he went down against the St. Louis Rams.
Palmer didn't say he would prefer to get hit before the preseason. He didn't say he would like to get hit. He just wants to get it out of the way, which is like we are with so many things in life. We don't do them because we like to, but rather to get them out of the way.