Don’t Delay, Name Palmer the Starter

Speaking on behalf of the one-hour photo, microwave pot roast, remote-control addicted observers of American football, it is our sincere belief that freshman Carson Palmer has more than paid his dues and should be named the starting quarterback today.

Make that yesterday.

Nothing against current starter Mike Van Raaphorst, but isn’t he a rapidly aging sophomore?

Hard to believe in this hyper-cyber society that until 25 years ago, with a few exceptions, collegiate athletes were ineligible to compete as freshmen.

Yeah, and had that dumb rule been in effect Sunday, USC would have lost to Purdue.

In USC’s come-from-behind, 27-17 victory against Purdue in the Pigskin Classic, the Trojan offense scored two touchdowns. Both drives were directed by Palmer, the touted freshman from Santa Margarita High School in Orange County.

Palmer attempted his first pass two days before he was scheduled to attend his first class.

With so little time between Palmer’s high school graduation in June and his first collegiate game, teammates had to conduct freshman orientation when Palmer entered the huddle with 5:03 left in the third quarter and USC trailing, 17-10.

Wide receiver Billy Miller thought it would be nice to loosen the kid up with a joke: “Make sure you throw us the ball or we’ll beat you up after the game,” he said.

USC Coach Paul Hackett made all the sensible arguments for remaining calm amid this fevered freshman frenzy, saying that Van Raaphorst is still his starter and there’s no need to rush Palmer to the front.

“We’ve got a young guy developing, and developing fast,” he said of Palmer. “I don’t know exactly what path it will take.”

With USC trying to claw back from consecutive no-bowl years, it’s easy to see all roads lead to Palmer. Freshman or no, Palmer brings the goods: he’s 6 foot 4 and 205 pounds. His high school coach, trying to keep things in perspective, compared Palmer’s arm to John Elway’s and Dan Marino’s.

Palmer clearly was the best USC quarterback on the field Sunday.

What more is there to discuss?

The time to hesitate is through; no time to wallow in the mire.

Making a quarterback wait until his redshirt season before playing is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment these days.

Cade McNown?

He played in the first game of his freshman year at UCLA, against Miami, three months removed from his senior prom.

Safe to say that gamble turned out OK.

Frankly, fans and pundits don’t have the patience to wait while the prized recruit learns the ropes with clipboard in hand.

How long did it take the San Diego Chargers to name rookie Ryan Leaf as their starter? Ten minutes?

Two years ago, Kentucky Coach Bill Curry played freshman phenom quarterback Tim Couch only sparingly and lost his job because of it.

A new coach was hired to better fit the needs of the quarterback.

Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr may soon be in a fix similar to Hackett’s.

Carr has a touted freshman quarterback named Drew Henson, who made the cover of Sports Illustrated before he made his first fall practice.

Carr, naturally, will open with seasoned junior Tom Brady, but how long before the fans clamor for Henson?

The rules of engagement have changed in college football.

Highly touted players don’t come to college to sit around.

“I looked at colleges where I thought I had a chance to play,” Palmer said after Sunday’s game. “I looked at UCLA, but Cade McNown was already there.”

McNown is a senior, meaning Palmer could not have taken over until his sophomore season.

Freshman players want to play now.

Great freshman quarterbacks can almost demand it.

“Why would you want to sit?” USC quarterback coach Ken O’Brien said.

“Everyone should have that attitude.”

The freshman as savior script is not without its cautionary tales.

To help keep the lid on this budding quarterback controversy, Hackett refers wisely to Ron Powlus, the highly acclaimed quarterback thrust into the starting job at Notre Dame with dubious results.

The argument, of course, is that Powlus was totally out of place in coach Lou Holtz’s arcane option offense.

Surely, Palmer is better off in the hands of Hackett, one of the foremost authorities on the pass offense.

“It is a position I know a little bit about,” Hackett says.

So why wait? Who has the time? If Palmer is the future, why can’t the future be now?

Although taking no official position in this decision, offensive lineman Travis Claridge said: “Bottom line, Carson Palmer is a damn good football player.”

Miller, too, isn’t ready to abandon Van Raaphorst, a hard worker who won the job in spring and deserved his chance.

But Miller said: “You’ve got to put your best 11 on the field. If Carson Palmer turns out to be one of the top 11, you’ve got to get him on the field.”

ASAP, of course.