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Lewis says Palmer 'not peanut brittle'
Monday, August 28, 2006
CINCINNATI — It's inevitable that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is going to get hit. But head coach Marvin Lewis is convinced Palmer will get back up when he's knocked down.
Once that happens, wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh can breathe a little easier.
Extras
"We want to keep the quarterback clean," Lewis said. "The quarterback is going to get touched. He's been touched already and he's going to get touched again. That's the way it is. He's not going to fall apart. He's not peanut brittle out there. This is a big, strapping person, and he's going to be fine. We can put all of T.J.'s worries to rest — the new team spokesman."
"My expectations are for him to be slightly nervous from the outset just because of the nature of his (left knee) injury," Houshmandzadeh said. "But I expect him to respond and play well. I expect him to lead us on a couple, if not a few, touchdown drives. It'll be real interesting to see how he holds up — not physically, but mentally, just knowing that he's OK."
Added security
Paul Brown Stadium's security force got a wake-up call on Oct. 30, 2005, when spectator Gregory Gall jumped from the stands, ran onto the field and snatched the ball from Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre during the Bengals' 21-14 victory.
"We've had additional security on the field and in the stands," said Eric Brown, managing director of Paul Brown Stadium. "Those measures have been in place since that game. Hopefully, Mr. Gall won't try to sneak in here and try to get on the field."
Crowd noise
To simulate tonight's conditions, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had crowd noise piped into the club's practice facility.
"I didn't know it was going to happen," Green Bay linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "When I first heard it, it took me by surprise. It was good. We did the same thing (at Ohio State). You need to do that. It gives you the game-type atmosphere. You have to know the hand signals and not be able to hear too well."
Quick hitters
• Tonight's game marks Favre's third trip to Cincinnati — his first for a preseason game. He led the Packers to a 13-6 victory in 1998, but the Bengals victimized him with five interceptions last year.
• The Packers are 1-1 in the preseason, rebounding from a 17-3 loss at San Diego with a 38-10 victory over Atlanta.
• A victory guarantees the Bengals their first winning preseason since 1988 (4-1), a season that culminated with their second appearance in the Super Bowl.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com
