by Bill Rabinowitz, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH , The Columbus Dispatch

Palmer suffered a partially torn ligament and tendon in his throwing elbow early last season for the Bengals . He played in only four games. Doctors could not guarantee he hadn't suffered a career-ending injury.

As difficult as rehabilitating from reconstructive knee surgery was three years ago, this was scarier. Palmer makes his living with his arm, not his legs.

"Some doctors were saying, 'You might not ever get it back,' " Palmer said yesterday at the team's minicamp. "Some doctors were saying, 'You might need Tommy John (ligament replacement) surgery, and some Tommy John guys don't get it back.'

"There were a lot of unknowns. I was staying up late at night, praying, just worried that I only got six years in and never did anything. That's a scary thought."

Palmer opted not to have surgery, and rest seems to have done the trick. He has pronounced himself fit and his arm appears to be at full strength.

"I think it's as good as ever," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said.

In yesterday's morning practice, Palmer completed a deep pass to Chris Henry that looked identical to the play in which he hurt his knee against Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

That pass remains the only one he has ever thrown in the postseason. Watching the Steelers win the Super Bowl that year and then win again last season was hard for Palmer to stomach.

"Extremely," he said. "Extremely burning, jealous, frustrated, mad, everything. It's not fun to sit at home and watch the playoffs. It's not fun to see teams within your division playing for the AFC championship and then a team from within your division winning the Super Bowl. There is no greater motivation."

Some quarterbacks might curse their fate by being with a team that has had such little success. But Palmer, ever the good soldier, said he feels fortunate to be the Bengals quarterback. He is optimistic that last year's 4-11-1 record is an aberration. He said he is more excited than he has ever been for the new season.

He is encouraged by the depth at receiver even with the loss of free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Palmer is pleased that the Bengals have placed an increased emphasis on the running game to provide balance for his passing.

A year ago, he now acknowledges, he felt gloomy about Cincinnati's chances. The bad vibes caused by contract issues, most notably Chad Ochocinco's, led to a sense of foreboding that proved correct.

Palmer and the rest of the Bengals say this season's mood is completely different.

"We've got a competitive, athletic group that expects to win, plans to win and works to win, which are three key things you need to do to be a good team," Palmer said. "We've got a long way to go, but we're on our way."

He said he'll do whatever it takes to lead the Bengals in that direction.

"I'm always excited for training camp, but I can't wait for training camp," Palmer said. "I can't wait for July to be over."

brabinowitz@dispatch.com

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