When a quarterback has throwing arm issues, it is bad: when a quarterback has nerve issues in his throwing arm, it is worse. When the team and its medical staff are forced to research new and hopefully more successful treatments for the nerve damage their quarterback has sustained; well that's about as bad as it can get.
Though coach and player have done their best to downplay the situation, the fact remains that nerve damage in Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer's arm could portend a lot more serious issues and a lot more time on the field missed.
Coach Bruce Arians claimed that throughout the week leading up to their game against the New York Giants, Palmer improved greatly and wasn't far off from playing. But Palmer's own opinion of his status and proximity to playing seemed to differ immensely from that of his coach.
This week, Arians seems to have accepted the reality of the situation, and according to a report from ESPN, the team has begun seeking new ways to treat the hobbled quarterback.
"He's got more needles sticking in him half the day than most of us in our lifetime," Arians told ESPN. "We're still researching what possibly other things we can do for him."
According to ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder, "the injury prevents him from properly gripping the football and also inhibits his ability to throw with normal velocity and accuracy."
"I think anytime you're dealing with nerves, you're concerned," Arians said. "I saw what happened with Peyton [Manning] and how long it took with him, but his was after neck surgery. This is just a bruised nerve that's being ornery."
Needless to say, Palmer's status for this week's tilt with the San Francisco 49ers is unclear.
"There's no, 'It needs 48 hours, it needs six days, it needs 12 days,'" Palmer said Sunday evening. "You just don't know."
But according to Arians, Palmer is still very much in the mix to play.
"If he can go, he'll go," Arians said. "This is one of those crazy things where you'll wake up one day and be fine. We don't know what day that's going to be though. That's the thing."