The importance of the return to health of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer cannot possibly be overstated.
Despite an incredibly strong defensive unit and an offense that boasts a number of explosive weapons, the moment Palmer's ACL was shredded into a million tiny fibers, so was the Cardinals 2014-15 season.
Yes, behind the valiant efforts of Drew Stanton and Ryan Lindley the Cardinals finished in second place in the NFC West and even made it to the postseason.
Losses beyond Palmer, most notable to the defensive secondary, crippled the Cards and left the formerly formidable team struggling just to score a touchdown in their playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Palmer, who took the field Monday for the first time since he suffered his injury, said that he's likely to be limited during OTA's, but is on track for a healthy start to the year.
"You want all your guys out there," Palmer said, via Kyle Odegard of azcardinals.com. "I know I want my five starting linemen and my two starting receivers. You don't ever want to see guys on the sidelines. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to do everything once OTAs start, but I'll be able to do just about everything. It's important (to participate) because I enjoy it. I can't wait for tomorrow and I can't wait for every day."
He also couldn't hide his jubilation when discussing the looming 2015-16 season.
"I'm so excited about OTAs, mini-camp, training camp, New Orleans coming here (to open the regular season), going to Chicago - you start thinking of all these things," Palmer said. "I have to fight that. That's a hurdle for me, personally. I've got to fight that. It's one day at a time, one rep at a time. I'm not looking past anything."
After missing the final eight games of the 2014 season and watching the offseason strides Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and GM Steve Keim were able to make, Palmer's unadulterated excitement is understandable.
With newly minted NFLer D.J. Humphries added to the tackle rotation and absolute mauler Mike Iupati now slotted in at one of the guard spots, the Cardinals already strong offense seems to have gotten exponentially stronger.
And considering elite playmaker Andre Ellington is now able to share the load with third-rounder David Johnson and Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald is back on a new contract for another go-round with his pass-catching brethren John Brown and Michael Floyd - assuming Floyd's not traded this offseason - Palmer will have ample weapons at his disposal with which to eviscerate opposing defenses.
If the Cardinals defense, set to return versatile safety Tyrann Mathieu and linebacker Daryl Washington, can withstand the losses of Darnell Dockett and John Abraham - and the selections of Markus Golden and Rodney Gunter suggest they should - the Cardinals may be set to vie for the NFC crown and, more importantly, a playoff berth.
In the NFC West, the Rams look to have gotten stronger on paper, but Jeff Fisher's group just seems bound and determined not to take that big next step. The 49ers meanwhile, look set for a down year after making wholesale changes to almost every area of the franchise.
The Seahawks will be strong, about that there is no doubt, but if the Cardinals can maneuver their way to the playoffs, big things could be in store for Palmer, Arians and the entire Cardinals family.
