Palmer wins team's `courage' award

The Cincinnati Bengals have named quarterback Carson Palmer as this year’s team winner of the Ed Block Courage Award.

The award honors NFL players who demonstrate commitment to the values of sportsmanship and courage. Each of the 32 NFL teams selects one player as its nominee. Palmer will be honored with the other team winners at the annual awards banquet in Baltimore on March 20.

Palmer started every game for the Bengals in 2006, returning from a serious knee injury (torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments) suffered in the 2005 season playoffs against Pittsburgh.

His hard work during rehabilitation helped him start the regular season opener on Sept. 10, just eight months to the day since his reconstructive surgery. Palmer was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team for the second consecutive year. He threw for 4,035 yards, which broke Boomer Esiason’s 20-year old franchise record of 3,959. Palmer threw for 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

“It would have been easy for Carson to have gotten discouraged and focus on the unfortunate fact that he got injured during his first playoff game,” Bengals head trainer Paul Sparling said in a statement released by the team. “Instead he chose to focus on doing everything he could to get back on the field as quickly as he could, which speaks to his courage and character. And his teammates recognize that.”