With the game continually changing however, it makes more sense to examine the recent past. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, as well as Mark Sanchez were the outstanding quarterbacks of the Pete Carroll era at USC. Palmer led the Trojans to an Orange Bowl victory and became the first quarterback from the school to be awarded the Heisman; Leinart became the second, finishing 37-2 in three seasons. After USC was forced to start John David Booty (excluded from this review because he didn't throw a MUT 23 ltds cards pass), Sanchez stepped in without missing a beat, going 12-1. and earning the Rose Bowl MVP before declaring for the draft.

The Madden NFL 23 is cruel and sour for a variety of reasons, but most notably for USC quarterbacks who have been thrown onto pro teams with less talent relative to their counterparts. These professional teams are often situated in cities that have poor weather conditions, and media that is not as likely to love the handsome young man groomed to puberty to get the job. Palmer, Leinart, and Sanchez have each made millions of dollars in the Madden NFL 23. but all have been snakebitten by some combination of injury unfortunate luck, bad coaching, on-field errors and even sexy jacuzzi party.

The pass is spectacular it's a long, parabolic arc that smacks Chris Henry in stride on the right sideline, resulting in the 66-yard distance. It was the opening play of the 2006 Wild Card game against the Steelers The longest pass played in Bengals playoff history, and the final game of his brief time as an elite quarterback in the NFL. The play concludes with Henry taking a beating at the Steelers' 22 and Palmer fell to his five, lying on his back and writhing after Kimo von Olhoeffen hit him low and shredded his MCL and ACL.

This is not to say Palmer hasn't been a good player since He was quickly healed and played all 16 games in his sophomore year (no easy task; just look up Robert Griffin III) and even made it to the Pro Bowl. But the Palmer that was in the year 2005 who topped his team in Madden NFL 23 with 32 touchdown passes and an 67.8 completion percentage while only throwing 12 interceptions during his second year as a starter appeared. His accuracy dropped as the Bengals organization's dysfunction resurfaced and he had to contend with elbow injuries, probably the consequence of throwing on his surgically repaired knee.

His time in Cincinnati was over when the Bengals recorded a 4-12 record during the 2010 season. Palmer was eighth with the team. Palmer said he'd prefer to retire at 31 than to play for the Bengals again: "I have $80 million in the bank. I don't need to play football to earn money. I'll play it just for the joy of football but it will require a different place. I'm prepared to live my life to the fullest." Consider that for a moment: Palmer, the first overall pick in the 2003 Madden 23 ltds Draft, older that both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, was ready to never ever again play football at an age that was 31. This is how much playing for the Bengals can be a drag.