Updated: 3 p.m.
Carson Palmer hears the criticism that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is taking and all he can say is "Join the club."
On Wednesday, Palmer, the draft's No. 1 pick in 2003, recalled how one week he was the greatest thing since sliced bread and the next week he was going to fall to the middle of the first round and be drafted behind Byron Leftwich and Kyle Boller.
"It's that time of year. It's what happens," Palmer said. "There's a lot of teams starting rumors because they like a guy, dislike a guy. It's such a game now and I learned that when I was going through it. I remember sitting back reading some of the things that some people were saying that were bad things about me and I was thinking, 'That makes no sense.' And I was reading good things people were saying about me and I was like, 'That makes no sense.'
"Tebow just needs to get prepared and get ready to make an impact in minicamp and training camp and the season because half the people that have an opinion on him have no idea what they're talking about. He's a heck of a football player. I think he's going to be good. You're given a certain amount of God-given ability and the rest of it you have to make up by yourself. Some guys do it, some guys don't. Some will do it, some guys won't. He seems like a guy that will do it and wants to do it. He'll make up for all the deficiencies he has and he'll make himself better. ... I would take a shot on him ... I think he'll go in the first round. I wouldn't be surprised if someone falls in love with him and takes him in the first round.
When someone joked, "Like 21," the Bengals pick, Palmer laughed and said, "I hope not."
MARDY GRAS: Palmer said Wednesday he got a chance to throw to University of Cincinnati wide receiver Mardy Gilyard, a prospect that may interest the Bengals since they figure to be in the hunt for a wideout when he figures to go somewhere in the first three rounds. It was the first time Palmer met him and he approvingly agreed that the 5-11, 187-pound Gilyard seemed to have a T.J. Houshmandzadeh edge. Palmer has seen Gilyard play a few times on the tube.
"Kind of a chip on his shoulder," Palmer said. "I thought he looked good. He had a good wokout. He's a local guy that wants to come to Cincinnati and there's not a lot of guys that want to come to Cincinnati. That's a plus. He obviously can catch the ball and make something happen with it."
JEANTY SHELVED: Backup SAM linebacker Rashad Jenanty is on crutches while also in a boot and when asked if it is related to the broken fibula he incurred in the Wild Card game back on Jan. 9, he said it was.
Jeanty explained he had a screw placed in his ankle to help the healing process two weeks ago and the plan is to get him back on the field in time for the start of training camp. He'll miss the May and June on-field work but he said Wednesday that the four-to-six month rehab allows him time to get on the field when the Bengals start camp at Georgetown College in late July.
CED SAYS:Told that the Bengals single-season rushing record is 1,458 yards (Rudi Johnson in 2005), running back Cedric Benson said Wednesday, "We can do better than that. ... We can come up with a higher number than that."
Everyone is telling Benson he looks thinner this offseason, but he says he is still at his playing weight of 226 pounds. He can't figure out why. The only significant change he's made this offseason is that he's no longer eating meat from cattle that is grain-fed and has switched to grass-fed. Benson goes to farms to make the purchases, and has a couple in Ohio about 30 miles from Cincinnati.
"It's just something I wanted to try; switch it up," he said.
Benson dislikes talking about numbers when it comes to his rushing, but he likes talking about numbers of carries. He just likes them. A lot. He says the more the merrier and that he actually likes the pounding.
Even though he missed three and a half games last season with a pulled hip muscle and rest for the playoffs, he carried the ball 301 times (for 1,251 yards) for an average of 23 lugs per game. If he did that for 16 games it would have given him 370, the club record by nine carries over Johnson's 361 in 2004.
"I love it," he said.
SKED ANNOUNCED TUESDAY:The NFL schedule is to be announced Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the NFL Network and you can get the Bengals schedule here on Bengals.com.
JONES RE-SIGNS: The Bengals on Wednesday re-signed cornerback David Jones, who had become a restricted free agent on March 5.
Jones is a fourth-year NFL player in 2010. He opened 2009 training camp as the team's No. 3 cornerback, but missed preseason and the first four games of the regular season due to a foot injury suffered in an early camp practice.
He came back to play in 11 regular season games plus the club's Wild Card playoff game. In the regular season, he logged six special-teams tackles, three tackles on defense, and a pass defensed. He played 14 games in 2008, with seven starts as an injury replacement, and had 44 tackles with seven passes defensed.
