I know this is probably the most pointless thing I’ve ever done, right next to watching 57 minutes of a Jersey Shore episode, but I had to do something.  Here’s my letter that I’m sending out today to Mike Brown.  I’ve heard about people receiving responses (stock responses), but I am under no delusion that this will do anything to influence Mike Brown.  Sigh…

Dear Mr. Brown:

I am very disappointed in your recent comments about not trading Carson Palmer.  These comments seem to me that you are more concerned about your own personal beliefs, rather than the overall success of the team.  As the GM/owner of the team, I believe that your sole goal is to produce not only a winning team, but a Super Bowl champion.  Your intransigence with not trading Palmer, however, is directly impeding the chances of this team to be as successful as it possibly could be.

First off, your obstinacy in the belief that Palmer will be back as the starting QB for the 2011 Cincinnati Bengals is truly unbelievable.  According to various media sources, several Bengals coaches, including Marvin Lewis, flew to California to try to convince Palmer to come back.  Nothing has worked.  I have not heard one source from any trusted news organization say that they believe Palmer will be back.

True, it is possible for Carson Palmer to change his mind.  Anything is possible.  It is also possible for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to suddenly decide to embrace democracy.

Obviously, Palmer is not Gadhafi.  But Palmer is also not Corey Dillon, Takeo Spikes, or Chad Ochocinco.  He has been a model citizen for the organization, has never said a bad word about the Bengals, and has been an above-average player for most of his career.  Palmer’s desire not to want to play for the Bengals anymore does NOT come from him being a perpetual malcontent.  It does not come from a solipsistic, egomaniac, selfish player.  It comes from a guy who’s tired of being a part of a historically losing franchise.  It comes from a guy who’s looking for a fresh start in his life.

I believe that the chances for Palmer to change his mind are extremely slim, and your denial of even entertaining trade possibilities seems to willfully ignore this fact.

Secondly, I do not understand how you “don’t see any opportunity to get what [you] consider to be value” for a Palmer trade.  I am totally baffled and confused by this comment.  Hypothetically, what value would you actually want for Palmer?  Do you want a first-round draft pick from the Patriots, along with Tom Brady?  I mean, you have to be realistic here.  Palmer has had two down years in a row, for whatever reason you want to attribute his decline to.  So his actual trade value isn’t going to be as high as it would be after, say, the 2005 season.  But there are teams out there who are interested.  Palmer would be an upgrade for the Cardinals, 49ers, Vikings, and the Dolphins, to name a few.  If you have several teams competing for the trade of one player, you’re bound to receive at least a first-round draft pick in exchange for Palmer.  Now, this may not be as “valuable” as having a veteran signal caller directing your offense, but it’s better than nothing.

And I mean nothing.

Really, that is what the Bengals are going to wind up with if you don’t trade Palmer.  Nothing.  Which is why your “no value in trading Palmer” stance is so baffling.  Isn’t SOMETHING better than NOTHING?

You could sit around in vain hoping that Palmer comes back, or you could be proactive with your situation, cut your losses as they are, and move on with the Palmer trade.  You acknowledge yourself that we need to address the QB decision.  But ignoring Palmer’s trade demand does not fully address the QB situation.

Yes, I think Palmer should honor his contract, and I’m disappointed about his decision to quit on the team.  But contracts are made to be broken, unfortunately.  And sticking with your principles is an honorable trait, but this honorable trait will hurt this team, probably irreparably.

Unlike other Bengals fans that I know, I believe that you truly want to win, but I believe your personal obstinacy impedes the growth of the franchise. If I were you, I would see Palmer’s desire to be traded as an indictment on how poorly the Bengals have performed over the last decade.  In a past press conference, you cited a stat about how the Bengals are in the top ten in drafting and starting players in the past decade.  But what has that gotten the team?  Are there are any Super Bowl trophies?

Other players who have wanted to be traded by the Bengals were not team players, unlike Palmer.  I was impressed that you turned down two first-round draft picks (okay, the second first-round draft pick was conditional, but it was at least third) for Ochoncinco back in 2008.  As a fan, I was slightly disappointed with that decision because it seemed like a great way to add other talent to the team.  But I also like your staunch integrity.  I feel that it sent a great message to other players that they’re not running the team.  You are.  It’s rare these days to find someone who sticks to his values as steadfast as you do.

Still.  This is a situation that you haven’t encountered in almost two decades (Boomer Esiason).  Starting over at QB in the NFL is one of the most difficult things to do.  But this seems to be the only option that you have.

Hoping Palmer returns to the Bengals is like the captain of the Titanic hoping he didn’t hit that darn iceberg.

Palmer’s trade demand is that iceberg.  The water is filling the hulls of the team.  The ship may not “sink,” but Cincinnati won’t recover as quickly without trading him.  If you are willing to ignore his trade demands and let him retire without receiving any “value” at all, this would be an unnecessarily catastrophic blow to the team.  The thing that irks me the most is that you seem to care more about your own personal perception around the league of an owner “not to be messed with” than you care about the success of the team.

As a smart business man, I know that you are cognizant of the time when a business venture is about to fail and you need to cut your losses and move one.  This is that time for the Bengals.  Let Palmer be traded to whoever is willing to give a first-round draft choice.  If you can trade with the Cardinals or 49ers, that’s two top-ten draft selections.  You can draft the quarterback of the future along with a stud wide receiver in A.J. Green or Julio Jones.  Or better yet, I’d draft a QB and then a defensive tackle in the first round, providing help on both sides of the football.

I am a huge Bengals fan and want them to win very badly.  I shared season tickets with my friend, J. G.  Our seats were in Section 314, Row 8, Seats 15-16.  After the current season, I still wanted to keep the tickets, but Jeff did not, so we’re trying to sell the seat license right now.  I still believe in the Bengals, and I still have high hopes with their chances of producing a winning team, despite all of the problems that have occurred.

However, it pains me to be a Bengals fan because I feel that the organization is not run in the best way possible.  Your willingness to let Palmer retire without a trade does not say to me you want the team to win.

Please don’t let your hubris get in the way of giving the best chance for the team to win.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully submitted,

David R. Jacob

If you have an questions, comments, suggestions, complaints, you can email David Jacob at djacob@gearupforsports.com.  You can also join his facebook group, and/or follow him at http://twitter.com/HoldenCarraway.