BENGALS Palmer expects to play better

He is the poster boy for disgruntled fans who expected more this season.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Carson Palmer won't assign himself a midterm mark for his first season as an NFL quarterback.
"It's tough to grade yourself, but I know I can play a lot better than what I've played," Palmer said.
His numbers don't help much in making a judgment.
Palmer's passer rating of 66.3 is the fourth lowest in the league, normally a sign the quarterback is struggling.
In this case, it's more a reflection of the rest of the team and the schedule.
Cincinnati (3-5) has one of the NFL's worst defenses, allowing opponents to pile up 351 yards a game and a league-worst 150 per game on the ground.
Palmer rarely has the advantage of playing to protect a lead -- he's usually forced to throw into a blitzing defense in the fourth quarter.
Offensive line hurting
The offensive line has been a hodgepodge because of injuries, a weakness that opponents regularly exploit.
Pro Bowl right tackle Willie Anderson is the latest casualty, playing with torn cartilage in his knee.
Despite the turmoil, Palmer has developed. He ran the offense efficiently and didn't make a mistake in a 26-3 victory over Dallas last Sunday.
"I think he's done well," coach Marvin Lewis said.
"He's not been rattled. He's handled things well, handled the ups and downs.
"For some reason, he just keeps getting blamed for things. But Carson's had about two bad plays, maybe three, that prevent us from winning games at times. I wish all our guys had that few."
Most of those mistakes involve trying to force a pass into coverage during one of those frantic comeback attempts, resulting in an interception.
He has six touchdown passes and 10 interceptions overall, but has gotten better in the last four games -- only three interceptions.
"I think I've learned a lot from forcing the ball into places," he said.
Looked good vs. Dallas
His improvement was on display against Dallas, when he smoothly executed a conservative game plan. More than half of his 21 completions went to tight ends and running backs, a low-risk approach that brought boos from the home crowd but plaudits from the coaches.
"It's tough on the fans," Palmer said. "I can understand why they're frustrated, because you get frustrated thinking, 'Man, we should be taking more shots downfield. There should be more open.'
"I've also learned that just completions put pressure on the defense, whether it be a dump-off to the fullback. That puts more pressure on the defense than taking shots and trying to hit Chad [Johnson] on the deep post."
Palmer has been under nearly constant pressure from an array of respected defenses. He has already faced four defenses currently ranked in the league's top 10 for yards and points allowed. On Sunday, he gets another one, the Washington Redskins.
"They do a lot of stuff that's very unorthodox," Palmer said.
"They do a lot of stuff that other teams in the league don't do. It's a big challenge for us. Every week is, though."
Especially when the quarterback is just learning.
"I'm definitely not pleased with the way I've played or with the outcome of our games, being 3-5," he said. "I've got a lot of room to grow, though."