Carson Palmer Explains Why Cincinnati Bengals Fans Are So Great: ‘They Understand Football’

Carson Palmer knows a thing or two about playing football in Los Angeles and Cincinnati. The 2002 Heisman Trophy winner at USC spent his first seven seasons in the NFL as the quarterback for the Bengals, taking the franchise to the NFL Playoffs twice in his career, in 2005 and 2009.

At the Frito-Lay’s Calle de Crunch Super Bowl experience in Los Angeles, Palmer explained why it’s been such a thrill to watch Joe Burrow lead the team to their first Super Bowl since 1989.

“It’s just a shock. I don’t think anyone expected this roster to be here back in September. I don’t think anyone thought it could happen in December, as the season why winding down and the playoffs were starting,” Carson explains.

Related: Carson Palmer Explains Why It’s Been ‘Demoralizing’ To Be In Joe Burrow’s Shoes

“It’s just so cool to see the reaction of the Bengals fans. They’re so passionate. That fanbase has stuck by them for 30 years. It’s been 30-something years since they’ve been to a Super Bowl.”

What makes playing football to Who Dey nation so special?

According to Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals fans are “a fanbase that understands football…”

“That fanbase understands football. They know it. They know when to be loud in stadiums, they know when to be quiet.”

“They understand all the nuances of the game. So it’s a great place to play,” Palmer adds, “from a player’s perspective because the fanbase is so knowledgable.”

“They watch every game. They read the press clippings, they follow the team on the Internet. So to see them finally get a chance to be celebrated in that city and in a place like LA, and around the world, is more than I expected. I’m just happy for that fanbase.”

Who is Carson Palmer rooting for in the Super Bowl?

Later in the interview, Palmer explains that he’s rooting hard for the Bengals in the Super Bowl this year, despite his playing college football in Los Angeles.

“I’m rooting for the Bengals… I can’t imagine that city having a Championship parade. The excitement and energy in that city.”

But he adds:

“I just don’t know if they have the firepower. If you look at this Rams roster. It’s All-Pros, it’s all-stars. It’s the highest-paid guys in their positions. There’s a bunch of guys that are probably going to go on to the Hall Of Fame. The Bengals are young. They don’t have that kind of a roster. The Rams were here three years ago… They’ve lost this game, they know how hard it is to lose.”

“My heart’s in Cincinnati, I just don’t think they have the firepower to win.”

Watch the full interview with Carson Palmer, from the Frito-Lay’s Calle de Crunch experience in Los Angeles before Super Bowl LVI.