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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Carson Palmer knows he has every reason to believe this season could be his best.The 36-year-old quarterback will be at the controls of a high-octane Arizona Cardinals offense that returns every player who gained a yard for the team last season.Palmer said hes blessed to play this long and to be on such a good team at this point in his career.I never would have guessed I would have gotten the opportunity to play for 14 years, he said, when I was that kid in the backyard with his helmet on, pretending like there are guys trying to tackle me.Just dont ask him about how he got over his ugly performance in last seasons NFC championship game. He threw four interceptions and fumbled the ball away twice in the Cardinals 49-15 loss to Carolina.Its not a favorite subject.He said he never thinks about it until I get asked about it.Last year is last year, Palmer said after Tuesdays practice. This is a different team. Theres no lingering. Im focused on today.How did he get over it?Just do it. You just move on, Palmer said. You start working on what you need to improve on, and preparing for whats ahead, not whats behind.Coach Bruce Arians said he knew Palmer was over it the first time I saw him, about five days later.There was never a doubt in my mind, Arians said. He throws a pick in the fourth quarter, he just comes right back. So its not a big deal for him.Palmer set franchise records last season for yards passing (4,671), touchdown passes (35) and passer rating (104.6) while directing the Cardinals to a 13-3 record and the NFC West title.So expectations are sky high as the team prepares for its season opener Sunday night against the New England Patriots.Its great, because people are right, Palmer said. We are pretty good. Now weve got to go out and play it and prove it and back that up.Its been an up-and-down journey since he was drafted No. 1 overall by Cincinnati so long ago.Theres no doubt Im extremely blessed to be here, Palmer said, to be in this situation with this team because I know how hard it is, and how difficult it is, to find the right situation. ... Its very rare, and getting to play this game so long is rare. I think thats why Ive enjoyed the end so much more than every part of the career.He hasnt talked about how much longer he will play. He signed an extension that puts him under contract through the 2017 season and shows no sign of losing interest.Hes always been a junkie, a workaholic, Arians said, even more so now because I think hes excited about the team he has. With two days off, he texted me about 30 times, so thats a good thing.Palmer said its too early to say whether this team is better than the 2015 Cardinals, who led the league averaging 408.3 yards per game. But he knows it could be, maybe should be.Its just exciting, knowing week in and week out, that if you go out and execute and play your best, you can beat anybody, Palmer said. Its a very unique group of guys, guys are great to come to work with, guys that arent just going through the motions. We dont have that.Two of the teams best young players, running back David Johnson and wide receiver John Brown, have special praise for their veteran quarterback.Johnson said Palmer had to tell him who to block before plays last season.He knows exactly what every player has, the route that each player has, Johnson said. He knows exactly how to control the O-line in picking up the blitzes, helping them out that way. He just knows how to lead us.Palmer took Brown under his wing early, taking him to the quarterbacks San Diego home to work out after Brown was drafted out of a small school, Pittsburg State.I cant thank him enough, Brown said. Hes just a great guy overall. Im willing to do anything for him, thats how much I love him and have respect for him.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Patrick Kane Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Jonathan Toews Blackhawks Jersey . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. http://www.officialblackhawksfanstore.com/authentic-denis-savard-blackhawks-jersey/ . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Dylan Strome Jersey . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Chris Chelios Jersey . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes.LOS ANGELES -- Raffi Torres spent the past year in Phoenix and San Jose trying to shake his reputation as a dangerous player. His hit on Los Angeles centre Jarret Stoll might have erased much of that work and put both players post-season futures in doubt. Stoll is likely to miss Game 2 of the Kings second-round playoff series against the Sharks on Thursday night. The valuable two-way forward didnt return to the series opener after a hard hit from Torres late in the second period of Los Angeles 2-0 victory. Kings coach Darryl Sutter implied Wednesday that Stoll could be out for a significant length of time. Torres also might be sidelined for a stretch after he travels to New York for a disciplinary hearing Thursday with the NHLs Department of Player Safety, which suspended him until the hearing is completed. "I thought it was careless," Sutter said of Torres hit, which occurred near the sideboards after the puck rolled away from Stoll. A lengthy suspension wouldnt make Sutter feel any better about Torres play, either: "Our player is quite a bit more important than theirs." During the defending Stanley Cup champions 2-0 victory over the Sharks, Stoll was bent forward when Torres approached him from the side for a shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Stolls head also snapped back violently before he fell forward onto the ice. Torres was called for a minor penalty for charging, and Stoll didnt return to the game. Most of the Kings declined to weigh in on the hits legality after Wednesdays light practice, claiming they hadnt seen replays. Stoll attended the Kings team meeting before practice, but wasnt on the ice. The Sharks had much stronger opinions about the play: Torres, captain Joe Thornton and coach Todd McLellan all said the hit was perfectly legal, and shouldnt even have resulted in San Joses only penalty in Game 1. "We questioned the call of a charging penalty," Thornton said. "So we were kind of shocked to hear he has to fly to New York for the hearing, because we didnt see anything wrong on the play. ... Its unfortunate that Raffi has to go through this again." Further complicating matters, Stoll and Torres are friends after three seasons as teammates with the Edmonton Oilers from 2005-08. The Kings would lose plenty without Stoll, a stalwart on their championship team last summer. Stoll is their third-line centre and a top penalty-killer and faceoff specialist, playing a valuable two-way game while also logging time on the power play. Although he doesnt score many points, getting just one assist in seven playoff games this spring, Stoll scored the series-winning goal in last seasons upset of top-seedded Vancouver in the first round on the way to the title.dddddddddddd He also has a history of apparent concussions earlier in his career. "Hes a big loss, one of our most valuable guys," Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said. "Everybody else will have to step up if we want to keep going forward." Torres absence isnt likely to affect the Sharks offensive efforts against goalie Jonathan Quick, who shut them out on 35 shots in the series opener. But Stolls absence on defence changes the mix for Los Angeles, which must entrust additional ice time to role players without one of its leaders. Brad Richardson, who played 13 games during the Kings championship playoff run, is likely to replace Stoll in the lineup for Game 2. Richardson hasnt played in this post-season since Game 1 of the Kings first-round series with St. Louis. "Its huge, because hes one of our clutch players," Richardson said of Stoll. "Hes the first guy on the penalty kill, and hes a power-play guy." Even if it is deemed legal, the hit ignites another round of trouble for Torres, the journeyman forward whose ugly reputation has surfaced again. While playing for Phoenix last season, Torres received a 21-game suspension -- initially 25 games -- for a high hit on Chicago star Marian Hossa in the first round of the playoffs. That play cemented Torres identity as a cheap shot artist and dangerous player in many NHL minds. But the former No. 5 overall draft pick insists he has cleaned up his game during a season of largely trouble-free play with San Jose, his sixth team in six seasons. "If he is going to miss some games, were going to miss him," said Sharks forward Logan Couture, who thought the hit was clean from his on-ice viewpoint. "But its an opportunity for other guys to step up the physical play and try to take over his role. Were going to support Raffi, and whatever happens, happens." Kings forward Dustin Penner thought Torres hit was objectionable mostly because it was unnecessary. He sees little comparison to the hit by Ottawas Eric Gryba on Montreal centre Lars Eller in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, resulting in a two-game suspension for a blow that left Eller with a concussion and a broken nose. Eller didnt return to the series as the Senators advanced. "I think that hit (in Ottawa) was fine," Penner said. "I know some people dont, but its a split-second decision. You guys can slow it down to .001 milliseconds, but hes got to make that hit, and this one (by Torres), he probably didnt need to make that hit. Thats where I see the difference." ' ' '