All that changed, however, when Pete Carroll arrived and installed Norm Chow as his offensive coordinator. Under Chow, Palmer learned patience. Before, he used his cannon to try and blow everybody away with one spectacular play. After, he calmed down and began taking what the defense gave him. What he got in return was a Heisman Trophy, an Orange Bowl trouncing of Iowa and the honor of being the top pick in the 2003 NFL draft.

In three seasons with the Bengals, Palmer has adapted gradually to the NFL game, to the point where he’s playing with the same confidence he developed under Chow.

It also helped that he came to the Bengals at just the right time. Lewis took over as coach in Palmer’s rookie season, and he put Palmer to work immediately — with a clipboard. Palmer sat and watched as Jon Kitna led the Bengals to an 8-8 season.

But Lewis, who had been passed over for head-coaching opportunities for years, created a franchise revival that coincided with Palmer’s arrival. If Palmer had gone to a team that has no idea what it was doing — like the Texans, for example — he probably still would have been coveted by fantasy leaguers, and he would have made that team much better, but he also would have been on his back a lot. And, he would be losing a lot.

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What Palmer is now is the best of everything. He is a quarterback with enough experience to lead his team to playoff success. He is young and physically sound — assuming the knee passes muster, as everyone around it predicts. He has proved to be smart enough to pick apart the finest NFL defenses. He’s a good citizen who commands the respect of teammates and peers. He has the kind of arm that can make any throw on the field. He’s on a team that is good enough to be in the Super Bowl mix.

Most of all, he’s competitive. He never shrinks from a challenge. If he had not gotten carted off so early in that playoff game last year against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it might have been Carson Palmer’s name on everybody’s lips instead of Ben Roethlisberger’s.

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Manning hasn’t gotten worse, although without Edgerrin James, his team might have. Manning might be going through what John Elway went through. And perhaps like with Elway, Manning will win Super Bowls at the tail end of his career.

Brady is still highly regarded, and in the minds of many the best at what he does because he’s usually amazing under pressure. But he won three rings fairly early in his career, and in the “What have you done for me lately?” world of pro football, he might eventually be nudged aside in the active QB pantheon if he doesn’t rebound from the interception and 99-yard runback by Champ Bailey in last year’s playoff loss to Denver. That, it should be noted, was Brady’s first postseason defeat in 11 outings.

It isn’t so much that the Manning and Brady eras are over, but rather that the Palmer era is just dawning. When it reaches its peak — which could be any moment now — the debate over which NFL quarterback stands atop the rest will be made a lot clearer.