Palmer Ready to Step Back Into Fire

USC linebacker Markus Steele was reciting the list of nicknames.

Pretty mundane stuff, mostly, like “Rap” for backup quarterback Mike Van Raaphorst or “Sultie” for running back Sultan McCullough.

Then there was starting quarterback Carson Palmer.

“CP,” Steele said.

Steele didn’t leave it at that. There is another way to refer to Palmer.

“The Man.”

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People expect things from this Trojan group. There’s enough talent and enough experience to merit a place among the top 15 teams in the country in preseason polls. The offensive line (which was mostly offensively maligned last year) swears it has improved after diligent off-season workouts. The defensive front returns.

And Palmer is back, after missing the final nine games of his sophomore season with a broken collarbone.

He is a gifted talent at a critical position, the singular player who can elevate this team.

That’s what makes this season so promising--and adds a touch of mystery, perhaps even regret.

Because we don’t know exactly how good Palmer is. All we know is that he isn’t quite as good as he could be.

That’s not a knock on Palmer. It’s a simple fact that he would be further along with the benefit of playing those additional nine games.

How good would Palmer be then?

“My God, he probably would be talking about the NFL this year,” wide receiver Kareem Kelly said. “I think if Carson would have played the whole season last year, [NFL scouts would] be on him right now. They’d be on him to ‘Come out, come out.’ ”

Instead, Palmer is a guy who had as many interceptions as touchdown passes (three) last season. A guy who has started a total of eight games in his career and has thrown 288 passes.

He was talented enough to become a starter as a freshman in 1998. Coach Paul Hackett tried to work him in slowly and deliberately, with only a few scripted plays here and there, but after eight games Hackett couldn’t keep Palmer on the sideline anymore.

In 1999, it turns out it was Palmer who knocked himself out, breaking his collarbone by taking on a tackler instead of running out of bounds while scrambling against Oregon. He was done and so were the Trojans, who sputtered to a 6-6 record.

“Any time you take a year off from playing, it’s going to set you back,” Hackett said. “I think what he was able to do was watch and understand how much it was for him to learn.

“I think he knows pretty much what our offense is about,” Hackett said. “That usually happens in year three. The downside is not much experience, not many starts, not many big games.

“But certainly the foundation is there, and certainly the skill is there. I think he has a chance to really have a breakout year. I think if he can do that, I think he can take that next jump.”

If there’s anything that Palmer feels he missed, it’s “just the experience.”

“I don’t have much experience as it is,” Palmer said. “The experience of being back in the huddle, back in the middle of the game. When the game’s on the line, when there’s a lot of pressure on you. Just having that feeling again.”

The reviews from Palmer’s spring practices were favorable, although Palmer said things didn’t really click for him until the final few days.

Palmer says his shoulder is completely healed.

He is confident enough in his team to say things like, “We expect to win every game,” and, “We know we have more talent than a lot of teams we’re going to play.”

Palmer’s teammates have full confidence in him.

“It’s the same old Carson back there,” offensive tackle Brent McCaffrey said.

Palmer just has it.

McCaffrey said it was there from the time Palmer stepped into the huddle in his first game and said, “Let’s do this,” then led the Trojans to a touchdown--plus two more scores in his next two drives.

Palmer attributes his trademark poise to a love of football and his devotion to the sport since he was a kid. It’s what he knows, it’s what he is.

“I think it’s just that I’m concentrating so much on what I have to do,” Palmer said. “I’m not really thinking about the crowd or anything else that’s going on. I’m just so focused on the play and what the defense is, the snap count and everything else.”

Palmer is eager to get back on the field, and also brimming with confidence. Why? Without any evidence, we’ll just have to believe that he is ready, that perhaps he knows something the rest of us don’t.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com