Arizona Cardinals From A To Z: Larry Fitzgerald
By Scott Allen
Player profile of WR Larry Fitzgerald as Arizona Cardinals training camp starts July 31st
As we prepare for Arizona Cardinals training camp reporting date of July 31st, it is time for our annual look at the roster player by player. I look at what they’ve done, where they are now and how I project each player’s status at the end of camp.
We go from A to Z and continue with WR Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz enters his 12 season in the NFL and the Cardinals.
2014 season: Fitz didn’t have what many would consider a good year – at least not for him. I look at it this way. Fitz is still trying to get used to being a slot receiver. He’s also just one play maker amongst many. With the emergence of John Brown, the pressure was taken off Fitz. Of course there was also the issue of revolving quarterbacks due to injury. That had an overall effect on the passing game, not just for Fitz. So, I look at Fitz’s 63 receptions for 784 yards and two touchdowns as being a guy who continues to work hard and earn everything that comes his way. His 80 yard touchdown catch and run against the Philadelphia Eagles showed us he still has gas in the tank. So many people wanted to get rid of him, trade him while they could.
2015 season projection: So the Cardinals didn’t trade him and gave him the extension I wanted to see him get. Did they overpay for him? Probably but he means so much to the franchise on and off the field. The Cardinals made the right move. I also see with a healthy Carson Palmer behind center that Fitz will improve all three of those numbers in receptions,. yards, and touchdowns. Keep in mind, his days of 10-15 touchdowns are probably over. Not because he isn’t the number one receiver or can’t but because there are now so many weapons to spread the wealth to.
Like @LarryFitzgerald with the @AZCardinals, couldn't imagine Dwyane Wade playing anywhere other than Miami.
— Dave Pasch (@DavePasch) July 2, 2015
Hey @LarryFitzgerald, can you tell we are counting down to #CardsCamp? #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/JhARex3ioW
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) July 2, 2015
Fitz is a great possession guy. He can still get up and grab balls out of mid-air. There is no reason to believe just because people think he is getting overpaid that he can’t still produce. The Cardinals did what they needed to do to keep Fitz in Arizona and retire here. I think Fitz is ready for a big season in 2015.