2 ARIZONA CARDINALS
A top wideout once again has someone to throw him the ball
For established veterans such as Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, preseason games are all about limiting risk: Get your timing down, then grab a seat on the bench. Yet there was Fitzgerald in the exhibition opener against the Raiders, making a spectacular one-handed grab along the sideline, then shoving off a defender before cutting back toward the middle of the field, where he might find more yards but also more tacklers.
The next week at training camp, Fitzgerald shook his head and laughed while recalling the play. It was such a rookie move, subjecting his body to potential injury in a game that meant nothing. At the same time it was a reminder of how excited and rejuvenated he feels following the team's acquisition of quarterback Kevin Kolb from the Eagles.
Arizona went through four signal-callers last season, and the only thing memorable about them was their ineptitude: Their combined 60.5 passer rating was 31st in the league. The season was particularly nightmarish for Fitzgerald, who had established himself as one of the league's elite receivers over the previous two years with Kurt Warner delivering the ball. Warner threw for 56 touchdowns in 2008 and '09; after he retired, Arizona's four quarterbacks combined for 10 last year.
"It was tough," says the 28-year-old Fitzgerald. "I know I wasn't the only one struggling through it, but my job is predicated on somebody else getting me the ball. I caught passes from Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson, John Skelton, Max Hall and Richard Bartel if you include the preseason, and it was difficult not knowing who was going to be back there. That uncertainty plays with you, because if you're a receiver and you beat a guy on a route and the ball's not there, there's no stat that says you won on that route. If your numbers are not where they should be, you're going to get the crooked eye."
Fitzgerald felt himself pressing to make a big play instead of letting one develop. "There were tough catches that I know I can make that I didn't make," Fitzgerald says, shaking his head a year later at the memory of a dropped pass in the end zone in a Monday-night game against the 49ers. "The level of difficulty was high, but I hold myself to the standard that if the ball touches my hands, I should catch it."
Now, though, there's no head-shaking. People within the organization can't remember Fitzgerald's being so happy and excited for a season—and not just because he recently signed an eight-year, $120 million extension that guarantees him $50 million. No, his optimism has to do with the arrival in July of Kolb, who signed a five-year extension, potentially worth $63 million, after being acquired for Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2012 second-round pick.
Fitzgerald got to know the laid-back Texan during the off-season, when Kolb stayed at his Paradise City house for a week. They worked out together three times, and Fitzgerald laughs at the initial session, during which the two got a feel for each other. Early on, Fitzgerald lined up wide right and ran a slant over the middle. The ball shot through his fingers and landed well down the field. "When he releases the ball, you don't think that it's coming at you with the velocity that it has, but he has a live arm," says Fitzgerald. "The ball jumps off his hand."
Fitzgerald learned one other thing about the 27-year-old Kolb: "He's a football junkie. It's not a hobby for him. He wants to be great. I'm that same way, so it's great because he'll challenge you." Like he did in the preseason opener at Oakland. As the Cardinals prepared to break the huddle early in the first quarter, Kolb looked at Fitzgerald and told him, "I'm coming to you. Make a play for me." Fitzgerald was covered along the sideline, but Kolb lofted the pass in his direction anyway. That's when Fitzgerald reached up with his left hand and pinned the ball between his helmet and shoulder pads, shoved off the defender with his right hand and ran recklessly into the teeth of the defense.
"Last year was kind of a transition year," says Fitzgerald. "There was a lot of uncertainty about who was going to be and who wasn't going to be in at quarterback. Now I know that this is the guy I'll most likely end my career with. So there's a sense of urgency for me to get a good rapport with him and go out there and make plays for him."
Even in preseason games.
PROJECTED LINEUP
WITH 2010 STATS
OFFENSE
2010 Rank: 31
QB KEVIN KOLB
ATT 189
COMP 115
PCT 60.8
YARDS 1,197
YD/ATT 6.33
TD 7
INT 7
RATING 76.1
RB BEANIE WELLS
ATT 116
YARDS 397
REC 5
TTD 2
FB ANTHONY SHERMAN (R)
ATT 4
YARDS 3
REC 11
TTD 1
WR LARRY FITZGERALD
REC 90
YARDS 1,137
AVG 12.6
TTD 6
WR ANDRE ROBERTS
REC 24
YARDS 307
AVG 12.8
TTD 2
TE TODD HEAP
REC 40
YARDS 599
AVG 15.0
TTD 5
LT LEVI BROWN
G 16
SACKS 7
HOLD 2
FALSE 3
LG DARYN COLLEDGE
G 16
SACKS 3
HOLD 1
FALSE 4
C LYLE SENDLEIN
G 16
SACKS 4½
HOLD 0
FALSE 2
RG REX HADNOT
G 11
SACKS 0
HOLD 0
FALSE 0
RT BRANDON KEITH
G 9
SACKS 6½
HOLD 0
FALSE 0
RB LAROD STEPHENS-HOWLING
ATT 23
YARDS 113
REC 16
TTD 1
WR EARLY DOUCET
ATT 26
YARDS 291
REC 11.2
TTD 1
DEFENSE
2010 Rank: 29
DE CALAIS CAMPBELL
TACKLES 60
SACKS 6
INT 0
NT DAN WILLIAMS
TACKLES 38
SACKS 0
INT 0
DE DARNELL DOCKETT
TACKLES 52
SACKS 5
INT 0
LB CLARK HAGGANS
TACKLES 47
SACKS 5
INT 0
LB DARYL WASHINGTON
TACKLES 75
SACKS 1
INT 1
LB PARIS LENON
TACKLES 125
SACKS 2
INT 2
LB JOEY PORTER
TACKLES 50
SACKS 5
INT 0
CB A.J. JEFFERSON
TACKLES 0
SACKS 0
INT 0
SS ADRIAN WILSON
TACKLES 88
SACKS 2
INT 2
FS KERRY RHODES
TACKLES 90
SACKS 1
INT 4
CB PATRICK PETERSON (R)
TACKLES 42
SACKS 0
INT 0
DB RASHAD JOHNSON
TACKLES 32
SACKS 0
INT 1
SPECIALISTS
K JAY FEELY
FG 24
FGA 27
XP 29
PTS 101
P BEN GRAHAM
PUNTS 94
GROSS 43.4
NET 36.6
BOLD: Projected starter
Italics: New acquisition
(R) Rookie: College stats
TTD: Total touchdowns
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
SACKS: Sacks allowed
HOLD: Holding penalties
FALSE: False starts
2011 SCHEDULE
2010 RECORD: 5--11
September
11 Carolina
18 at Washington
25 at Seattle
October
2 N.Y. Giants
9 at Minnesota
16 BYE
23 Pittsburgh
30 at Baltimore
November
6 St. Louis
13 at Philadelphia
20 at San Francisco
27 at St. Louis
December
4 Dallas
11 San Francisco
18 Cleveland
24 at Cincinnati (Sat)
January
1 Seattle
COACH: KEN WHISENHUNT
AGE: 49
FIFTH YEAR WITH THE CARDINALS (32--32)
Two years ago Whisenhunt became the second coach in the Super Bowl era (after Don Coryell) to take the Cardinals to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Whisenhunt is an offensive innovator who has had success when he's had a capable quarterback. It might not be this year, but if Kevin Kolb is as good as Arizona believes, Whisenhunt should be back in the postseason before long.
SPOTLIGHT
DAN WILLIAMS, Nosetackle
For a 3--4 scheme to work, it must include a stout noseguard who can command double teams and hold the point of attack. The Cardinals thought they were getting that last year when they selected Williams in the first round out of Tennessee. The 6'2" Williams struggled with weight and stamina issues as a rookie; he was benched in Week 4 for being too heavy. This year he reported to camp at 334 pounds—seven over his playing weight—and admitted he hadn't stayed in shape during the off-season. "I should have done more," he told The Arizona Republic. "Next year, I'll know the proper step and I'll put this behind me."
The coaches are trying to be patient because they know that the 24-year-old was hurt by the lockout. But unless Williams improves his work ethic and upper-body strength—which he's vowed to do—the job might not be his for long. The Cardinals, who were 30th against the run last year, have been impressed with David Carter, a sixth-round draft pick from UCLA, where he started only as a senior. That inexperience scared off several teams, but during training camp one NFC West rival was kicking himself for passing on the 6'5" 300-pounder, who has not only the agility to be effective on the interior but also the attitude. Williams should take note.
PHOTO
JOHN BIEVER (KOLB)
NEW DEAL To the delight of Cards receivers, Kolb arrived from Philadelphia to bring stability to a team that went through four quarterbacks last season.
PHOTO
BOB ROSATO (WHISENHUNT)
PHOTO
GENE LOWER/SOUTHCREEK GLOBAL/ZUMAPRESS.COM (WILLIAMS)
