Player Spotlight: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals (1 Viewer)

[Dr. Octopus]

Here are some things I found while writing this article http://rotoviz.com/index.php/2013/05/let-someone-else-draft-larry-fitzgerald/

Among other things, you cite as a negative in this article that Palmer didn't target WRs with a high percentage of his pass attempts. But the situations are apples and oranges. Oakland's McFadden and Reece are much better receiving options than Arizona's RBs. Housler may have potential, but there is no reason to believe he will be as good of a receiving option as Myers. Meanwhile, Oakland had a group of average WRs in DHB, Moore, and Streater. I think it's obvious that Fitz, Floyd, and Roberts are a much stronger WR group. So the percentage of attempts to WRs in Oakland really do not seem predictive for Arizona.

You also show a lot of similarity scores that project out to performances in the WR27-ish range. But looking at those situations, how many are really comparable to Fitz's situation? How many of those players had been multi-time top 5 WRs? How many were Fitz's age or less? How many were switching to a situation with a new QB who by all accounts is expected to be a significant improvement? How many were also switching to a new coaching staff? I really don't see those comps as being relevant.

You mention PFF in the article. PFF says only 76 of Fitz's 148 targets last season were catchable. That is only 51.4%. Meanwhile, PFF says DHB, Moore, and Streater received 153 of 258 catchable targets. That is 59.3%. This suggests Fitz's catchable percentage will go up significantly, especially since he is more talented than all of those guys. That alone suggests Fitz is in line for another 20 catches or so.

I'm not saying Fitz should be ranked, much less drafted, as a top 5 WR. But I think he stands an excellent chance of finishing as a top 10 WR this season.

Housler has shown much more in his first two years than Myers did in his first three and was higher draft pick (3rd vs. 6th). I'm still not sure how he'll be used but I think he's a vastly superior talent to Myers.

Let me rephrase. Do you think Housler will be targeted as much as Myers was last season? That was the main point of that paragraph, that what happened in Oakland last season is not predictive of what will happen in Arizona this season.

I think that Palmer's current skill set and mental acuity point towards lower aDOT for all players, and that means more dump off plays to RBs and shorter passing routes to tight ends.

The Bruce Arians offense barely utilized RBs as pass catchers and largely ignored the TE position for the most part as well.

Heath Miller caught 76 passes in 2009 and the Colts TE's caught 71 last year.

Heath Miller has his best season the year after Arians left and had done very little since 2009. I was hestating to phrase it they way I did, but in general it was an accurate statement. I dont think it will affect Housler much as I've read Arians wanted Pitts to draft him as a big WR so he obviously sees his talent - I'm just trying to refute the notion that what Palmer did last season doesn't necessarily translate to this season given the change in offenses and personnel in his change from Oakland to Arizona.

 

[Shutout]

I think I read somewhere that Fitz failed to catch 1-2 passes thrown his way last year that were deemed actually catchable. Then the article said that the number of uncatchable passes thrown his way last year was some rediculous number like 40. That really illustrates how truly terrible this QB play was last year. Then the article mentioned that the Cardinals had literally zero attempted 40+ yard passes to Fitz last year that were in reality catchable.

I know Palmer gets dogged on a lot and people generally think he is washed up (I think anyone who playes for the Raiders gets that label but several players have emerged from the Black hole to prove that far from correct) but Palmer has always had a pretty good deep ball and I trst enough in Fitz's talents and Arians designs to know that will improve from last year and even if it only improves minutely, let;s say 7 passes on the season, then there is a really good chance that bumps his stat line by 7 catches, 280 yards (minimum of 40 yard pass *7) and probably 4-5 Tds.

So, at a minimum, his floor could be reasonably set at 80/1100/9. Now, if you believe Arians in saying he is going to do what he did not Wayne and Miller and IF you believe Fitz is just as good as those two, then you might be inclined to boost the catches by a meager 10 on the year, the yards by 150 or so and give hime 2 more Tds or so. Now he is 90/1250/11. It's a silly exercise on my part to guess these numbers but the illustration is the point. He did about as bad as a guy as talented as he is could possibly do in about as bad a situation as could existed and now he has a proven set of support in his coach and QB and reasonable imporvement to be expect in his RB, line, and wr help.

He is going to be better and we all know what he is capable of.

 

[TheDirtyWord]

I think one thing we are all guilty of in FF is we for the most part take a year-to-year, myopic view of the NFL landscape. And in Fitzgerald, I think we have a player here who is at the moment being given a mid-3rd round grade which is a round too low. When Fitz has had a QB who could get him the ball, he’s simply been a game changing type player, both from an actual and fantasy perspective. But since Kurt Warner retired, here are the QB’s that taken snaps for ARI.

Derek Anderson
Max Hall
John Skelton
Richard Bartel
Kevin Kolb
Ryan Lindley
Brian Hoyer

On that list, it’s difficult to argue that more than 2 of those guys are even back-up caliber. Shame on Arizona for being left so unprotected at the games most important position. If we’re calling a spade a spade, acquiring Carson Palmer looks good only by comparison, but he will be at least a competent player and one who should be able to make much better use of Fitzgerald, a player whose ball skills are unparalleled.

With Bruce Arians now bringing his pass-centric offense to ARI…it’s tough to imagine them not throwing the ball 600+ times. If you take Fitz’s target percentage over the last 3 years of 27.9%, that would mean 167 targets for Fitzgerald. Consider that Reggie Wayne’s target % was 30.9% and I think 170 targets would be Fitz’s floor. With Kurt Warner from 2007-2009, Fitz’s catch percentage was 61%. The last 3 seasons, it was 50%. Let’s split the difference and give Fitz a 55.5% catch percentage on 170 targets, we’re talking 94 receptions.

If Fitz is catching close to 100 passes, then at least 10 of those are TD’s. While Palmer has not been a prolific TD thrower, I do think his best chance of success will be to lean on Fitz. While Andre Roberts and Michael Floyd wait/develop in the wings, Fitz will be ARI’s first and second look in the passing game which will be defined by a simple leap from atrocious to competent. And no doubt, Fitz will be hungry to re-establish himself as one of the Top 3 WR’s in the game.

As to the point of Fitz posting the same line as Andre Roberts, if I’m a defense, I’m taking away an incompetent QB’s security blanket away and making him utilize his other receivers. Fact is, Roberts & Floyd had better catch percentages than Fitz…do I think they come close to even a diminished Fitz in terms of ability and ability to haul down passes? Not close.

Prediction: 102 Receptions 1391 Receiving Yards, 11 TD’s.

 

[Anarchy99]

Let's look at Fitzgerald's best games.

He's had 9 receptions in a game 18 times . . . 13 times with Warner at QB and once with Leinart, Bartel, McCown, Skelton, and Kolb.

He's had 100+ receiving in a game 38 times . . . 23 times with Warner at QB, 5 times with Skelton, 3 times with Kolb, 2 with Leinart, and once with Bartel, Lindley, and Anderson.

He's had 2 TD or more in a game 15 times . . . 11 times with Warner at QB, 2 with McCown, and once with Skelton and Anderson.

I agree that any other QB that Fitzgerald has played with not been close to as good as Kurt Warner. However, I don't think Carson Palmer is anywhere near as good as Kurt Warner. At this stage of his career, I don't think Palmer has the arm strength he once had, is not particularly mobile, and will play behind an OL that won't offer much pass protection and could get him hit pretty often.

All those issues combined would make me take pause in considering drafting Fitzgerald as a Top 10 WR in redraft league (currently with an ADP of WR9).

 

[Chase Stuart]

I think one thing we are all guilty of in FF is we for the most part take a year-to-year, myopic view of the NFL landscape. And in Fitzgerald, I think we have a player here who is at the moment being given a mid-3rd round grade which is a round too low. When Fitz has had a QB who could get him the ball, he’s simply been a game changing type player, both from an actual and fantasy perspective. But since Kurt Warner retired, here are the QB’s that taken snaps for ARI.

Derek Anderson

Max Hall

John Skelton

Richard Bartel

Kevin Kolb

Ryan Lindley

Brian Hoyer

On that list, it’s difficult to argue that more than 2 of those guys are even back-up caliber. Shame on Arizona for being left so unprotected at the games most important position. If we’re calling a spade a spade, acquiring Carson Palmer looks good only by comparison, but he will be at least a competent player and one who should be able to make much better use of Fitzgerald, a player whose ball skills are unparalleled.

With Bruce Arians now bringing his pass-centric offense to ARI…it’s tough to imagine them not throwing the ball 600+ times. If you take Fitz’s target percentage over the last 3 years of 27.9%, that would mean 167 targets for Fitzgerald. Consider that Reggie Wayne’s target % was 30.9% and I think 170 targets would be Fitz’s floor. With Kurt Warner from 2007-2009, Fitz’s catch percentage was 61%. The last 3 seasons, it was 50%. Let’s split the difference and give Fitz a 55.5% catch percentage on 170 targets, we’re talking 94 receptions.

Fitz' catch percentage was 45.5% last year. I'm not sure I'm comfortable just saying he's going up to 55.5% because Carson Palmer is around.

As to the point of Fitz posting the same line as Andre Roberts, if I’m a defense, I’m taking away an incompetent QB’s security blanket away and making him utilize his other receivers. Fact is, Roberts & Floyd had better catch percentages than Fitz…do I think they come close to even a diminished Fitz in terms of ability and ability to haul down passes? Not close.

Prediction: 102 Receptions 1391 Receiving Yards, 11 TD’s.

Don't you think defenses will still double team Fitzgerald and make Palmer use Roberts and Floyd to beat them?

 

[Ruffrodys05]

I traded for Fitzgerald back in March and I don't regret it at all. I currently have him ranked 27th overall at WR10. I will use him as my WR2, as I also have Demaryius Thomas (WR3, 9th O/A.) I will be really happy if I get WR2 production out of Fitz this year.

I'll edit this post with my projections at a later time.

 

[TheDirtyWord]

I think one thing we are all guilty of in FF is we for the most part take a year-to-year, myopic view of the NFL landscape. And in Fitzgerald, I think we have a player here who is at the moment being given a mid-3rd round grade which is a round too low. When Fitz has had a QB who could get him the ball, he’s simply been a game changing type player, both from an actual and fantasy perspective. But since Kurt Warner retired, here are the QB’s that taken snaps for ARI.

Derek Anderson

Max Hall

John Skelton

Richard Bartel

Kevin Kolb

Ryan Lindley

Brian Hoyer

On that list, it’s difficult to argue that more than 2 of those guys are even back-up caliber. Shame on Arizona for being left so unprotected at the games most important position. If we’re calling a spade a spade, acquiring Carson Palmer looks good only by comparison, but he will be at least a competent player and one who should be able to make much better use of Fitzgerald, a player whose ball skills are unparalleled.

With Bruce Arians now bringing his pass-centric offense to ARI…it’s tough to imagine them not throwing the ball 600+ times. If you take Fitz’s target percentage over the last 3 years of 27.9%, that would mean 167 targets for Fitzgerald. Consider that Reggie Wayne’s target % was 30.9% and I think 170 targets would be Fitz’s floor. With Kurt Warner from 2007-2009, Fitz’s catch percentage was 61%. The last 3 seasons, it was 50%. Let’s split the difference and give Fitz a 55.5% catch percentage on 170 targets, we’re talking 94 receptions.

Fitz' catch percentage was 45.5% last year. I'm not sure I'm comfortable just saying he's going up to 55.5% because Carson Palmer is around.

>As to the point of Fitz posting the same line as Andre Roberts, if I’m a defense, I’m taking away an incompetent QB’s security blanket away and making him utilize his other receivers. Fact is, Roberts & Floyd had better catch percentages than Fitz…do I think they come close to even a diminished Fitz in terms of ability and ability to haul down passes? Not close.

Prediction: 102 Receptions 1391 Receiving Yards, 11 TD’s.

Don't you think defenses will still double team Fitzgerald and make Palmer use Roberts and Floyd to beat them?

To point #1: I'm by no means a Carson Palmer fan, but he's a competent veteran QB who'll be playing with a talent he's never had at his disposal before. I do recognize that 55.5% would be a good catch percentage for a WR, but IMO, when provided a QB...Fitz still is amongst the best in the game. So I do think that it's a reasonable expectation.

To point #2: I think it's one thing to do it with unqualified QB's. It's another thing to do so with one who can sling it a bit. Palmer threw for 4000 yards in 14 games with WR's like Denarius Moore, Rod Streater, DHB. Part of that was due to no running game, but I'm not sure the Cardinals have one either. I think working with one another they'll be able to find ways to hook up. I also believe the Cardinals rushing attack should provide more concern for defenses which it did not in 2012, which took play action almost completely out of the playbook.

If I'm trying to win a SuperBowl, I'm not picking Carson Palmer. In fact, I think the guy is a bit of a turd. But if he's the QB for 14-16 games for ARI, he'll provide them a solid passing game presence.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

After a couple of seasons where I think I had an ongoing thread about Fitz and really sent people in both directions off the rails a bit but I thin i would be a lot more interested in him this season. Palmer did stay fairly healthy in Oak the last 2 years, why can't he be at least moderately productive. 33 for a QB is not that old. Brees, Brady, Manning, all past that age now. Palmer should still have 2-3 solid seasons left.

I would be a lot more interested in him this year with his stock down a little. I would have no problem making him my WR2 off the board in the 3rd round if he fell that far.

 

[Anarchy99]

I think one thing we are all guilty of in FF is we for the most part take a year-to-year, myopic view of the NFL landscape. And in Fitzgerald, I think we have a player here who is at the moment being given a mid-3rd round grade which is a round too low. When Fitz has had a QB who could get him the ball, he’s simply been a game changing type player, both from an actual and fantasy perspective. But since Kurt Warner retired, here are the QB’s that taken snaps for ARI.

Derek Anderson

Max Hall

John Skelton

Richard Bartel

Kevin Kolb

Ryan Lindley

Brian Hoyer

On that list, it’s difficult to argue that more than 2 of those guys are even back-up caliber. Shame on Arizona for being left so unprotected at the games most important position. If we’re calling a spade a spade, acquiring Carson Palmer looks good only by comparison, but he will be at least a competent player and one who should be able to make much better use of Fitzgerald, a player whose ball skills are unparalleled.

With Bruce Arians now bringing his pass-centric offense to ARI…it’s tough to imagine them not throwing the ball 600+ times. If you take Fitz’s target percentage over the last 3 years of 27.9%, that would mean 167 targets for Fitzgerald. Consider that Reggie Wayne’s target % was 30.9% and I think 170 targets would be Fitz’s floor. With Kurt Warner from 2007-2009, Fitz’s catch percentage was 61%. The last 3 seasons, it was 50%. Let’s split the difference and give Fitz a 55.5% catch percentage on 170 targets, we’re talking 94 receptions.

Fitz' catch percentage was 45.5% last year. I'm not sure I'm comfortable just saying he's going up to 55.5% because Carson Palmer is around.

>As to the point of Fitz posting the same line as Andre Roberts, if I’m a defense, I’m taking away an incompetent QB’s security blanket away and making him utilize his other receivers. Fact is, Roberts & Floyd had better catch percentages than Fitz…do I think they come close to even a diminished Fitz in terms of ability and ability to haul down passes? Not close.

Prediction: 102 Receptions 1391 Receiving Yards, 11 TD’s.

trong>

Don't you think defenses will still double team Fitzgerald and make Palmer use Roberts and Floyd to beat them?

To point #1: I'm by no means a Carson Palmer fan, but he's a competent veteran QB who'll be playing with a talent he's never had at his disposal before. I do recognize that 55.5% would be a good catch percentage for a WR, but IMO, when provided a QB...Fitz still is amongst the best in the game. So I do think that it's a reasonable expectation.

To point #2: I think it's one thing to do it with unqualified QB's. It's another thing to do so with one who can sling it a bit. Palmer threw for 4000 yards in 14 games with WR's like Denarius Moore, Rod Streater, DHB. Part of that was due to no running game, but I'm not sure the Cardinals have one either. I think working with one another they'll be able to find ways to hook up. I also believe the Cardinals rushing attack should provide more concern for defenses which it did not in 2012, which took play action almost completely out of the playbook.

If I'm trying to win a SuperBowl, I'm not picking Carson Palmer. In fact, I think the guy is a bit of a turd. But if he's the QB for 14-16 games for ARI, he'll provide them a solid passing game presence.

Fitz will likely be the best WR Palmer has played with, but he did have Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens in the past.

But the past 3 years Palmer has not been all that great. 12-28 record. 17th in Y/A. 28th in TD%. 40th in INT%. (Remember, I based the numbers on players with 300 passes in that time, and there were a lot of QBs that qualified. The best selling point for Palmer over the past 3 years is that because the Bengals and Raiders were so mediocre, he had to pass a lot . . . ranking him 13th in yards/gm.

The net result is that Palmer really hasn't lit it up as of late, and the Cardinals taken as a whole are certainly a work in progress. I don't think he's on par with Andrew Luck or Ben Roethlisberger. An upgrade over the other guys that suited up last year, yes, but I still don't see where he is going to be one of the top 10 QBs in the league.

 

[ZWK]

Fitzgerald is an unusual case because he spent part of his career catching passes from a Hall of Famer and part of it trying to catch passes from the dreck of the NFL. During the Warner years (2005-2009), he averaged 96/1289/9.8 per 16 games, on 160 targets, which is a 60.2% catch rate and 8.1 YPA. During the post-Warner years (2010-2012), he has averaged 80/1115/6.0 per 16 games, on 161 targets, which is a 49.9% catch rate and 6.9 YPA. Night and day, and least for the efficiency numbers.

If we look at the Cardinals passing offense as a whole, during the Warner (+Leinart) years they averaged a 60.9% completion percentage, 6.6 YPA, and 23 TDs per season; since Warner those numbers are down to 54.0%, 5.5 YPA, and 14 TDs. How do Fitz's numbers compare to the rest of his team? With Warner, Fitz's catch rate was 0.4% below the team's completion percentage; post-Warner it is 4.2% below the team's completion percentage. With Warner, Fitz averaged 1.49 YPA better than the team's YPA; post-Warner he is 1.41 YPA better. With Warner, Fitz caught 45% of his team's TD passes (adjusted for missed games); post-Warner he has caught 45% of his team's TD passes. With Warner, Fitz was targeted on 26.8% of his team's passing attempts (adjusted for missed games); post-Warner he has been targeted on 28.2% of their attempts.

In other words, Fitz's performance has actually been very stable relative to his team's passing offense, Warner vs. post-Warner; his catch rate is down a little but everything else is about the same in relative terms. (Although 2012 was probably the worst year of his career: 9.9% below the team's completion percentage, only 0.17 YPA better than the team's YPA, only 36% of his team's receiving TDs, and only a 25.7% target rate.)

If we take Palmer's 2012 passing stats (345/565, 4018, 22 TD, 61.1%, 7.11 YPA in 15 games), pro-rate to 16 games, and give Fitz the same share of the passing offense that he averaged in 2010-12, then Fitz projects to 97/1445/10.5 on 170 targets, with a 57% catch rate and 8.5 YPA. If we instead use Fitz's career average offensive share (including his pre-Warner rookie year), he projects to 92/1351/10.5 on 158 targets, with a 58% catch rate and 8.6 YPA.

Those feel a little high, but I think there's a good chance that they're the right ballpark. Maybe more like 90/1250/9 on 155 targets, assuming 16 games.

 

[Beerguzzler]

90 1250 11 TD's seem reasonable based on his previous production and talent. A lot will rely on that O line being able to protect Palmer.

 

[ratbast]

Arent they getting some key OLine back from injury?

 

[Beerguzzler]

Arent they getting some key OLine back from injury?

They are getting Levi back at LT, which should be a substantial upgrade. They still have to play well together.

 

[JPeso]

90 catches / 1200 yards / 8 TD = 258 PPR / 16.1 PPR PPG

 

[Tanner9919]

Carson Palmer might be older than dirt,but he's going to be a solid QB this season..

4000/26-28 isn't impossible,heck,he nearly did it with Oakland last year...now he gets the best WR he's ever thrown to in Fitzgerald,and a pass-happy offensive system to go with it...

this might be one of his best seasons as a pro..

if you're saying 90+/1200/9, like some are predicting, the only question I have is, where do I sign up?

I'll take those numbers!

I sincerely hope that those at my scratch drafts loathe Palmer as much others on this board do..it makes Fitzgerald's stock price fall, making him an unbelievably great 2nd/3rd rounder..

 

[jurb26]

I'm really somewhat lost on how I feel about Fitz this year. As a matter of fact, I'm a bit lost on how I feel about the entire Arz offense. I feel as though Fitz is simple incapable of posting some of the numbers projected in this thread, 1200+ yds and 10+ TDs, without the entire offense improving. That most notably means the running game. There is the rub. I've got no clue what to expect from the running game. I've got little to no confidence in Mendy as the answer. I've got more confidence in Williams because I think he's more talented but he's never stayed healthy and is a crap shot as well. The rookies are roster fillers IMO. On top of that, Arz has a putrid oline. The only real bright spot here is that Cooper was drafted and we hope he is as good as advertised. I think he is but there is a margin for error with all rookies and even if he is, how much of an impact can a G really make in that disaster? Time will tell.

Then we have the crown jewel of Arz offseason, Palmer. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Palmer is an average QB at best right now. Having watched him in his prime in Cinci and last year I can say that yes, he has most definitely lost his fast ball. He just doesn't sling the ball like he used too. Now, that doesn't mean he can't make the throws. He can. Just not as well and he makes them in line with average QBs now, not top QBs. What really scares me about Palmer being in Arz is the mixture of him with that oline. Palmer needs a pocket. He does not handle traffic at his feet well and lacks the athletic ability to maneuver away from it like he used to. I'll give him one thing, he is fearless in the pocket and that I like. However, there can be a fine line between fearless and dead in the NFL. I simply mean dead in the pocket or had by the D, not literally dead of course. I believe the combination of his lack/deterioration of physical tools and fearlessness led to many unwarranted sacks and turnovers last year in Oak. This will only get worse in Arz where the supporting cast is likely to be worse. Like my first point about the Arz offense, I believe Palmer more than anyone needs Arz to turn their horrible run ing game around to relieve pressure on him. Palmer is not capable of carrying this offense at the stage of his career he's at. He can be a great facilitator under the right circumstances but I'm not sure I see those circumstances in Arz.

As for Fitz and how this all impacts him? Well, I must also say I don't think Fitz is in the elite category of WRs anymore also. He's still very good but there are just too many others better than him for me to say he's elite right now. C. Johnson, AJ Green, A. Johnson, Marshall, Bryant, J. Jones and Bowe are all guys I feel are better than Fitz right now. Others are in the ball park, though separating the, would be painful IMO. Say what you want about easier coverage or whatever else, Fitz was outplayed by Roberts last year. All in all though, Fitz's problems are about his situation, not talent level. I'm confident Fitz is capable of top production in the right situation. I don't quit see that situation in Arz right now unfortunately.

In short, it all depends on the running game. I have little confidence that gets totally turned around this year but could be wrong. I think the Arz offense should show mild improvement from last year and therefore I will project mild improvement for Fitz as well.

77 receptions, 1078 yds, 5 TDs

I think the main question people have to ask themselves here is what they expect the Arz offense as a whole to do, not just what Fitz dips capable of doing. This is a team that only amassed 20 offensive TDs last year. In 2011 they had 28. In 2010 they had 21. That 3 year average is horrendous. If this offense continues to be horrendous, then everyone will suffer the consequences Fitz included.

 

[FF Ninja]

I think one thing we are all guilty of in FF is we for the most part take a year-to-year, myopic view of the NFL landscape. And in Fitzgerald, I think we have a player here who is at the moment being given a mid-3rd round grade which is a round too low. When Fitz has had a QB who could get him the ball, he’s simply been a game changing type player, both from an actual and fantasy perspective. But since Kurt Warner retired, here are the QB’s that taken snaps for ARI.

Derek Anderson

Max Hall

John Skelton

Richard Bartel

Kevin Kolb

Ryan Lindley

Brian Hoyer

On that list, it’s difficult to argue that more than 2 of those guys are even back-up caliber. Shame on Arizona for being left so unprotected at the games most important position. If we’re calling a spade a spade, acquiring Carson Palmer looks good only by comparison, but he will be at least a competent player and one who should be able to make much better use of Fitzgerald, a player whose ball skills are unparalleled.

With Bruce Arians now bringing his pass-centric offense to ARI…it’s tough to imagine them not throwing the ball 600+ times. If you take Fitz’s target percentage over the last 3 years of 27.9%, that would mean 167 targets for Fitzgerald. Consider that Reggie Wayne’s target % was 30.9% and I think 170 targets would be Fitz’s floor. With Kurt Warner from 2007-2009, Fitz’s catch percentage was 61%. The last 3 seasons, it was 50%. Let’s split the difference and give Fitz a 55.5% catch percentage on 170 targets, we’re talking 94 receptions.

Fitz' catch percentage was 45.5% last year. I'm not sure I'm comfortable just saying he's going up to 55.5% because Carson Palmer is around.

>As to the point of Fitz posting the same line as Andre Roberts, if I’m a defense, I’m taking away an incompetent QB’s security blanket away and making him utilize his other receivers. Fact is, Roberts & Floyd had better catch percentages than Fitz…do I think they come close to even a diminished Fitz in terms of ability and ability to haul down passes? Not close.

Prediction: 102 Receptions 1391 Receiving Yards, 11 TD’s.

trong>

Don't you think defenses will still double team Fitzgerald and make Palmer use Roberts and Floyd to beat them?

To point #1: I'm by no means a Carson Palmer fan, but he's a competent veteran QB who'll be playing with a talent he's never had at his disposal before. I do recognize that 55.5% would be a good catch percentage for a WR, but IMO, when provided a QB...Fitz still is amongst the best in the game. So I do think that it's a reasonable expectation.

To point #2: I think it's one thing to do it with unqualified QB's. It's another thing to do so with one who can sling it a bit. Palmer threw for 4000 yards in 14 games with WR's like Denarius Moore, Rod Streater, DHB. Part of that was due to no running game, but I'm not sure the Cardinals have one either. I think working with one another they'll be able to find ways to hook up. I also believe the Cardinals rushing attack should provide more concern for defenses which it did not in 2012, which took play action almost completely out of the playbook.

If I'm trying to win a SuperBowl, I'm not picking Carson Palmer. In fact, I think the guy is a bit of a turd. But if he's the QB for 14-16 games for ARI, he'll provide them a solid passing game presence.

I'm with thedirtyword on this on. Last year's catch % should be ignored. The team threw for like 54%. It was abysmal.

Here is a breakdown of Warner's last 3 years in Arizona, but he missed some time in there so I used team passing % and Fitzgerald's catch %.

Year Comp Rec2009 66.0 64.22008 66.3 62.32007 60.3 60.5Carson Palmer is a career 62.5% passer and that was on some pretty bad teams. I think he'll be at least at his career mark this season, which I think means Fitzgerald will be in the 58% to 61% range.

As for the double teaming portion of that statement, sure it is possible, but I don't think that means Fitz gets taken out of the game plan. I think 150 targets is a safe bet. Arizona threw the ball 608 times last year. With Arians and a better QB, I think 600 is a reasonable number for 2013 and I think Fitz getting 25% of those is also very reasonable. As I stated in another thread, despite never owning him previously, I think Larry is a steal this year and will be targeting him.

 

[jurb26]

Carson Palmer hasn't seen a completion % of 62% or better since 2007. I think using his 62.5% career average is a flawed way of looking at it. His overall % is extremely skewed by only 2 season, 2005 at 67.8% and 2007 at 64.9%. Since 2007 he's had a 60.9% average.

Palmer isn't the same player now as he was in 2005 or 2007. I'm projecting him for a 60% completion rate. A little bellow his most recent 5 year average due to being in a worse offense and situation than he's likely ever been. This still offers a significant jump from last years putrid 55.4% as a team for Arz. Expecting at least 62.5% seems like a mistake to me and extremely optimistic.

I should add, I kind of felt like I was being optimistic giving Palmer a 60% completion rate to be honest.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I'm with thedirtyword on this on. Last year's catch % should be ignored. The team threw for like 54%. It was abysmal.

Last year, a 24-year-old Andre Roberts caught 64 passes for 759 yards on a terrible passing team. Assuming Arizona's passing offense is much better this year, what does that mean for a 25-year-old Roberts?

 

[FF Ninja]

I'm with thedirtyword on this on. Last year's catch % should be ignored. The team threw for like 54%. It was abysmal.

Last year, a 24-year-old Andre Roberts caught 64 passes for 759 yards on a terrible passing team. Assuming Arizona's passing offense is much better this year, what does that mean for a 25-year-old Roberts?

Wasn't there just a FBG article cautioning against only looking back at last year's numbers? Either way, last year was a total cluster in Arizona. Strange things happened. I like Andre Roberts, though. I was one of the few who actually drafted him. However, I think Fitz will be the unquestioned #1, but Roberts and Floyd will likely compete for snaps and targets. If I had to bet, I'd bet on the proven guy (Roberts) but organizations like to see their early picks play. Plus, I think I recall reading that Roberts had a lot of drops last year. Wouldn't shock me to see him as the #3 this year.

 

[FF Ninja]

Carson Palmer hasn't seen a completion % of 62% or better since 2007. I think using his 62.5% career average is a flawed way of looking at it. His overall % is extremely skewed by only 2 season, 2005 at 67.8% and 2007 at 64.9%. Since 2007 he's had a 60.9% average.Palmer isn't the same player now as he was in 2005 or 2007. I'm projecting him for a 60% completion rate. A little bellow his most recent 5 year average due to being in a worse offense and situation than he's likely ever been. This still offers a significant jump from last years putrid 55.4% as a team for Arz. Expecting at least 62.5% seems like a mistake to me and extremely optimistic.I should add, I kind of felt like I was being optimistic giving Palmer a 60% completion rate to be honest.

Really? He was at 61% with total crap in Oakland. His receivers are going to be better here. So 60% seems pessimistic to me. The only way he drops below 60% is if he's constantly throwing downfield, which for our purposes, would offset the lower completion percentage with higher yardage numbers.

People need to get a grip. 33 isn't old for a pocket passer. I really doubt he's less accurate or weaker now than he was at 25.

 

[jurb26]

Carson Palmer hasn't seen a completion % of 62% or better since 2007. I think using his 62.5% career average is a flawed way of looking at it. His overall % is extremely skewed by only 2 season, 2005 at 67.8% and 2007 at 64.9%. Since 2007 he's had a 60.9% average.Palmer isn't the same player now as he was in 2005 or 2007. I'm projecting him for a 60% completion rate. A little bellow his most recent 5 year average due to being in a worse offense and situation than he's likely ever been. This still offers a significant jump from last years putrid 55.4% as a team for Arz. Expecting at least 62.5% seems like a mistake to me and extremely optimistic.I should add, I kind of felt like I was being optimistic giving Palmer a 60% completion rate to be honest.

Really? He was at 61% with total crap in Oakland. His receivers are going to be better here. So 60% seems pessimistic to me. The only way he drops below 60% is if he's constantly throwing downfield, which for our purposes, would offset the lower completion percentage with higher yardage numbers. People need to get a grip. 33 isn't old for a pocket passer. I really doubt he's less accurate or weaker now than he was at 25.

The question isn't his WRs, it's who is going to keep him upright? It doesn't matter if he has Randy Moss and Jerry Rice if he can't get the passes off. That is an extreme example of course. That said, I don't think the WRs in Oak are nearly as bad as many make them out to be. Lets also not for forget that Palmer had great receiving RBs in Oak to dump the ball off to and thus inflate his %. Who is going to fill that role in Arz? Perhaps Williams if he can stay on the field? FWIW, last year DMAC, Reece, Goodson and other RBs accounted for 120 receptions. That's 32% of all completions by the team. This represented 25.6% of the targets. In 2011 Bush, DMAC, Reece and other RBs accounted for 92 reception. That's 29.2% of all completions. This represented 22.7% of the targets. Those are very high totals for RBs. Not something I envision will be replicated in Arz for Palmer. If it is, then that just means less targets for Fitz and likely a worse FF outcome. Palmer clearly had inflated completion results based on those numbers. Now, going to a more WR focused attack with higher risk passes he is suddenly supposed to greatly outperform his 5 year average? I think I've got a pretty strong grip on Palmers completion %. The numbers just don't support him approaching 62% in the least IMO.

 

[Anarchy99]

Carson Palmer hasn't seen a completion % of 62% or better since 2007. I think using his 62.5% career average is a flawed way of looking at it. His overall % is extremely skewed by only 2 season, 2005 at 67.8% and 2007 at 64.9%. Since 2007 he's had a 60.9% average.Palmer isn't the same player now as he was in 2005 or 2007. I'm projecting him for a 60% completion rate. A little bellow his most recent 5 year average due to being in a worse offense and situation than he's likely ever been. This still offers a significant jump from last years putrid 55.4% as a team for Arz. Expecting at least 62.5% seems like a mistake to me and extremely optimistic.I should add, I kind of felt like I was being optimistic giving Palmer a 60% completion rate to be honest.

Really? He was at 61% with total crap in Oakland. His receivers are going to be better here. So 60% seems pessimistic to me. The only way he drops below 60% is if he's constantly throwing downfield, which for our purposes, would offset the lower completion percentage with higher yardage numbers.

People need to get a grip. 33 isn't old for a pocket passer. I really doubt he's less accurate or weaker now than he was at 25.

Since his stellar 2005 campaign, Palmer's numbers have dropped in every major passing category on a per pass basis. The only stat that went up was his total passing yardage, but that was based on his dramatic increase in passing attempts.

And the other thing to consider is that only once in the past 10 years has an Arizona QB managed to play in all 16 games in a season.

 

[Chase Stuart]

I'm with thedirtyword on this on. Last year's catch % should be ignored. The team threw for like 54%. It was abysmal.

Last year, a 24-year-old Andre Roberts caught 64 passes for 759 yards on a terrible passing team. Assuming Arizona's passing offense is much better this year, what does that mean for a 25-year-old Roberts?

Wasn't there just a FBG article cautioning against only looking back at last year's numbers? Either way, last year was a total cluster in Arizona. Strange things happened. I like Andre Roberts, though. I was one of the few who actually drafted him. However, I think Fitz will be the unquestioned #1, but Roberts and Floyd will likely compete for snaps and targets. If I had to bet, I'd bet on the proven guy (Roberts) but organizations like to see their early picks play. Plus, I think I recall reading that Roberts had a lot of drops last year. Wouldn't shock me to see him as the #3 this year.

For a 24-year-old wide receiver, how far back should you look? I agree that last year was a total cluster in Arizona. Shouldn't that make gaining 750 yards in 15 games more, and not less, impressive?

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Carson Palmer, IMO, can still be an average NFL starting QB when given time to stand in the pocket. From what I've seen, he really isn't effective when he starts to feel pressure -- his accuracy and decision making seem to go down the tubes. I'm not sold on AZ turning that line around right away, so I'm not seeing a huge bounce back for Fitz. A return to 2010 levels? Sure. But I don't see the 1300+/10 that some are projecting.

 

[Grahamburn]

I'm with thedirtyword on this on. Last year's catch % should be ignored. The team threw for like 54%. It was abysmal.

Last year, a 24-year-old Andre Roberts caught 64 passes for 759 yards on a terrible passing team. Assuming Arizona's passing offense is much better this year, what does that mean for a 25-year-old Roberts?

One more years' worth of yards. That could be more or less, however.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

People need to get a grip. 33 isn't old for a pocket passer. I really doubt he's less accurate or weaker now than he was at 25.

He's been less accurate and "weaker" ever since he tore up his elbow and eschewed having corrective surgery, so it's not really age related - but I agree with your overall point about him being the best thing that's happened to Fitzgerald since Warner retired,

 

[PhantomJB]

Many in this thread seem to believe that because 1) Carson Palmer is an "average" QB and 2) the AZ O-line sucks that therefore an elite NFL WR like Larry Fitzgerald cannot put up elite FF numbers. One only need to look to last year to see this is faulty logic and that those conditions are not limiting factors.

FF WR #2 Brandon Marshall 118 recpts / 1,508yds / 11 TDs

QB Cutler/Campbell combined for only 3,298 yds / TDs / and Cutler was the 5th most sacked QB in the league at 41

FF WR #4 AJ Green 97 recpts / 1,350 yds / 11 TDs

QB Andy Dalton 3,669 yds / 29 TDs / 46 sacks (3rd in league)

It is subjective but I don't see how Palmer is any worse than Cutler/Campbell and Dalton and yet they didn't hold back their production. When you have an elite WR / avg QB situation like now in AZ there IMO is good likelihood that Palmer and Fitz being two vets develop great rapport and Fitz regains Top 5 FF production.

2013 Projection

93 / 1,310 / 9

 

[FF Ninja]

People need to get a grip. 33 isn't old for a pocket passer. I really doubt he's less accurate or weaker now than he was at 25.

He's been less accurate and "weaker" ever since he tore up his elbow and eschewed having corrective surgery, so it's not really age related - but I agree with your overall point about him being the best thing that's happened to Fitzgerald since Warner retired,

Yeah, that hurt him for a couple years, but I saw him launch it a few times in Oakland. I really think people soured on him after he came back from injury on a horrible Cincy team. Then being relegated to the cesspool that is Oakland made it impossible for him to revive his worth in many people's eyes. I think he could have a nice season if the offensive line can hold up. I'd be happy to have him as my QB2 and wouldn't be shocked if he was my QB1 after a few weeks.

 

[Shutout]

Many in this thread seem to believe that because 1) Carson Palmer is an "average" QB and 2) the AZ O-line sucks that therefore an elite NFL WR like Larry Fitzgerald cannot put up elite FF numbers. One only need to look to last year to see this is faulty logic and that those conditions are not limiting factors.

FF WR #2 Brandon Marshall 118 recpts / 1,508yds / 11 TDs

QB Cutler/Campbell combined for only 3,298 yds / TDs / and Cutler was the 5th most sacked QB in the league at 41

FF WR #4 AJ Green 97 recpts / 1,350 yds / 11 TDs

QB Andy Dalton 3,669 yds / 29 TDs / 46 sacks (3rd in league)

It is subjective but I don't see how Palmer is any worse than Cutler/Campbell and Dalton and yet they didn't hold back their production. When you have an elite WR / avg QB situation like now in AZ there IMO is good likelihood that Palmer and Fitz being two vets develop great rapport and Fitz regains Top 5 FF production.

2013 Projection

93 / 1,310 / 9

I think this is the correct way to look at it. We all kind of think we know how bad it was in Arizona last year but only the true Cardinals fans REALLY can lay a testament on how brutal it was. When you look at the cummulative numbers for Fitz last year and you think back on watching all the games, it blows my mind that he was even able to do that. Man, it was awful!

 

[jurb26]

Many in this thread seem to believe that because 1) Carson Palmer is an "average" QB and 2) the AZ O-line sucks that therefore an elite NFL WR like Larry Fitzgerald cannot put up elite FF numbers. One only need to look to last year to see this is faulty logic and that those conditions are not limiting factors. FF WR #2 Brandon Marshall 118 recpts / 1,508yds / 11 TDsQB Cutler/Campbell combined for only 3,298 yds / TDs / and Cutler was the 5th most sacked QB in the league at 41 FF WR #4 AJ Green 97 recpts / 1,350 yds / 11 TDsQB Andy Dalton 3,669 yds / 29 TDs / 46 sacks (3rd in league) It is subjective but I don't see how Palmer is any worse than Cutler/Campbell and Dalton and yet they didn't hold back their production. When you have an elite WR / avg QB situation like now in AZ there IMO is good likelihood that Palmer and Fitz being two vets develop great rapport and Fitz regains Top 5 FF production. 2013 Projection 93 / 1,310 / 9

Green and Marshall were on my short list of guys better than Fitz right now. Do you disagree? Also, I'd say both Cutler and Dalton are better than Palmet. Cutlet far more so. Lastly, Cinci has a very good online and even the Beats is better than Arz. Neither example seems all that relative to me. You are taking better aspects at every phase and applying it here. Maybe we just disagree on the player evaluations as far as abily.

 

[ZWK]

Kolb and Leinart are the closest thing that Fitz has had to an average quarterback; I think that Palmer right now is better than either of them was.

In the 13 games where Kolb started during the past 2 years (excluding the one where he had 1 pass attempt), Fitz was on pace for 86/1262/6.2 per 16 games. Last year, it was a 102/1174/9.6 pace over 5 games, and in 2011 it was a 76/1316/4 pace over 8 games.

In the 14 games where Leinart started and Fitz played (13 in 2006-07 and 1 in 2009), Fitz was on pace for 91/1227/5.7 per 16 games.

So 90/1250 won't require any miracles from Carson Palmer.

 

[PhantomJB]

Many in this thread seem to believe that because 1) Carson Palmer is an "average" QB and 2) the AZ O-line sucks that therefore an elite NFL WR like Larry Fitzgerald cannot put up elite FF numbers. One only need to look to last year to see this is faulty logic and that those conditions are not limiting factors. FF WR #2 Brandon Marshall 118 recpts / 1,508yds / 11 TDsQB Cutler/Campbell combined for only 3,298 yds / TDs / and Cutler was the 5th most sacked QB in the league at 41 FF WR #4 AJ Green 97 recpts / 1,350 yds / 11 TDsQB Andy Dalton 3,669 yds / 29 TDs / 46 sacks (3rd in league) It is subjective but I don't see how Palmer is any worse than Cutler/Campbell and Dalton and yet they didn't hold back their production. When you have an elite WR / avg QB situation like now in AZ there IMO is good likelihood that Palmer and Fitz being two vets develop great rapport and Fitz regains Top 5 FF production. 2013 Projection 93 / 1,310 / 9

Green and Marshall were on my short list of guys better than Fitz right now. Do you disagree? Also, I'd say both Cutler and Dalton are better than Palmet. Cutlet far more so. Lastly, Cinci has a very good online and even the Beats is better than Arz. Neither example seems all that relative to me. You are taking better aspects at every phase and applying it here. Maybe we just disagree on the player evaluations as far as abily.

I've currently got Fitz at FF WR4 with Megatron, Green and Marshall as WR1-3. So from a FF production standpoint I would not disagree with you. All I'm saying is that Palmer's QB skills are in the same class as Cutler/Dalton and therefore won't hold back Fitzgerald.

Nor do I think A.Roberts/M.Floyd are good enough to steal too many targets (but are good enough to prevent double coverage) making Fitzgerald a true #1 option for Palmer in the same vein as the above three. That is just an opinion but also went into my analysis.

 

[Tau837]

Kolb and Leinart are the closest thing that Fitz has had to an average quarterback; I think that Palmer right now is better than either of them was. In the 13 games where Kolb started during the past 2 years (excluding the one where he had 1 pass attempt), Fitz was on pace for 86/1262/6.2 per 16 games. Last year, it was a 102/1174/9.6 pace over 5 games, and in 2011 it was a 76/1316/4 pace over 8 games. In the 14 games where Leinart started and Fitz played (13 in 2006-07 and 1 in 2009), Fitz was on pace for 91/1227/5.7 per 16 games. So 90/1250 won't require any miracles from Carson Palmer.

 

[Ruffrodys05]

I traded for Fitzgerald back in March and I don't regret it at all. I currently have him ranked 27th overall at WR10. I will use him as my WR2, as I also have Demaryius Thomas (WR3, 9th O/A.) I will be really happy if I get WR2 production out of Fitz this year.

I'll edit this post with my projections at a later time.

I feel I can confidently prognosticate with a fair amount of accuracy that Fitzgerald will do okay this year........

150-160 targets, 90 receptions, 14.0 y/r, 1,260 yds, 9 TD's (3 td's will be +20yds)

When looking at Fitz's stats for the 9 years he's been in the league he's had 5 season's with 90+ receptions (2 with 100+.) He's had a 14.0+ yds/rec three times and been just off the mark another two times, averaging 13.6 yds/rec. He's averaged 8.5 td's/yr over that span, with a low of 4 td's last year and two 6-td seasons previously. He's also averaged over 1,150 yards/year....4 of those years he had 1,400+ yds receiving. All while having to deal with 10 subpar-to-inferior QB's (sans Warner) during that span. He's averaged 2.88 20+yd td's/yr also.

No one can argue that Carson Palmer isn't the best upgrade at QB in Arizona since Warner. Barring injury (to Fitz, or Palmer for that matter,) I see absolutely no reason to think that Fitzgerald won't attain these very average projections with Palmer at the helm.

 

[Winning IS Everything]

I think the big difference this year is that Fitz has been working in all three WR spots this offseason, and is putting countless hours in to learn all three inArians' system. Palmer will not be asked to constantly try to get the ball 30 yards downfield to Fitzgerald. That said, the O line and RB position still scare me, and not in a good way. I think we see a return of the Top 10-15 Fitzgerald, but maybe not Top 5.

90-1206-9 TDs with upside for much more if Palmer and the O-line hold up.

 

[kutta]

I'd be less concerned with Fitzgerald if he finished as the #1 fantasy WR on his team last year, but he didn't. A 24-year-old Andre Roberts scored more FPs than Fitz in 2012 despite missing one game.

Fitz isn't Randy Moss, but I do think it's fair to question his effort last year. That's actually a good thing for his 2013 projections, as saying he wasn't trying as hard is better than saying he's lost a step. On the '06 Raiders, Ronald Curry actually gained more yards than Moss, and we saw what Moss did the next year.

As for Reggie Wayne, I don't think those comparisons are appropriate. The 2012 Colts threw about 100 more passes than the 2011 version, so it's not like the only reason for bigger numbers was Luck. The Cardinals already threw 600+ passes last year, and they're probably just as likely to throw fewer passes in 2013 than to throw more. The other reason it's a poor comparison is that Wayne is more of a downfield weapon than Fitzgerald. I'm not sure Fitz is the perfect player for an Arians system. He might be a good fit for Palmer, but assuming he's double-teamed all the time, I don't see a lot of reasons to expect a "breakout" year for Fitz.

With an ADP of 10, I'm not touching Fitz. I do like the idea of Floyd or Roberts late, though.

I think you nailed it here. ADP of 10 is way to high for me too. There are too many unknowns to take a chance on him that early.

 

[bengalbuck]

Let's look at Fitzgerald's best games. He's had 9 receptions in a game 18 times . . . 13 times with Warner at QB and once with Leinart, Bartel, McCown, Skelton, and Kolb.He's had 100+ receiving in a game 38 times . . . 23 times with Warner at QB, 5 times with Skelton, 3 times with Kolb, 2 with Leinart, and once with Bartel, Lindley, and Anderson.He's had 2 TD or more in a game 15 times . . . 11 times with Warner at QB, 2 with McCown, and once with Skelton and Anderson. I agree that any other QB that Fitzgerald has played with not been close to as good as Kurt Warner. However, I don't think Carson Palmer is anywhere near as good as Kurt Warner. At this stage of his career, I don't think Palmer has the arm strength he once had, is not particularly mobile, and will play behind an OL that won't offer much pass protection and could get him hit pretty often. All those issues combined would make me take pause in considering drafting Fitzgerald as a Top 10 WR in redraft league (currently with an ADP of WR9).

Great post. I think it is always really difficult to separate the WR from the QB in these discussions. I agree with those that look to excuse Fitz for his poor stats with terrible QBs. But I also tend to think he gets a little too much credit for the stats he put up playing with a Hall of Famer in Warner. If you look at Anquan Boldin's numbers with Warner vs. with other QBs, I suspect there will be a huge discrepancy as well.Carson is pretty much an average NFL QB as a passer. That is a huge upgrade for Fitz. But still nowhere near what he had with Warner.

 

[Anarchy99]

For comparison, I looked up the numbers for Boldin . . .

He's had 9 receptions in a game 19 times . . . 10 with Warner, 6 with McCown, 2 with Leinart, and once each withHe's had 100+ receiving in a game 36 times . . . 16 with Warner, 9 with Flacco, 6 with McCown, 3 with Blake, and 2 with Leinart.He's had 2 TD or more in a game 12 times . . . 7 with Warner, 3 with Flacco, and 2 with Blake.

On first blush, it does not appear that he had quite the same love affair with Warner as Fitzgerald had, as Boldin seems to have a little more variety than Fitz did. He still did very well with Warner, but it seems like there were more times with other guys than just Warner.

 

[Patoons]

A lot of people focus on pass-blocking as a knock against Fitzgerald, but his line has been horrible in pass protection over the last 5 years, not just 2012. Yes, last year was the worst of the five years, but he's succeeded in the past with a sub-par line. Using PFF's o-line pass-blocking rankings, here is where he finished over the last 5 years with corresponding offensive line rankings:

​

Year / O-line Rank / PPR Rank

2012 / 32 / 32

2011 / 29 / 6

2010 / 25 / 11

2009 / 31 / 5

2008 / 26 / 2

It's difficult not to project a bounce back given the improvement in QB play (Lindley/Skelton were horrible), the increased involvement of maturing pass-catching options like Housler and Floyd who will take some defensive attention away from Fitz, and Arians.

85 / 1250 / 8 -- enough to bring him back in and around the top 10 to 15 WRs.

ETA: Table format was wacky - needed cleaning up.

 

[Grahamburn]

​

Year / O-line Rank / PPR Rank

2012 / 32 / 32

2011 / 29 / 6

2010 / 25 / 11

2009 / 31 / 5

2008 / 26 / 2

Outlier spotted.

 

[Lord Fantasy]

Per ESPN:

"Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians told reporters that when he was with the Indianapolis Colts as offensive coordinator and eventually interim head coach last season, WR Reggie Wayne started to embrace the idea of lining up at different spots along the line of scrimmage. Arians said WR Larry Fitzgerald has welcomed the idea, as well, as he's being tried in the 'X,' 'Z' and 'F' positions."

You have to love hearing this.

90/1300/12