Larry Fitzgerald

Stats don't tell the whole story, of course, but ...


CJohnson 1331 yards, 12 TDs, 17.1 ypc
Fitzgerald 1431 yards, 12 TDs, 14.9 ypc
Smith (14g) 1421 yards, 6 TDs, 18.2 ypc

Johnson and Smith do it without a viable receiver to keep teams from doubling them. I'd take any of the three, to be honest, but to annoint Fitzgerald the best, or at all better than the other two, is a bit premature.

And Simon, Moss isn't even in the conversation anymore. Without a top-notch QB, he's pretty much sucked for several years.

 

I thought someone was going to ask if he was ready for the HOF yet..

 

The catches that having a Boldin takes away from Fitzgerald evens out the advantage of having two good receivers.

 

Having Reggie Ball as your college QB is valuable training for that sort of thing.

 

Shot, I knew that might be a response. But I disagree. Today it was evident the Panthers gameplanned for both of them. They only got one and were slow to adjust. Fitzgerald picked them apart early.

But in the Cards' offense, there are plenty of throws to go around. Even Steve Breaston caught nearly 80 balls this year.

 

That's a good argument. Still don't agree, but the Breaston argument is a good one.

 

If the Panthers had a game plan for Larry Fitzgerald? He had six catches for 150 yards and a touchdown 25 minutes into the game. THAT'S a game plan?

 

Moss caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and nine touchdowns in 2007, so that last clause isn't exactly accurate. He is no longer up there with Fitzgerald, Smith and Johnson, but his '07 didn't suck.

 

Moss caught an NFL record 23 TDs in 2007. What are you talking about?

Moss wasn't that bad this year, either, considering he had to adjust to as first-time starter. I expected him to quit like he did in his Raiders days. He had double-figure TDs and I think cracked the 1,000-yard mark.

 

My thing with Fitzgerald is that I don't think it matters how good of a team or how good of a QB surrounds him. If you throw the ball in his general direction, he will go up and get it, even if there's double coverage. I think Calvin Johnson is of this same mold.

 

Two things...

If the Panthers gameplanned for both of them and couldn't adjust the whole coaching staff should be absolutely ashamed. Anyone who paid any attention this week knew there was no chance Boldin could be a factor this week, even if he tried to play.

And a huge percentage of Breaston's catches came while Boldin was out hurt.

 

Moss will still surpass 1,000 yards even without a great quarterback. Hell, Brady is the only truly great quarterback Moss has ever had. Love Randall Cunningham, but he benefited from Moss, not the other way. Same with Culpepper. Same with Cassel. To write Moss off, even in this stage of career, doesn't make sense to me.

He had two bad years - 04 and 06. Yes, bad attitude played a part, but that dysfunctional Raiders offense and injuries also had roles.