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Larry Fitzgerald took a backward pass from Josh Rosen
in Maps Discussion Tue Aug 20, 2019 3:28 amby zhangzk • Farseer | 137 Posts | 1370 Points
GLENDALE T.J. Hockenson Jersey , Ariz. —shuffled a couple of steps right and set his feet.Arizona’s all-time leading receiver cocked his right arm back and let a not-quite-a-spiral fly into the desert air. The ball landed softly into the hands of Cardinals running back David Johnson, hitting him stride for a 32-yard touchdown.The Cardinals may have lost 31-9 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but Fitzgerald added another highlight as Arizona fans celebrated what could be the final home game of his storied 15-year career.“It’s awesome,” Rosen said. “This town loves Larry, he’s an unbelievable player. The fans were looking for something positive and that was a fun one.”Fitzgerald hasn’t decided if he will return for a 16th NFL season and the Cardinals still have one game left, next Sunday at Seattle.Arizona’s first season under Steve Wilks was a huge disappointment, possibly sending the Cardinals (3-12) toward a coaching search for the second straight season by New Year’s Eve.Amid one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Fitzgerald showed he’s still got it, even at 35.Entering Sunday’s game, Fitzgerald was Arizona’s leading receiver with 59 catches for 645 yards and five touchdowns. He caught six passes for 62 yards against the NFC West champion Rams (12-3), extending his streak of games with a catch to 226 straight — second all-time to Jerry Rice’s 274.Fitzgerald holds the NFL record for catches with one team and is third all-time overall with 1,299. He’s second all-time with 16 Zach Brown Jersey ,252 yards.Fitzgerald also is one of the most respected players in the NFL and in Phoenix sports history, both on the field and off.“I can’t really speak enough about Larry, not only what he brings to this organization, but to the shield itself, the National Football League,” Wilks said. “Just a true pillar of this league.”Arizona’s home finale felt like the end of the line for Fitzgerald, even if he hasn’t made a decision yet.Fitzgerald stood alone in the Cardinals’ inflatable helmet at the end of pregame introductions and ran onto the field to the first of many chants of “Larry!” from the home crowd.<noscript></noscript>Throughout the game, the video boards showed highlights of Fitzgerald’s career to the Christmas-inspired song “Twelve Days of Fitzmas.”The Cardinals kept his receptions streak alive by targeting him early and often. Fitzgerald then did something he had never done before, lofting his first career TD pass into the hands of Johnson, setting off another “Larry!” chant.“It was a great throw. He threw it up there,” Johnson said. “I didn’t have to slow my stride or anything.”The Cardinals had the Fitz pass in the playbook most of the season, insisting it wasn’t put in just because this might have been his final home game.Even so, when Fitzgerald came to the sideline after his first TD pass Kyler Murray Jersey , offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich got a massive chest bump from the veteran receiver.“I guess it’s like a layup in basketball; you can’t miss,” said Fitzgerald, 2 for 4 for 53 yards career passing. “I just wanted to put a little air under it. It came out a little wobbly, like (former teammate) Kurt Warner’s ball. But, like Kurt Warner’s ball, it was effective.”As the clock wound down on another Cardinals’ defeat, the few remaining fans started a chant “Larry!” — maybe for the final time.When it was over, Fitzgerald found himself surrounded by photographers, following his every move as Rams players and coaches lined up to congratulate him on the field.Even after 60 minutes of pounding each other, the respect was there for one of the greatest receivers — and people — in NFL history.“I play a team sport. I’m not Michael Phelps or Tiger Woods. Those guys do individual things,” Fitzgerald said. “Everything I’ve done has been in the context of a team setting. It’s a little uncomfortable to be singled out. There’s 11 guys with me and I wouldn’t be able to do my job without every single guy doing it. It’s cool, but still, you never get used to that.” 49ers offensive guard Joshua Garnett underwent surgery on his finger Byron Murphy Jersey , Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com reports.Garnett is expected to miss three weeks, Kyle Shanahan said Thursday.Garnett dislocated his finger Saturday, and it “popped out” again Sunday. Thus, Garnett underwent surgery.“Josh had a good [offseason],” Shanahan told reporters. “He was in great shape. He’s been working hard. He just had another unfortunate thing, with his finger. There was nothing he could have done about it. He tried to come out and practice with it, but it kept popping out. That was going to continue to happen, so we had to make the decision to get surgery.”Garnett hasn’t started a game since his rookie season of 2016 when he started 11. He missed 2017 with a knee injury and played only 59 offensive snaps and 16 on special teams last season.The 49ers declined his fifth-year option on his rookie contract, so Garnett is scheduled to become a free agent in the offseason.Defensive lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore injured a groin in practice Thursday. He is getting an MRI to determine the severity. Running back Jeffrey Wilson is expected to miss two weeks with a calf injury, Shanahan said.
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