As the tide turns in the power rankings of the NFC West division, the Arizona Cardinals made a statement Sunday. Beating the San Francisco 49ers showed that there is a legit three team race for the divisional crown. Other changes are quietly happening as the early part of this season is playing out. Quietly wide receiver Michael Floyd may be taking over as the Cardinals number one receiver. Floyd has been the go-to target for both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton as the offense seems to dictate where the ball is going.
The win over the rival 49ers on Sunday was an example of how it was very clear that Bruce Arians statements after game one were true. Star receiver Larry Fitzgerald had only been targeted four times which resulted in only one catch in week one. “That doesn’t matter to me, the days of us forcing the ball to one man are over, when you do that it interception city” said Arians and he was absolutely correct.
That scenario almost played out in the 49ers game as Fitzgerald went a whole half without getting a catch, and it seems that quarterback Drew Stanton was clearly aware of that whick may have caused him to and get the ball to the future Hall of Famer. Stanton tried to force the ball to Larry three times, and each of those times the defense was there to get their hands on the ball on what should have been interceptions. Fitzgerald did not draw any double teams and the Niners defense did not look like they game planned to take him out of the game. So why has it been so difficult for a receiver of Larry Fitzgerald’s caliber to get open consistently?
Are the cornerbacks on the opposing teams really that good and winning the battle against Fitz at the line of scrimmage? Or is it Larry has lost a step and can’t get off the bump at the line like in times past? Is it that the defense has help over the top doubling him and taking him out of the game? Perhaps the offense simply dictates where the open guy is and that guy is not Fitz most of the time. Whatever the answer is, it is clear that Michael Floyd is not having any problem getting open.
Part of the answer is because Fitzgerald is not the go-to guy like he was in years past, as other teams know he is not the focal point of the offense and they treat him like any other receiver. Maybe the problem for Fitz is that he is no longer a deep threat, so it’s easier for a corner to stay home and sit on his route, whatever the route may be. Cornerbacks are not at all worried about getting beat over the top by the star receiver. If they do get beat, the average corner has enough speed to make up the gap should Fitzgerald get behind them.
On the other hand, Floyd is a deep threat and that sets him up to be able to cut off the deep ball and get open, or make a double move on a corner to get open. If you look at both receivers’ numbers to this point ,it looks like making big plays is the difference. Floyd leads the team with 11 catches and Fitz has 10. But the disparity comes when you look at the yardage gained. Floyd has 252 yards and Fitz 107 after three games. Also the average yardage per catch Floyd has 22.9 and Fitz 10.7. Those numbers tell the story in terms of the big play threat. Defensive coordinators get very nervous when they are up against a guy that is a double or triple threat. When you become one dimensional it is less fearful.
Fitzgerald is no longer a deep threat therefore the most mediocre corners are having one-on-one success with him in games because of the current scheme. Remember, coach Bruce Arians offense is centered around speed, and that is not one of Larry’s attributes at this moment in his career. As a matter of fact after watching tape, we see that most of Larry’s route assignments are ending in a block session for another receiver that makes the catch because he still has physical tools to man-handle a DB and blindside a line-backer.
Now that John Brown is beginning to make a name for himself, teams may start to roll some coverage to help over the top with him. Floyd will emerge even more so, because he’s not only getting deep he is also destroying DB’s at the line of scrimmage and has a quickness about him in his route running that makes him unpredictable, much like his mentor Fitzgerald was at a younger age. When the great Michael Jordan of the NBA was losing his step and getting crossed over by the young flashy players, he had to adjust his game and do what he was strong in which was game smarts. Fitz knows the game plan does not run through him anymore, but he can still put enough pressure on a defense to get another guy open in a scheme.
That raises the valid question, If Larry were not out there would Floyd, Brown, and Carlson be having the success they are having in the offense? Could another receiver of any caliber stand in Fitzgerald’s place and the Cardinals offense still be the threat that it is now? The answer is we do not know at this point. We do know this, it isn’t that far off from happening, which leads up to the dreaded contract situation of next year.
The Cardinals have gained a mentality of next man up, and losing Fitz to free agency next year may not affect them on the field as much as it would from a personal standpoint. Why? Because they do not want to pay that high price tag for a guy that in reality they could plug just about any receiver and get the same results.
This is the worse feeling in the world for any Cardinals fan, seeing the great future Hall-of-Famer be reduce to a role player way too early, knowing there is still much left in him to be a possession go-to guy in this league for at least two more years, much like his friend Anquan Bolden. This Cardinals team is not built the same way the previous coaching staff was in scheming around one star receiver. The Cardinals have a good team concept in place and the goal to make it to the playoffs or better is the team’s goal, not individual accolades. The thing is, in sports after the success of the team, the individual stars are born and they’ll want that recognition eventually.
The future is uncertain for Fitzgerald as a Cardinal but he is doing his part to raise up a successor in his stead, as Michael Floyd will clearly be the number one receiver for this team if things remain the way they are now. Floyd does not strike me as the type who will play second fiddle for too long. The WR torch may be passed before the year is up and he will step to the forefront by performing that which he was taught by the great one.
For all of those critics that say Fitz is completely washed up here is a message for you, don’t kid yourself and you are not as smart about football as you think. There is no surprise here that Fitz may have lost his youthfulness and who has not at the football age of 31. Put him in an offense that has a star prolific passer that is one step away from a title and watch him emerge the braided beast that he still is.
No, you will not see him run deep but what you will see is he still has the physical ability to control a game. He can make a defense game plan to stop him. Can you say “Tom Brady to Fitzgerald” both going out on top almost like Randy Moss did in that magical year they fell one game short of a perfect season? Fitzgerald has that one magical season left in him and unfortunately it does not look like it will be relived here in Arizona, that’s just reality but stranger things have happened.
