Vikings may trade their No. 7 overall pick, plus some, for Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Jr.

Kirby Lee/WireImage.com

It will be interesting to see whether the Vikings, seeking reasons for season-ticket holders to renew, try to trade their No. 7 overall pick in April's draft, plus a player or two, for Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. of Minneapolis.
-- St. Paul Pioneer Press

WITH THE TOP DRAFT PICK, EA SPORTS SELECTS WR LARRY FITZGERALD
FOR NCAA FOOTBALL 2005 COVER

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – April 20, 2004 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that former University of Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will appear on the cover of the newest iteration of EA SPORTS™ best-selling college football franchise, NCAA^® Football 2005. Fitzgerald is entering the NFL after two record-breaking seasons at University of Pittsburgh and his image will appear on all of the game’s packaging and merchandising. NCAA Football 2004 sold 1.6 million copies last year and is the second best-selling football videogame behind only EA’s Madden NFL  2004.

“It’s a huge honor to represent NCAA Football 2005, since this is the game my teammates and I always competed on in the dorms,” said Fitzgerald. “To grace the cover of the most intense and exciting college football videogame is a dream come true for me. I am fired up to be part of the EA SPORTS family.”

Larry Fitzgerald Jr. drafted No. 1 by Arizona Cardinals!
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 4/29/2004

His first game will be against the Vikings here in August

Chicago, Illinois -- Go West, young man, for it is best! 
On Saturday, April 24, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue at NFL Draft Headquarters, Madison Square Garden in New York City, announced, "With the third pick of the NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald from the University of Pittsburgh."
Larry Jr. was in Chicago, Illinois, where his parents, Carol and I, first met in 1970 as high school sweethearts at Fenger High. He was at a private family party at the Downtown Chicago Hilton when the phone call came from Rod Graves, vice president of football operations for the Arizona Cardinals.
The call came about 20 minutes before Tagliabue's official announcement. It is really unbelievable when you stop and think about it. And I have been fortunate enough to have had a front-row seat.
Dennis Green, the winningest NFL head coach in the decade of the '90s with the Vikings, hired Larry as a ballboy in grade school. Saturday, he selected Larry with his first pick as head coach with the Cardinals. 
"It's an opportunity of a lifetime to be the third pick overall," said Larry Jr., "something that you've dreamed and aspired to do your entire life. I'm just going to try and come in running and prepare myself the best I can to be outstanding." Fitzgerald is the highest drafted native-born Minnesotan football player ever selected in the NFL Draft. 
For eight years, I hosted and produced Dennis Green's radio show, launching the National Programming Network in 1993. As long-time sports editor of the ***Spokesman-Recorder*** newspaper, I also convinced Green to write a weekly column on the Vikings during the season.

Phoenix, Arizona -- "I've said all along that Larry was the number-one player in the country, not just the number-one wide receiver," Dennis Green announced after the draft selection. "That made it a great situation for us, because we are determined to turn this [Arizona] program around, and turn it around right now. 
"We have some pretty decent players, but I think adding Larry to the mix and giving us an additional wide receiver who knows how to make plays is going to be a big plus for us," Green said.
"First, it's an honor to just be picked in the draft; there are millions of guys who would love to be in this position," said Larry Jr. "I'm just fortunate, and God has definitely blessed me. To be able to come and play for Coach Green is an honor. I'm familiar with his coaching staff, and when you feel comfortable, usually that makes everything else a lot easier, because you prepare easier."
I asked my son how he feels about playing in this offensive system that he knows so well from all the years he spent with the Vikings, when he first worked for coach Green. "It's a big play offense," he said. "There are going to be a lot of big plays down the field for the receivers, but it's based off the running game.
"But with this massive offensive line that we have here with Arizona, we are going to be able to run the ball this year. We've got Freddie Jones at tight end and Anquan Boldin at wide receiver. We're going to be explosive offensively, so we've just got to be able to run the ball."
The Cardinals have been down for a long time. I asked Larry Jr. what kind of impact he thinks he can make. "I'm coming in here hoping and praying that we can change this," he said. "I'm just a piece of the puzzle trying to do my part to help get the program on track."
Larry Jr. was born in the Midwest and played college ball in the East at Pittsburgh. I asked him what's it's going to be like for him playing in Arizona out West. "It's just a new experience having not been out on the West coast too much," he said. "But it's going to be fun, and I'll make the best of it." 
I asked him what he'd like to say to the folks back in Minneapolis who saw him play at Holy Angels in Richfield and then go on and do what he did at the University of Pittsburgh? "Cardinal fans," he replied, "and I know we have some in Minnesota -- we're going to need some support!" 
Larry Jr. will wear the number 11. He wore the number 1 as a record-setting receiver at Pittsburgh, where he set or tied four NCAA records. His achievements there included scoring a touchdown in 18 straight games, scoring 34 touchdowns in two years, tying Randy Moss by scoring a touchdown in 12 straight games in one season, and grabbing 92 passes for 1,692 yards.
Larry Jr.'s first game will be in August when the Cardinals play at the MetroDome against the Vikings in the pre-season. Green has coached Jerry Rice, Cris Carter, Randy Moss and, now, Larry Fitzgerald, all receivers he drafted in the first round.
"All of those guys have potential to be Hall of Fame players," Coach Green said. "They can really play. They have great eye-hand coordination and the ability to get their hands on the ball. They also love the game and love to get out and compete, and love to put on a show. 
"And that's really what you're doing when you're competing, is putting on a show. I think Larry Fitzgerald fits into that exact same category. He really put on a show at the University of Pittsburgh. 
"I have a brother who lives in Pittsburgh," Green said. "I would go in to see him every now and then. And in March, I was in Pittsburgh at Larry's workout. Everybody in the city of Phoenix and Pittsburgh, the fans of the city and on campus, really thank Larry for putting on a show. And that's what he did for two years. 
"I think he's going to put on a show when he comes to the National Football League, which will help us at the Arizona Cardinals win," Green said.


Cutline: (l-r) Rod Graves, Cardinals vice president of football operations; William Bidwill, Cardinals owner; Larry Fitzgerald Jr.; Dennis Green, Cardinals head coach; Larry Fitzgerald Sr.
Photo courtesy of Arizona Cardinals

A Closer Look: Part Two, Wide Receivers

www.azcardinals.com -- news

Larry Fitzgerald - Catching Everything

Larry Fitzgerald was born to be a wide receiver.

At 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, he has ideal size and strength to play the position. His speed and big-play ability are equally as impressive, and he's still just 23 years old. But it all started as a child, when his love of football turned into a dream while growing up in Minneapolis, Minn.

As a youngster, Fitzgerald was a ballboy for his hometown team, the Minnesota Vikings. It was during his time on the sidelines that he gained a first-hand view of the NFL that most kids don't get. He watched as his mentors, Cris Carter and Randy Moss, became two of the NFL's most prolific wide receivers. He still remembers those days when he learned the tricks of the trade from Carter and Moss.

"Growing up in Minnesota, I was always a big Cris Carter fan," said Fitzgerald, whose younger brother Marcus is a wide receiver at Marshall University. "[He] was definitely a guy that I really wanted to play like, and then Randy Moss a little later on. Those two guys, growing up in Minnesota, were my two favorite receivers," he said.

Fitzgerald burst onto the national scene during his time at the University of Pittsburgh. He played there for just two years, but quickly left an indelible mark on the Panthers' program. After rapidly ascending up Pitt's record books for receivers, he was named the 2003 Walter Camp Player of the Year and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. During his two years on campus, "Fitz" caught 161 passes for 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns in 26 games. His penchant for finding the end zone was historic, as his NCAA record for consecutive games with a touchdown catch (18) still stands.

Following back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in college, Fitzgerald knew he was ready for the next level. The Arizona Cardinals agreed, making him the 3^rd overall choice in the 2004 NFL Draft. After just finishing his third year in the league, he hasn't looked back, but desperately wants his team to improve on its 5-11 mark last season.

"I think our biggest problem this year was closing games out," Fitzgerald said. "We've got to be able to come out, and when we have people down, close them out and finish them. We had a lot of games like that.

"You can't do that and be a good team in this league," he added.

Individually, Fitzgerald's best season came in his second year, when he caught a league-tying 103 balls for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those gaudy statistics elevated him to Pro Bowl-level, an honor he seeks to duplicate in 2007. With new coach Ken Whisenhunt expected to open up the talented Cardinals offense featuring Fitzgerald, young quarterback Matt Leinart and playmakers Anquan Boldin and Edgerrin James, next season could be special in the desert.

The soft-spoken Fitzgerald, whose humble personality makes him well-liked by teammates and respected by opponents, has already meshed well with Leinart.

"Matt's got a great personality and he's also a very intelligent person," Fitzgerald said of his quarterback, just coming off his rookie year. "He's won a lot of championships at USC and has great leadership ability."

When a rookie quarterback is thrown into the fire, like Leinart was in 2006, he usually looks to his teammates for support. Fitzgerald went out of his way to lighten the pressure on Leinart by running consistent routes, blocking well on running plays and giving him confidence to throw the deep ball. As their on-field relationship progresses next season, he'll continue to be there for Leinart.

"The best way to help a quarterback out is to just be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there," Fitzgerald said, adding that he tries to "make his job as easy as possible, don't make him have to worry about you … be accountable for him. I think that's the role I try to provide."

With Fitzgerald on one side of the formation and Boldin on the other, the Cardinals have arguably the best receiving tandem in the league. Starting safety Adrian Wilson, a 2007 Pro Bowler, said practicing against them helps the defensive backs prepare for what they see on game day.

Wilson said, "They give us the best look every week; they're top professionals and they go about their jobs everyday in practice. So it's never a situation where we're surprised by anything on Sunday. It's a great 1-2 punch—probably one of the best in the league."

With the 2007 regular season on the backburner for now, Fitzgerald is enjoying his time off. Currently in Australia for a month, then traveling to New Zealand, Fitzgerald also has a trip to South America planned for later in the year.

"I like to travel a lot, get away [and] do some different things," Fitzgerald stated. "I enjoy traveling the world."

Vikings Still Interested in Cardinals Fitzgerald 

Posted Feb 8th 2007 12:24PM by Dan Benton
Filed under: AZ Cardinals, Vikings, NFC West