Cardinals’ Fitzgerald aspires to greatness

January 30, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Larry Fitzgerald soars above the outstretched arms of defenders, caresses the football with his fingertips, and clings to it as he comes back down to earth.

The scene is all too familiar to his teammates and coaches, and now the 25-year-old receiver’s amazing skills are the talk of the Super Bowl. He could, single-handedly, be the potent equalizer the Arizona Cardinals’ need against Pittsburgh’s powerhouse defense.

He has an uncanny knack for lifting his 6-foot-3 body off the ground at precisely the right moment, at the right height, so he can be exactly where he needs to be to grab the ball.

“He is doing what he was born to do,” Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said.

Fitzgerald is the antithesis of the stereotypical brash receiver. After he makes spectacular touchdown catches, he simply flips the ball to the official.

“I aspire to be great,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s one of the reasons to play the game — to win, to be great. I feel that if you aren’t trying to be the best, then I don’t understand what your motivation is in this game as a player.”

His friends keep him humble. Former Minnesota Vikings great Cris Carter, a longtime pal and mentor, tells him he’s not the best receiver in the NFL.

“He’s not better than Andre Johnson,” said Carter, who persistently nudges Fitzgerald to improve. He is the voice in Fitzgerald’s ear that whispers “what you did last week really doesn’t matter.”

Fitzgerald is as alert to detail in practice as he is in games, slapping his hands in disgust if, heaven forbid, he should drop a ball in a drill.

“I don’t look too far in the future. I just look at today,” Fitzgerald said. “How can I be the best player I can be on Wednesday? How can I be the best player I can be on Thursday? If I can continue to chip away like that, then I can be the best player on Sunday.”

A measure of greatness is how well a player performs on the biggest stage. In his first three playoff games, Fitzgerald was phenomenal. His 419 yards receiving broke Jerry Rice’s NFL postseason record, and he still has a game to go. His three 100-yard receiving games tie him with Tom Fears, Rice and Randy Moss for most in a career postseason.

His 23 playoff catches include several of the climbing-to-the-stars variety, but also a mix of crossing routes, where he breaks wide open over the middle. On a few occasions, he’s bowled over would-be tacklers, something he never would have done in his early pro career.

“I think Larry has always had the ability to catch the football,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said, “but as a player that wants to be great, he’s worked hard at the little things, as we say, to improve his game. I believe that’s why he’s had such a successful year this year and such a fantastic postseason.”