By Dan Arkush
Sept. 22, 2007

A few days ago, a rumor burst on the national Internet waves suggesting that Larry Fitzgerald, who has teamed in recent seasons with Anquan Boldin to give the Cardinals one of the league’s best 1-2 punches at the WR position, was looking to flee the desert once his rookie contract expired.

Two days before that rumor appeared, though, Fitzgerald presented a much different version of his current situation with the Cardinals in the following Q&A with Pro Football Weekly.

Q: Talk about the Cardinals’ first win of the season in Week Two over division-rival Seattle and the manner in which you got it — coming through with a clutch takeaway in crunch time to set up Neil Rackers’ game-winning field goal. More often than not the last few years, the Cardinals have been the victims in crunch time. 

A: We were confident all along and thought we could get the job done. Our defense really stepped up to make that big play at the end. And at the same time, our offense continued to establish the run, especially at the end of the game. The special-teams came through, too. We did well in all three phases of the game, and that feels especially good.

Q: Talk about your evolving relationship with Matt Leinart.

A: Matt is becoming a better player week by week, and he is working real hard to get to that point. All of us have had some growing pains in our new system. But I think every day Matt is making real improvement and is being coached very well. Looking at the way he dedicates himself to his teammates and the game, I think the sky’s the limit for him.

Q: How much did your hamstring injury last season affect your chemistry with Matt?

A: It hurt. The first game he started was the one in which I got injured. But we started clicking and caught fire toward the end of the year, and I think we will continue to be effective as this season goes on.

Q: In Week One, you were caught in an animated conversation on the sidelines with Matt, who was obviously having a tough day. Was that just a heat-of-the-moment deal?

A: The cameras sometimes make a situation a lot more dramatic than it needs to be. Sometimes, we’re going to show a lot of emotion on the sidelines, but Matt is one of my best friends on the team, and I would do never anything to show him up. We’re both very competitive, and we were just caught showing that competitive fire off. The camera captures that kind of stuff at too high a decibel level a lot of times.

Q: Talk about Ken Whisenhunt’s offensive approach with so much more emphasis on the ground game.

A: The emphasis on running does a lot of things for us. It gives us an opportunity to run down the clock and get more possessions that physically wear down the opposing defenses. And it should continue to set up big-play opportunities for the receivers later in games.

Q: What’s your opinion of Whisenhunt as a head coach up to now?

A: He’s a really nice man. A family guy. He treats his players like men and sets up opportunities for them to be successful. He finds out what their strengths are, and then he goes out of his way to find ways to utilize those strengths. He has really built up our team camaraderie — not that we didn’t have that before. I’ve had a lot of fun playing under him so far.

Q: Were you a bit apprehensive at first about Whisnehunt because of your extremely close relationship with Dennis Green?

A: It’s like anything in life. How many bosses have you had in your lifetime? You need to move on and accept the situation. You know there are always going to be changes, and sometimes, they are going to be very big changes. But you can’t get down on the next man in charge. He still deserves everything you’ve got. You have to realize how much he needs your help to be successful. I realize I am being counted on to be one of the horses on this team, and I’m fully aboard his (coach Whisenhunt’s) ship, fully committed.

Q: Give me your thoughts on the rest of the staff, especially offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who has been known through the years for getting in his receivers’ faces to make a point.

A: He (Haley) really does coach hard and isn’t afraid to speak his mind, but he loves what he’s doing, and it shows. Things might come out wrong at times, but you can’t take it personal, because he really does love you at the end of the day. The receivers here actually have a pretty unique coaching situation. Not only does Todd work with us every day, we also have (WR coach) Mike Miller, who’s very good with the mental aspects and getting us lined up in the right positions on a consistent basis. And then there’s (offensive quality control coach) Dedric Ward, who played in the NFL for a lot of different teams and really gives you a great insight because of that.

Q: How special it is having Anquan Boldin as a teammate, both on and off the field?

A: Well, on the field we have definitely come together through the years to become a dynamic duo. And we’re still both young guys and would love to stick together for a long time to come along with Matt. Anquan is so exciting to watch, and he forces me to work harder and better every week. You know ‘No. 81’ will always be a tough, physical matchup who brings so much charisma and fire onto the field, and I think he demands that same kind of mentality from everybody around him. He’s a great teammate and a great father. I’m blessed to be able to play with him.

Q: With you and Anquan having established yourselves at such a high level, Bryant Johnson, the Cardinals’ No. 3 receiver, has gotten a little lost in the shuffle. Talk about what he brings to the table.

A: I really believe B.J. is an unsung hero. He does everything good. He’s a very reliable guy. He helps make the offense click the way he runs those deep patterns and clears things up for us. He’s a very selfless guy. He can easily be a No. 2 somewhere else, but I hope we can get him re-signed at the end of the year and keep him in Arizona for the rest of his career.

Q: Talk about the Cardinals’ great new stadium, now in its second season. There appeared to be some real electricity in the air in that Week Two win.

A: I think the more we start to win, the crazier the fans will become. They really played a big role for us against Seattle; I give the crowd credit for at lest three illegal-procedure penalties by Seattle. If we can get that kind of support every week, it’s going to make a big difference.

Q: What does Larry Fitzgerald normally do on an off day during the season?

A: Usually, I hang out by myself. Watch a movie. Spend some time in the hot tub. Watch a bit of a tape. I try to usually stay around home. But later on today, I’m going to the Diamondbacks game to watch them against Barry bonds and the Giants.

Q: Are you into the Diamondbacks?

A: Definitely. Hopefully, they can hang on down the stretch. There are a lot of nice guys that I’ve met on the team. Yeah, I’m pulling for them hard, especially with my 'Twinkies’ (Fitzgerald is a native Minnesotan) out of it.

Editor’s note: Fitzgerald is involved in the sponsorship of the Alltel “My Circle 1st & 10" Sweepstakes, which gives participants an opportunity to win a grand prize of $100,000 to share with their circle of friends, as well as free wireless service for 20,000 fans. To enter, text circle to the number 52191 or visit www.alltelfootball.com.