Q & Fitz...

[82CardsGrad]

Might be just me, but I find myself comparing these two in terms of production - often... Could be because they were such great teammates for so long. Or, could be because of the unceremonious way in which Boldin left... which brought about all sorts of comparisons as to who the Cards should've kept.
Anyway, Boldin is a full 3 years older (about to turn 35 on Oct 3rd, Fitz just turned 32). And Q has been in the league a full season longer.
As of today, Fitz is just 34 yards behind Boldin for their careers, and just 20 receptions.
Fitz is 22 TD's ahead of Q.

Q got his Super Bowl with the Ravens. And I have to believe that this season is Larry's last best shot at getting his ring. Unless he too gets shipped out next year, or the year after, to a contending team. I guess that's always a possibility, but I don't see it happening.

 

[DeAnna]

Still saddens me to see Q on another team

 

[82CardsGrad]

Still saddens me to see Q on another team

Not so much for me anymore... That feeling left a few years ago. However, I have to admit that yesterday, I did wonder what was going through his mind as UoP was rocking and the Cards delivered an historic beat-down of the 9ers.
Knowing Q, he would say he never gave it a second of a thought. But, I'm not sure I'd buy that.

 

[Redneck Voodoo]

OK, I just had a double shot of Crown, but I have to say this anyway.

I really don't care what the circumstamces are; when a guy leaves the Cards, he is the enemy. I certainly appreciate the things Q did for the Cardinals, but once he left, he forfeited my loyalty. The truth is: I root for a vinyl sticker on a plastic helmet and if it's not in the shape of a Cardinal head, I don't care who's under it or how they feel. Right or wrong, that's how I feel about Boldin and I hope he cried himself to sleep last night.

You're right 82; this is probably Larry's last best shot and he deserves the ring. Few players in the modern era have shown the loyalty and professionalism that this man has. We kept the right one.

Go Cards; 16-0 and cruise to and through the Superbowl.

 

[Darkside]

Q was badass but honestly he left during a rebuild. Fitz stayed. Q made the best choice for his career and family, I don't fault him. But Fitz to me is like an Adub type loyal player. That's so rare in the NFL today. Really rare.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Larry will never get shipped out. He'll retire a Cardinal. Michael will never part with the guy who has been the face of the franchise, is beloved by fans and whose name is chanted like a mantra. I've been saying that since I joined this board.

Ain't gonna happen.

 

[Redneck Voodoo]

Larry will never get shipped out. He'll retire a Cardinal. Michael will never part with the guy who has been the face of the franchise, is beloved by fans and whose name is chanted like a mantra. I've been saying that since I joined this board.

Ain't gonna happen.

And you are right.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Still saddens me to see Q on another team

Me too.

 

[GatorAZ]

I remember an interview 6-7 years ago when Q was asked why he used to refuse pain meds. He said he wanted to feel life. There will never be another Q.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Two great players... glad Fitz is still a Cardinal

 

[Catfish]

In fairness to Q, he was not ever given the opportunity to remain a member of the Cardinals. When he was due for contract negotiations, he was never offered a contract or negotiations. He was simply shipped out as a free agent.

 

[slanidrac16]

In fairness to Q, he was not ever given the opportunity to remain a member of the Cardinals. When he was due for contract negotiations, he was never offered a contract or negotiations. He was simply shipped out as a free agent.

I'm not so sure about that. I remember the Cards re-did his original rookie contract and then re-did the second one and both had more than 1 year left on them. I also remember hearing overtones that he felt he should have been making the same money as Fitz. I think that always stuck in Q's craw.

It is what it is. It was what it was. Both parties did what was best for them. Thank You Q for the past, but see you later. You're not a Cardinal anymore.

 

[devilalum]

Still saddens me to see Q on another team

Really?!?!

What saddened me was watching Q walk out the tunnel with his agent while the rest of the team was celebrating the NFC championship!!!

 

[slanidrac16]

Really?!?!

What saddened me was watching Q walk out the tunnel with his agent while the rest of the team was celebrating the NFC championship!!!

Yep.

 

[82CardsGrad]

In fairness to Q, he was not ever given the opportunity to remain a member of the Cardinals. When he was due for contract negotiations, he was never offered a contract or negotiations. He was simply shipped out as a free agent.

That would be wrong...

 

[cardncubfan]

OK, I just had a double shot of Crown, but I have to say this anyway.

I really don't care what the circumstamces are; when a guy leaves the Cards, he is the enemy. I certainly appreciate the things Q did for the Cardinals, but once he left, he forfeited my loyalty. The truth is: I root for a vinyl sticker on a plastic helmet and if it's not in the shape of a Cardinal head, I don't care who's under it or how they feel. Right or wrong, that's how I feel about Boldin and I hope he cried himself to sleep last night.

You're right 82; this is probably Larry's last best shot and he deserves the ring. Few players in the modern era have shown the loyalty and professionalism that this man has. We kept the right one.

Go Cards; 16-0 and cruise to and through the Superbowl.

 

[cardncubfan]

That would be wrong...

Yep. I don't remember it that way at all.

 

[cardncubfan]

Boldin was traded to the Ravens with 2 years left on his contract.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3888120

 

[Shane]

That would be wrong...

Correct he wasn't a FA

 

[DemsMyBoys]

I'm not so sure about that. I remember the Cards re-did his original rookie contract and then re-did the second one and both had more than 1 year left on them. I also remember hearing overtones that he felt he should have been making the same money as Fitz. I think that always stuck in Q's craw.

It is what it is. It was what it was. Both parties did what was best for them. Thank You Q for the past, but see you later. You're not a Cardinal anymore.

Yep. Fitz begged him to stay. He told Q he wanted to see BOTH of their names side-by-sideup on the ROH. Q had fought with Haley on the sidelines, was an unhappy player and wanted the money Fitz made.

I've always believed that if Q had Larry's agent he'd still be a Cardinal. His agent was Drew Rosenhaus IIRC.

 

[wa52lz]

Yep. Fitz begged him to stay. He told Q he wanted to see BOTH of their names side-by-sideup on the ROH. Q had fought with Haley on the sidelines, was an unhappy player and wanted the money Fitz made.

I've always believed that if Q had Larry's agent he'd still be a Cardinal. His agent was Drew Rosenhaus IIRC.

He'd be a lot richer with Fitz's agent, that's for sure. According to sportrac.com, he's made half the money Fitz has made $129,282,500 to $62,240,000.

Also it looks like he made the same money, $22 million, in 3yrs w/ Baltimore as he did 7yrs here. I guess thats what happens when your a 2nd round pick and re do your contract in year 3 instead of hitting FA.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals/larry-fitzgerald/cash-earnings/
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/anquan-boldin/cash-earnings/

 

[Bert]

Really?!?!

What saddened me was watching Q walk out the tunnel with his agent while the rest of the team was celebrating the NFC championship!!!

Exactly. My loyalty to Q ended that day. It simply told me that he didn't care about the Cardinals, or his teammates, he ONLY cared about himself. The whole; "I left cuz I didn't want to be a distraction" was such a load. Yeah, I'm going to leave in plain sight with my agent by my side before the confetti has even stopped falling, that wont garner any attention at all! The little kid didn't get his way so he took his toys and went home.

I cherish the memories of him as a Cardinal and appreciated his talent and effort on the field, but from that day on I had zero emotional attachment to Q, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Exactly. My loyalty to Q ended that day. It simply told me that he didn't care about the Cardinals, or his teammates, he ONLY cared about himself. The whole; "I left cuz I didn't want to be a distraction" was such a load. Yeah, I'm going to leave in plain sight with my agent by my side before the confetti has even stopped falling, that wont garner any attention at all! The little kid didn't get his way so he took his toys and went home.

I cherish the memories of him as a Cardinal and appreciated his talent and effort on the field, but from that day on I had zero emotional attachment to Q, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual.

This

 

[hsandhu]

Will be interesting to see if Q can get into canton. He's got around 12500 yards, if he gets to 14000 he should be in, that's more than cris carter. Only won't if they grade on a curve because of the passing era.

Even though he won a ring with baltimore, he never even had a 1,000 yard season in 3 years there, all his prime years were with the cards. people would think of him as a cardinal going in.

 

[ajcardfan]

I too remember the NFC championship game and him leaving the building when his teammates and a stadium full of people were celebrating a trophy.

That said, I NEVER thought I would see him not play as hard as he could in a game. Yesterday was the most emotionless, and least physical, game I've ever seen him play. A lot of time he was going less than full speed. Even on the pick six by Mathieu he never went for the ball and he broke into a light jog and never even thought about trying to stop the Badger from scoring. If he isn't just cashing paychecks now, he would have to be embarrassed watching the film of his play yesterday.