AZ CARDINALS 101

The 2012 season was a season to forget for the Arizona Cardinals. Even Larry Fitzgerald, the perennial All-Pro wide receiver, had one of the worst seasons of his NFL career.

Not that it was really his fault though. The Red Birds had some of the worst overall quarterback play in the league last season and it translated into Arizona having one of the most dismal offenses in the NFL.

Still, it was a good enough campaign to land Fitzgerald back in Sunday's Pro Bowl, the seventh time he's made the all-star event.

 The University of Pittsburgh product now wants to look ahead to the future – and he sees hope for the Cardinals after meeting and talking with new head coach Bruce Arians.

"I'm excited. It's a change, obviously," Fitzgerald told NFL.com. "I have great admiration for my former coaching staff. I have great respect for those guys, and I'm sad to see them go. But I'm excited about our future." 

Arians will try and get Fitzgerald the ball as much as possible and why not? He is still a premier talent and in the prime of his career. He was seventh in the NFL in targets in 2012 (156) and finished with 71 receptions for 798 yards, both team-leading marks. However, Fitzgerald scored just four touchdowns, the lowest total of his career. Can you imagine what numbers he'd accumulate with a solid NFL signal-caller?

He never complained though. Not once.

A good soldier indeed.

That's where Arians and assistant coach Tom Moore come in. They have a combined 60 years of NFL coaching experience and Arians was instrumental in helping develop Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck. Moore worked with Peyton Manning for a dozen years. Not a bad track record.

"Our future is in Coach Arians' hands," Fitzgerald stated to NFL.com, "and we're going to follow his lead."

 That's a great idea. The Cardinals draft seventh in the upcoming NFL Draft and we'll see if they take an offensive lineman or quarterback with that precious high pick. Either way, the rebuilding in the desert has begun and Arizona's best player is on board with the direction the Red Birds are headed.

It's time to look ahead and the future is starting to brighten.

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Tags: Andrew Luck, Arizona, Arizona Cardinals, Bruce Arians, Football, Larry Fitzgerald, NFL, Peyton Manning, Tom Moore

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