Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald gets a day off

TEMPE, Ariz. — Dressed in full pads, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald hit the field ready for a two-hour practice on Thursday.

His head coach, however, had other ideas and turned the team’s most popular player into a spectator.

“It was just a veteran day off,” Bruce Arians explained.

And a well-deserved one at that.

Fitzgerald is leading the Cardinals in receptions (43), receiving yards (583) and touchdowns (6); the latter of which is three times his total from a season ago and nearly halfway to his career mark of 13 set in 2009.

One year removed from his worst statistical campaign since he was a rookie, Fitzgerald is enjoying a resurgent season at the ripe old age of 32.

“He’s healthy,” Arians said. “That’s why he had the day off today. We’re going to keep him that way as long as we can.”

Last season, a knee injury kept Fitzgerald off the field for two games, and then when quarterback Carson Palmer went down with his own knee injury, so too did Fitzgerald’s numbers. That caused some to think either Fitzgerald had lost a step or simply the game had passed him by.

But here in his 12th season, Fitzgerald is having the type of success fans and the media have come to expect from the eight-time Pro Bowler.

“I mean success is success. I mean if you’re younger or you’re older, when I had success at 20, 21, it didn’t feel any different than having success at 32. It’s all the same,” he said. “Whoever is having success on this team, guys are happy for. We work really hard throughout the course of the week and obviously Coach works his ass off to design plays and get guys open, so when it happens on Sunday, everybody is happy for us.”

With 183 career games under his belt, Fitzgerald can afford to miss a practice or two. Given the extra work day afforded the Cardinals due to the Monday night matchup against Baltimore, it made sense to rest Fitzgerald, at least physically.

“He wanted to practice,” Arians said. “He followed everybody around, took every rep where his position was lined up, and he did a great job of coaching and he was making good points to (Brittan Golden). He was really into it mentally.”

Coach Fitzgerald, huh? Well, maybe not.

“I don’t know what you’ve guys have been told or whatever, but I was out there working like I always do. Reps were cut a little bit,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s just an opportunity for other guys to be able to get some experience and for other guys to be able to understand what they’re doing. We’re a team. We support each other when guys go down and for any other reason, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Still, Fitzgerald has never had a better six-game stretch to start a season than this one.

“It’s nothing different to me, honestly,” he said, referring to his numbers. “It’s another year. It’s another opportunity this Monday to go out and play the game I love and try to get back on a winning streak. Twelve years, it’s my job. I don’t treat it any different.”

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