Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald Working On Chemistry
By Mike Dyce
Larry Fitzgerald had a rough season last year. Statistically his worse career as a pro. It probably didn’t help that they trotted out 4 different starting quarterbacks during the season including one they signed in December off the street.
So needless to say, Fitzgerald had to be thrilled when the Cardinals signed NFL veteran Carson Palmer.
“Look, this is a big year for me, coming off my worst season as a pro,” Fitzgerald said, via Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “I know Carson wants to play well this year. This is a huge year, and we’re leaning on each other. It’s simple as that. I need him as bad as anybody, and I’m going to go out there and give everything I can for him.”
“It was a rough season, in all aspects,” Fitzgerald. “But it’s behind me now. I view that as a learning experience, something to never happen again. We’ve got a great new head coach and coordinator and system that have been brought in this year, and I’m excited about it. I think there will be some great opportunities.”
Fitzgerald spoke from his annual summer workouts at the University of Minnesota. Fitzgerald pays for the trainers who put players through conditional drills. There is also extra work for the Cardinals contingent.
“That’s the goal … come into training camp and be ready, not have a day or two where you’re kind of getting back into the swing of things and try to get rhythm and timing down,” Palmer said. “It’s just a good chance to work some of the kinks out and talk about plays, talk about angles of routes and clean some of those things up.”
“It’s great. (Fitzgerald) runs the show,” Palmer said. “He’s got all these guys dialed in. They’re all following him, working behind him, watching him do it, and there’s no better guy to watch do it. It’s been great, just being a quarterback and having a player of his caliber makes life easier.”
Fitzgerald praised Palmer for attending the camp.
“He’s got three kids and a wife and building a house right now,” Fitzgerald said. “It takes a lot for him to move around, but he made himself available and it’s been great to have him.”