Larry Fitzgerald's numbers are down, but that's not a good thing

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The numbers tell the story.

Through six games last season, Cardinals eight-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald was targeted a team-high 52 times. Michael Floyd was next with 42.

Through six games this season, Fitzgerald and Floyd are tied for the team lead with 39.

Running back Andre Ellington is next with 37. Rookie receiver John Brown, a third-round pick out of Pittsburg State, has 33 targets.

That's four players with at least 30 targets and none with at least 40. (By comparison, Jeremy Maclin leads the Eagles with 60, and no one else has reached 40.)

Cardinals tight end John Carlson and receiver Ted Ginn — both veterans added this offseason — have 20 and 10, respectively.

So the decline in Fitzgerald's targets is not necessarily his fault. It's not necessarily due to the conventional causes: age (31) and wear and tear (it's his 11th NFL season).

Instead, it's the options around him — and Carson Palmer's confidence in them.

"I think the biggest thing — it's nothing to do with Larry not being Larry," Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis said Wednesday. "It has to do with all the other weapons they've surrounded the quarterback with, and the options are everywhere. Their running back (Ellington) is getting a lot, Floyd is getting a lot, young Brown has got some speed. So the ball is going to spread out, but it's nothing against Larry. Larry's still Larry. He still makes all the catches and all the plays."

Whether Fitzgerald is happy about it is another matter.

"He's handled it beautifully," head coach Bruce Arians said in a conference call. "He's a pro — and winning cures everything."

Maybe.

A few hours later during his conference call, however, Fitzgerald didn't sound cured.

"It's out of my control. I just catch the balls that come my way," Fitzgerald said.

"I don't really do much thinking about it. It's out of my hands. I just make sure I'm accountable to my teammates every day, and work hard and do what I'm asked to do."

He did cite his teammates and called them "a really talented group" but also said the Cardinals "haven't been as explosive" as they need to be and "have a lot to work on."

Fitzgerald has a point there. Arizona enters Sunday's game against the Eagles 28th in total offense (317.3 yards per game) and 21st in passing offense (225.5). The Cardinals are tied for 21st in scoring (23.3 points per game).

But as Arians pointed out, they're winning. After six games last year, they were 3-3. Now they're 5-1.

They opened the season with an 18-17 victory over the Chargers in which Palmer completed passes to 11 receivers. Fitzgerald had just one catch — albeit an important one because it fueled the Cardinals' go-ahead drive — and was targeted just four times.

Fitzgerald didn't make headlines, but his dad did by campaigning on his son's behalf and opining on the reason behind uncharacteristic numbers. Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a journalist in Minneapolis, tweeted, "The world saw on Monday Night Football the politics and business of football," among other things. 

"He's going to say what he's going to say," Fitzgerald Jr. said. "His comments don't reflect my opinion or my feelings. Those are his and his only."

Given Fitzgerald's cap number, which approaches $24 million next season, he easily could be playing elsewhere next season. Right now, however, as they sit in first place in the NFC West, the Cards have reason to stay focused on this season. 

They have overcome their pedestrian passing stats by taking care of the ball (in other words, they're the opposite of the Eagles). Cardinals quarterbacks have thrown only one interception this season, and that came from Palmer in last week's win at Oakland. Drew Stanton didn't get picked in his three starts.

Though six games last year, Palmer had 11 interceptions. 

"When you start forcing balls to players, especially wideouts, you're going to throw a lot of interceptions," Arians said. "I think part of that last year early in the season, Carson was going to get the ball to Larry whether it was double coverage or not. Now he trusts all the rest of the guys, and I think we built that trust throughout the season last year — whoever's open, get him the football.

"The emergence of Michael Floyd last year and John Brown this year, Teddy Ginn. The tight ends. Andre Ellington is a huge part of it."

Ellington actually leads the team in receptions with 25 for 260 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown. Fitzgerald has 23 for 283 yards and a touchdown. His longest reception is a 33-yarder. Through six games last year, he had 30 catches for 405 yards and four touchdowns. His longest reception was a 75-yard score.

What will happen Sunday? The Cardinals likely will continue to spread the ball around, but they once again could focus on Fitzgerald, who in his career has feasted on the Birds. In six career games against them, including playoffs, he has 10 touchdowns — the most he's scored against any non-division opponent (more on that here).

Fitzgerald has scored against the Eagles in every game, and, lest you've forgotten what he did in the 2009 NFC Championship, he had nine receptions for 152 yards and three touchdowns. In the teams' 2011 meeting, he had seven for 146 and two. In 2012, he had nine for 114 and one, and last year he had only five for 72 and one.

"There are going to be days where the ball is going to be spread around," Fitzgerald said, "and there are going to be times where you play teams that play pretty standard coverages and give you some matchups that you can take shots, and one guy will be able to get more opportunities. It all depends on who we're playing."

Uh oh.

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