Larry Fitzgerald disavows fathers' critique of Arizona Cardinals [View all]

[JonLP24]

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald, in response to a series of tweets from his father that criticized the Arizona Cardinals for only targeting him four times during Monday night's 18-17 win, says he doesn't share those sentiments.

Larry Fitzgerald Sr. set off the controversy a couple of hours after his son didn't get targeted in the first three quarters of a game for the first time in his 11-year career.

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Last season, Fitzgerald was targeted 136 times, which accounted for 24.4 percent of Arizona's targets in coach Bruce Arians' first year as the Cardinals' coach.

It matched the third-lowest such rate of Fitzgerald's career.

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Arians said Tuesday he doesn't design plays for specific players -- including the eight-time Pro Bowler.

"That's interceptions waiting to happen," Arians said. "You have guys go out and then whatever coverage dictates, you get it. The coverage dictated he wasn't getting many.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11498285/larry-fitzgerald-disavows-father-critique-arizona-cardinals

Knowing this makes me appreciate Bruce Arians even more. QBs in the past, even Warner to a lesser extent would often force the ball to Fitzgerald which actually worked out more times than not but led to a lot of incompletions and interceptions.

In related news: Garrett: Don't force ball to Dez Bryant

IRVING, Texas -- Common sense dictates that the Dallas Cowboys want to get Dez Bryant the ball a bunch.

Common sense also dictates that Tony Romo shouldn’t throw Bryant the ball when he has two or three defenders all over him.

That happened twice Sunday. Romo was picked off both times.

“I think it’s pretty clear -- you don’t force the ball to people,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “Dez is a great player, but [Jason Witten is] a great player too, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street, Dwayne Harris, all those guys are really, really good football players, who, if given an opportunity, are going to come through for us.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4733298/garrett-dont-force-ball-to-dez-bryant