Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald believes Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is the best in the NFL. With Arizona facing Detroit on Sunday, it appears Fitzgerald is trying to kill his opponent with kindness.
It’s also very likely Fitzgerald is being sincere . Last season, Calvin Johnson led the league with 1,964 receiving yards. He broke Jerry Rice’s single season record of 1,848 yards set in 1995. The most receiving yards Fitzgerald has ever recorded in a season was 1,431 in 2008.
It’s refreshing to hear players complimenting each other the same week 49ers running back Anthony Dixon called the Seahawks the “She-hawks.”
Speaking with ESPN, Fitzgerald said:
“Calvin’s the best. I mean look at his numbers. It is what it is.”
Fitzgerald might be right. The numbers don’t lie. While Johnson set records last year, Fitzgerald fizzled with 798 receiving yards.
Comparing the receivers first six seasons side by side, you get the same story. Calvin Johnson has 7,836 yards in that span. Larry Fitzgerald has 7,067.
Both Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson are undeniably on their way to Hall of Fame careers. What’s more impressive is the sheer number of quarterbacks each has played with.
While Johnson has Matthew Stafford throwing his way, Stafford has not always been the man in Detroit. Stafford was drafted in 2009 and a number of injuries has slowed his career.
Fitzgerald has gone through a literal carousel of quarterbacks. Some, like Kurt Warner, worked out just fine. Others, like John Skelton, Kevin Kolb, Max Hall, and more, weren’t so good.
Not everyone agrees with Fitzgerald though. Teammate and defensive stud Patrick Peterson said Larry is “still the best receiver in the game” and he would never replace him.
One other accomplishment Larry Fitzgerald holds over Calvin Johnson is a Super Bowl appearance. When the Cardinals lost to the Steelers 27-23 in the 2008 Super Bowl, Fitzgerald scored a late touchdown that almost won the game.
Who do you think is the better wide receiver?
