This year, they have Chris Johnson – whose entire career has been built on explosive runs – and rookie David Johnson, who in a very small sample size is beginning to look like explosive runs is what he is all about.
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That seemed to come together exactly how it should in Chicago, crystallized on Fitzgerald’s flea-flicker touchdown reception.
“You never want to play catch-up in this league”.
“It wasn’t something that was really high on my priority list when I was younger”, he said.
“I feel like I’ve been comfortable for a while”, Fitzgerald said.
Quarterback Carson Palmer, who has made a living throwing to players like Fitzgerald, has noticed the receiver’s ability there, too. “He’s somebody you have to earn his trust, and I work every day to do everything he’s asking me to do”.
“But when it comes down to it, the dirty part of the game, be it blocking in the trenches or blocking on the perimeter, it’s got to be a will, it’s got to be an attitude, it’s got to be a want-to, and Larry has that”.
“Larry’s bought in 100 percent”, offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said, “and it’s helped us a whole lot”. In the receiving game, Torrey Smith is proven to be a great pickup for the 49ers, and Carlos Hyde has stepped up as the leading running back. That has changed.
“We’re a smarter football team“. For us to have the team success, it might ask guys to do things they weren’t good at before. In fact, the stuff between the lines is often the easiest aspect of any coach’s day, It’s the ancillary issues that become the most hard, things like dealing with a ravenous media horde or the latest immature decision of an immature twentysomething. “He gets it”. And Earl Watford has moved out to tackle from guard, and he gave up some hits and pressures, but he played well. He said the receiver is always talking to him about how he can improve as a blocker, and that mentality trickles down to the rest of the receiver group.
“This team, when you think back to last year and being 8-1, 9-1 whatever it was”, Palmer said, “you never felt like we’ve arrived, so I don’t see that being an issue for us this year”.
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Cardinals guard Mike Iupati will say hello to his ex-teammates when… “Mike has been working his butt off. Obviously, we paid him a crapload of money. We’ll give it a whirl and see what happens”.
