Who Powered Through - Larry Fitzgerald

In continuation -- and luckily diverting away from the Cardinals current seven-game losing streak -- we move on to the Vicks, Who Powered Through series. This time around I wanted to address the magical Super Bowl run we witnessed two seasons ago. As you know, Larry Fitzgerald literally ran away with stats, breaking all of Jerry Rice's previous playoff records for a receiver. Larry almost led the Cardinals to their first and only Super Bowl win, and even went on to become the Pro Bowl MVP a week later. We all know the details. What a lot of fans didn't know following the Super Bowl was the health of Fitzgerald's hands. 

Reports surfaced not long into that offseason that Larry played through all four postseason games with a broken left thumb and also torn cartilage in his left hand between his middle and ring fingers. The Cardinals front office decided not to release this information for strategic purposes, which paid off heavily.

Through the pain, all he did was record 30 catches for 546 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught two touchdowns the following week at the Pro Bowl. After that game Larry had the following to say:

"My hands are so messed up right now," he said. "I'm just glad I don't have to catch a ball again for a couple months. I can mend up."

I find it amazing that he was able to blow us all away with the numbers and play he put up in front of the nation. He played out of his mind in all four games and single handily became one of the greatest Cardinals in team history after that lone postseason. For that I believe he truly powered through.