Jose Romero 6y

Larry Fitzgerald learning new offense, much like rest of Cardinals

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Difficult as it may be to imagine, Larry Fitzgerald has a lot in common with many of his much younger Arizona Cardinals teammates.

He's 34 and is heading into his 15th season, yet the face of the Cardinals is a student of a new offense once again.

Fitzgerald and the Cardinals are ingesting the scheme and terminology of new head coach Steve Wilks' offense. New coordinator Mike McCoy is charged with demonstrating how it will work.

It's not all different than what former coach Bruce Arians ran. Yet Fitzgerald and his fellow receivers are in the same boat, he said Tuesday when the team opened a three-day voluntary minicamp under Wilks.

"There's some words that are the same, but they mean something completely different," Fitzgerald said. "When you run up to the line and you think 'Flounder' and you're like, 'Oh, that's not that route, I've got to run this route.' I'm just trying to make it be fast recall so I can go out there and play fast and execute.

"The young guys asked me questions today, and I saw the playbook for the first time when they saw the playbook the first time. So we're kind of helping each other out. I think guys know it; it's just ... we're kind of just reaffirming what we think we know."

Fitzgerald knows plenty. He has played the various wide receiver positions, including the slot most recently, and his veteran status makes him sort of the go-between and conveyor of the process from Wilks, McCoy and staff to the players.

"I know X, I know Z. If they tell me to go play something, I can play it right now," Fitzgerald said. "But when we roll the ball out the first of September, I have no idea what my role will be. I think roles will be defined as they see what we do on the field, what guys are good at, can you do this, can you do that. I just do as I'm told right now, making sure what I need to do conceptually so I can play at a high level."

While thereĀ areĀ changes in the offense, Fitzgerald's commanding presence and attitude about his teammates and the game have not changed. He still believes he has something to prove, even when he has proven plenty.

"He's the best teammate, the best guy I've really ever been around. It doesn't matter if you're a Pro Bowler like him or an All-Pro or a guy that just comes in," center A.Q. Shipley said. "He's always looking to help somebody. He's always looking to be the best person he can be."

Shipley noted that Fitzgerald made sure to seek out and talk to new quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon right away Tuesday.

Fitzgerald calls it a blessing to be able to be with the same team for so long.

"I can't tell you that I thought it would happen. I dreamed that I would be able to play in the same place and be able to play at a high level for a long time," he said. "That's what you work for. But it's a new journey this year. A lot of new. I'm in proving mode. I want to build on things to this point."

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