"If I . . . beat a guy and he's draped all over me and I catch the ball, he's going to tackle me right there on the spot," Fitzgerald explained. "But if I'm running better routes and getting in and out of my breaks quicker, I'm able to get more separation, and when I'm catching the ball and running full speed, I'm able to run away from guys, or maybe break a tackle and take a better angle. I think losing weight and becoming a better route runner has helped me."
Cardinals' Fitzgerald not ready to return to earth
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These are the kinds of details Fitzgerald frets about. It's an unusual mind-set for a dominant wideout - they tend to be more worried about their touchdown celebrations or TV highlight-show appearances. But this is a big part of what makes Fitzgerald so good.
Here's a sampling of what concerns him, going into Sunday:
"A route that's supposed to be a 12-yard route, you run 11, and a defensive lineman tips the ball because you're coming out of your break too fast? You've missed your opportunity to win the Super Bowl," Fitzgerald said. "I just don't want to be that guy that at the end of the day is pointed at as the guy who didn't get his job done." *
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