Larry Fitzgerald has returned, and he is jacked up to be back. He's had a whirlwind offseason after his playoff domination, jetting off to Iraq and Afghanistan on the NFL's USO tour, and then staying on the road and doing his vacation-thing in Egypt, Morocco and other parts of Africa. He got back from his globe-trotting Monday night. Tuesday morning, he was back at the Cards' facility for workouts.
"Best trip ever," Fitzgerald said. "I am totally recharged. It feels so good to get back in here. I'm so happy to see a good turnout and getting ready to get it again. I was itching to get back in the gym. It's home away from home."
The Tonight Show appearance was just the beginning for Fitz. His profile is continuing to grow (even though some thought the Super Bowl loss would put a damper on it). He is going to go to Bristol, Conn., at some point to shoot one of those iconic "SportsCenter" commercials. He's going to have a photo shoot with ESPN's family of magazines for various uses. This weekend he is helping host the fifth annual Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund Weekend back in Minnesota in honor of his late mother. The following week he is scheduled to receive an award (along with teammate Kurt Warner) from the NFL Players Association in Washington, D.C., for a combination of on-field play and community service.
And then there is the potential mother of all offseason honors with the possibility (probability?) that Fitz will appear as the cover boy – along, it seems, with Steelers safety Troy Polomalu – on the newest version of the EA Sports Madden video football franchise. If true, that would give Fitz another first, because for anyone who has forgotten, Fitz already was the cover boy for EA's college football game. Back then, I asked Fitz if he ever thought he could pull the double cover. It may be about to happen.
