Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake had some choice words for the developers at Electronic Arts regarding their wide receiver “catching” ratings in Madden 21.
Drake voiced his astonishment at the fact Cardinals teammate Larry Fitzgerald was not in the Top 10, citing the fact Fitzgerald has more tackles than drops in his career.
LARRY LEGEND LITERALLY HAS MORE TACKLES THAN DROPS IN HIS CAREER https://t.co/QzWPcgcrV9
— Kenyan Drake™ (@KDx32) July 17, 2020
That is not an exaggeration, either. Fitzgerald has 39 tackles in his career with the Cardinals. He has just 29 drops.
Does Larry Fitzgerald have the best hands in NFL history? 🐐 @LarryFitzgerald
(h/t @mikejurecki) pic.twitter.com/lfDXkSDdCa
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 24, 2020
In fact, the Cardinals star also has a lower drop rate in the last five years than the No. 1 guy on Madden‘s list, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas.
WR Larry Fitzgerald returning for his 17 season has more career tackles (39) than career drops (29) on 2,263 targets. His case to be regarded as the best hands of our generation.
Per @PFF
Lowest drop rate % (2015-19)
Godwin 2.2
Baldwin 2.6
Brown 2.8
Fitzgerald 2.9
Thomas 3.1 pic.twitter.com/kzLabbZ097— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) March 24, 2020
The 36-year-old is still producing at a high level. Fitzgerald did not have a single drop this past year for the Cardinals, hauling in 75 receptions for 804 yards and four touchdowns. His longevity is a reflection of an excellent career.
Fitzgerald ranks second on both the all-time receptions and receptions yards lists, behind just Jerry Rice. He also ranks sixth all-time in touchdown receptions, eight scores shy of former Indianapolis Colts star Marvin Harrison.
All of this excellence has come at the expense of some truly awful quarterbacks. Veterans like Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer had excellent runs in Arizona. But Fitzgerald also had to deal with starters like Josh McCown, Derek Anderson, Ryan Lindley and Drew Stanton, among others. Needless to say, “Fitz” did not have the luxury of spending most of his career with a Hall of Fame quarterback.
Fitzgerald is hoping to be productive once again in Year 17, and the Cardinals will look to open things up with DeAndre Hopkins now lining up opposite the future Hall of Famer.
For now, Drake is insistent on giving Fitzgerald the respect he is due both on the field and in video game form.
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