NFC beat the AFC, 23-17. And Fitzgerald will see if he can repeat that – and perhaps up his statistics – this weekend.
Fitzgerald will take part in his second Pro Bowl Sunday in Hawaii, and is joined by defensive lineman Darnell Dockett, who is making his Honolulu debut.
Much has been made about the necessity of the Pro Bowl these days; many players pull out after being named for various reasons, and the game itself is not exactly an all-star replica of what one would see in the regular season.
But it is still a big deal to these Cardinals, especially to Dockett.
"I don't feel it needed to happen," Dockett said after he was named to the team. "That doesn't mean I'd want them to take it away, because it does put the icing on the cake to validate it, but everybody knows I had a great year."
Dockett had a career-best nine sacks. Fitzgerald, meanwhile, had 100 receptions for the second time in three seasons.
Fitzgerald's name has been in the headlines more recently because of his ongoing contract talks with the team in an effort to restructure and extend his contract.
Since he had already made a Pro Bowl, his enthusiasm wasn't the same as Dockett's. But it was still apparent when he was named to the team.
"You want to make sure your teammates know you can be somebody you can rely on," Fitzgerald said in December. "I feel like my teammates look at me as a playmaker and a leader on this team. If it can be capped by a Pro Bowl appearance, that is icing on the cake." * * * Contact Darren Urban at askdarren@cardinals.nfl.net. Posted 2/9/08.
