The passing of former coach Dennis Green came as a surprise last week. It was also a little bit a surprise when Larry Fitzgerald -- who had known Green much of his life -- didn't weigh in. Today, it became clear why, as Fitz was apparently working on a longer piece about his feelings for Green on The Players' Tribune.

Green played a huge role in Fitz's life. As Fitz notes right off the top, Green got him the only two jobs he's had -- as Vikings ballboy, and then drafting him to be a Cardinal. What struck me in the well-written article was the part where Fitz acknowledged the pressure he felt as the No. 3 overall pick, knowing the Cardinals could have instead drafted a Ben Roethlisberger or Philip Rivers.

"I also remember that after that initial wave of excitement wore off, I felt a lot of stress," Fitzgerald wrote. "Because I knew that I wasn't just another player that the Cardinals were taking a chance on. I knew Coach had a big hand in having the team draft me with the No. 3 pick when they could have taken guys like Ben Roethlisberger or Philip Rivers. The Cardinals already had a young Pro Bowl receiver in Anquan Boldin. Wide receiver wasn't a need position for them. So my emotions went from joy to feeling a lot of pressure. I didn't want to let Coach Green down. I knew I had to go out there and perform well so people would know that he had done that he did a good job evaluating me. All I wanted was to do right by him."
I don't think there's any question Fitzgerald made Green look good with the pick. It didn't hurt that the Cardinals and Green eventually signed Kurt Warner, too, so that helped the cause.

Having covered that team, there was never really any question the Cardinals and Green were going to target Fitz. Even now, Fitz jokes that he could have been the No. 1 overall pick if it hadn't been for Josh McCown-to-Nate Poole. But that was only part of a relationship that started when Fitz was 9, and why last week's news was such a blow to the future Hall of Famer.