Looking at Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, you’d never guess that he needs to lose some weight.
Not only does he look fit, Fitzgerald’s game hasn’t shown the slightest sign of lagging because he’s holding onto extra pounds. Fitzgerald disagrees with that assessment, however. He told Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic that he can feel the effect of extra weight on his joints when he runs. Fitzgerald currently weighs 217 pounds, down from an offseason high over 220, and said that he’d like to be 212.5 pounds when the season gets underway.
Fitzgerald mentioned feeling the weight in his joints as one reason he’d like to drop a few more pounds and he also feels like his ideal weight leaves him well-suited in both the speed and strength categories. His reasons for wanting to lose weight go beyond his personal performance, however. Fitzgerald believes he needs to lose the weight in order to be a leader and mentor for younger players like first-round pick Michael Floyd.
“I never like to be the guy who says, ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t want to lead like that. If I ask you to do something, it’s because I’m doing it, because I’ve done it and I believe it’s going to help. I can’t tell you to drop your weight until I have all my ‘I’s’ dotted and ‘T’s’ crossed.”
If all goes according to plan, Fitzgerald’s loss will wind up being Arizona’s gain.