Smitty vs. Fitzgerald

[Udogg]

I think if a jump ball was up in the middle of the field. And TO, Randy Moss, Fritzgerald, Andre Johnson and Steve Smith were going for it. I believe somehow Steve Smith would end up with the football. Somehow.... he may grab a few nads, punch a few faces and maybe bite someone but he would come down with it.

[megadeth078]

so in conclusion fitz has better hands and height...smith has better speed, power, explosiveness, sideline maneuvers, heart, will to win, is meaner, tougher, more competitive and does more with less.

so why are we having a discussion over who the better receiver is?

you forgot more clutch.

[ChucktownK]

are you guys just trying to not sound like homers? because i think it's pretty obvious that smith is notches above fitz in most aspects of the game. runs better routes, more physical, much better YAC. fitz probably has softer hands but i wouldn't trade that for smith's big play ability.

fitz only has 10 more yards than smith, with 2 more games played.

Maybe at one time but not now. If you ask around the league as far as percentage of peeps taking Smith or Fitzy, I guarantee you it would be a close race. But yeah, Fitzy is the man. The huddle just recognizes good fball talent.

[beastson]

One overlooked thing about Smith is his hops. Lil man can jump very high

[ChucktownK]

His size is a disguise.

[ChucktownK]

One overlooked thing about Smith is his hops. Lil man can jump very high

At the Pro Bowl few years ago Ray Lewis was freakin out about how HUGE Smitty's calfs were when they were sitting next to each other during an interview. Pretty funny

[Fox007]

Smith is the best WR since Jerry Rice.

He would be a 1st ballot hall of famer with the likes of Peyton, Brady, Warner, Brees, and maybe Rivers throwing him the ball.(he may still make that mark)

[ChucktownK]

Triple Crown BABY!!!!

[Mr. Scot]

We've had this discussion before, and I'll repeat my thoughts again.

When comparing two players, one of the first things I look to see is whether either one does something that the other can't do.

Fitzgerald is a great receiver; good routes, great hands, uses his body well, all of that. Buuut you could say all of those things about Steve Smith too.

Smith also is capable of taking a short pass, a reverse or a direct snap and turning them into huge gains with his speed and elusiveness. Fitzgerald, as good a receiver as he is, doesn't really have that element in his game.

(and that's not even figuring in the special teams aspect)

So for that reason, I take Steve Smith. No homerism involved, just logic.

[mwandmw]

I bet Ken Lucas wouldn't keep him from catching it!!

I think if a jump ball was up in the middle of the field. And TO, Randy Moss, Fritzgerald, Andre Johnson and Steve Smith were going for it. I believe somehow Steve Smith would end up with the football. Somehow.... he may grab a few nads, punch a few faces and maybe bite someone but he would come down with it.

[PantherDude]

Fitz is quite one of the best WR ever for the Cards with his good hands & height. But Smitty has the heart to keep fighting & he has better speed. He just will keep doing everything he can do catch a ball & win, since he just won't quit. That why I think he is better than Fitz.

[PeppersUNC]

This conversation needs to be ended, I think we know Smith is the better receiver. Ask 1,000 Cards fans after Saturdays game and I can guarentee you that 90% will take Smitty!

[cardsfanmd]

Hey, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with saying that Larry has better hands because the guy does have one of the best pair of hands in the game. I'm not claiming that Smith is superior in every category.

what does spreading the ball around have to do with anything? You do remember that we have the least passes thrown as a team in the NFL this season, while Arizona is one of the highest passers?

While it may be true that they throw short passes more, Fitzgerald still has 18 more receptions than Steve Smith, while only mustering up 10 more yards. I think that's says something about which receiver is more dangerous. Smith does way more with less touches.

Wrong. I am not trying to put down Smith at all. He is one of my favorite all-time non-Cards, but what you say there was nothing more than blind homerism.

You can say that the Cards throw more and have a better recieving core, but Fitz is still the one that gets the double-teams, not Boldin. ESPN even did a study and found that Fitz is the second most doubled reciever in the game behind Andre Johnson (Smith was 4th behind TO).

You can also say that Smith doesn't benifit from having as good of a recieving core, but he has something that Fitz has never had and that is a ground game. Teams are forced to stack the line against you guys all the time while they NEVER do so against the Cards. There is always 5 in the secondary for Fitz to beat out.

Finally we get to the YAC issue. I agree that Smith is either the best or second best in the league in that category (him and Boldin are up there IMO), but to try and bring their numbers into it is erroneous. Fitz is 6-5 and Smith is 5-8. What does that mean? It means that anytime we have a 3rd and short, we just use Fitz's height on the sideline, whereas Moose takes those short passes for you guys if one of the RBs doesn't take care it. We also rarely go deep with Fitz. Instead we keep him and Boldin short to keep more defenders shallow then go deep with our #3 Steve Breaston one-on-one against your nickelback.

I dont think it is fair to compare the two as they are completely different WRs.

Also, there is ZERO CHANCE smith would beat Fitz out for a jump ball (just like Fitz couldn't beat Smith on a deep ball). Fitz is almost a foot taller and has the same vertical leap, combined with the best hands in the game.

[ChucktownK]

Wrong. I am not trying to put down Smith at all. He is one of my favorite all-time non-Cards, but what you say there was nothing more than blind homerism.

You can say that the Cards throw more and have a better recieving core, but Fitz is still the one that gets the double-teams, not Boldin. ESPN even did a study and found that Boldin is the second most doubled reciever in the game behind Andre Johnson (Smith was 4th behind TO).

You can also say that Smith doesn't benifit from having as good of a recieving core, but he has something that Fitz has never had and that is a ground game. Teams are forced to stack the line against you guys all the time while they NEVER do so against the Cards. There is always 5 in the secondary for Fitz to beat out.

Finally we get to the YAC issue. I agree that Smith is either the best or second best in the league in that category (him and Boldin are up there IMO), but to try and bring their numbers into it is erroneous. Fitz is 6-5 and Smith is 5-8. What does that mean? It means that anytime we have a 3rd and short, we just use Fitz's height on the sideline, whereas Moose takes those short passes for you guys if one of the RBs doesn't take care it.

Well put.