Cardinals' WR Larry Fitzgerald: We're the Spurs of the NFL

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgeraldsaid he sees a lot of comparisons between his team and the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. The Cardinals sit at

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgeraldsaid he sees a lot of comparisons between his team and the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

The Cardinals sit at 6-1, atop the NFC West, going into their conference showdown with the Dallas Cowboys (6-2) on Sunday. 

Fitzgerald said he likes how the Spurs go about their business, winning ugly and pulling out close games. In five of Arizona's games this season, the lead or deficit entering the fourth quarter has been seven points on fewer.

"We're a blue collar, grind-it-out team right now," Fitzgerald told The Arizona Republic. "We're the San Antonio Spurs. We're not flashy. We'll take all those ugly, nasty, sloppy wins. But we're not even close to fulfilling our potential on offense. And it would be nice to put it all together." 

As for the perception that Fitzgerald has lost a step and that he might not be with the team next season, Fitzgerald says he isn't worried about that. He restructured his 2014 base salary from $12.75 million to $1 million this season. His salary cap number for 2015 is $23.6 million.

• MMQB: NFL Midseason Report

From The Arizona Republic:

“I’ve always been the best at what I do, even from high school,” Fitzgerald said. “People will always nitpick. They said LeBron James couldn't make jump shots. When Sammy Sosa was hitting 60 home runs, they said he couldn't hit curveballs. People always find things to say about you. I don't listen to that. I work hard on my strengths and harder on my weaknesses."

Fitzgerald, 31, has 30 catches for 443 yards and two touchdowns this season. In 11 NFL seasons, Fitzgerald has 876 catches for 11,810 yards and 89 touchdowns.

LARRY FITZGERALD'S TRAVEL PHOTOS

Larry Fitzgerald's Travel Photos

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald's travel log is as robust as his NFL stats. Since 2005, he's traveled through 80 countries on every continent but Antarctica. In conjunction with an SI.com feature on the Arizona Cardinals receiver, Fitzgerald agreed to share some of the photos he's taken and some of those taken of him. "One of those spur of the moment photos: they were coming towards me and I snapped."

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

Riding down the street in a car, I saw this guy transporting livestock in a very unconventional way. The livestock was still moving and everything -- I had to take a picture.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

On a mission with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, fitting hearing aides with defenseman Tommie Harris, Jr. Seeing a child hear for the first time is priceless.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

I used my 400mm lens to shoot these two cheetahs from about 150 feet away in the Serengeti National Park.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

I entered the dojo to find the sumos practicing. It looked interesting so I just started snapping away.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

These two zebras caught my eye.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

I took this during a torrential downpour, as the silverback ate with his family. I yelled, 'Hey buddy, look over here,' and it worked out well. I used a big lens to get this one -- I was a good 120 feet away from him.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

The Moai at Rano Raraku, carved from rock.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

On a two-and-a-half week mission with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, helping fit over 14,000 hearing aids in five cities and two countries.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

Early morning and I'm trying to get a panoramic view of the sun rising.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

The Maasai children asked if I played basketball and their elder statesman, who spoke English, translated `No.' They then challenged me to a jumping competition and I accepted. The elder told me that in ancient times the highest jumper would get to pick the most eligible women in the village to marry.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

The Wadi Rum desert.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

Just having lunch on a perch, looking towards Mount Everest.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

Floating in the Dead Sea.

Courtesy of Larry Fitzgerald

Riding the King of Thailand's elephant at a conservation camp where they protect them from the poachers.

- Scooby Axson