Larry Fitzgerald Is in the Proverbial 'Zone'

Larry Fitzgerald has never been tabbed as anything other than an elite receiver, although I just heard some discussion that he was, at one point last year, a "one trick pony." At this point, what with Larry having three touchdowns and almost a hundred yards in the first half of the NFC Championship Game, that idea sounds kind of silly.

But Fitzgerald's explosion onto the scene obviously isn't a new storyline this week; he lit the Panthers up for a franchise record-number of receiving yards last Saturday and, according to his teammates, turned into more of a leader. And when you take a look at his performance over the past five weeks, it's kind of astounding to note what he's done.

It all started with a fluke, 78-yard touchdown pass (from Matt Leinart of all people) against New England in a snowy game that many thought represented the end of the Cardinals season, even before the playoffs started. That catch put him over the 100-yard mark and kicked off a pretty sick streak.

The next week, Fitz went for 130 yards and two touchdowns against an anemic Seattle team in the final regular season game. Then, in the Wild Card round, he torched Atlanta for six catches, 101 yards and a touch, immediately followed by 166 and a score against the Panthers on eight catches.

And now today, he's sitting, as the Cards march for another score heading into halftime, with six catches, 113 yards and three touchdowns. Yes, it's beastly, and it's also called "peaking at the right time." Assuming the Cards hold on and win this game, it's hard to fathom that he won't be the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl MVP award.