Yelling at Larry Fitzgerald Won't Stop Him

Steelers safety Ryan Clark developed a reputation around the NFL this season as being one of the most physical, hardest hitting safeties in the league. By now, I'm sure you're already familiar with his work. During the Steelers' 27-23 win against Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII, Clark tried to develop a new tackling strategy, and it's one that probably won't be catching on any time soon, and for good reason -- it doesn't work.

With the Cardinals trailing, 20-16, late in the fourth quarter, Kurt Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald on a quick slant which resulted in Fitzgerald sprinting, untouched, for a 65-yard touchdown, giving the Cardinals their first lead of the night. It was just another in a long line of fantastic, gut-wrenching plays in this year's Super Bowl, and Clark had a very interesting strategy on how to prevent Fitzgerald from reaching the end zone.

From Rotoworld's Greg Rosenthal:

Ryan Clark on the Larry Fitzgerald score: "He's way faster than I thought." Clark said he yelled Fitzgerald's name while running behind him in an effort to make him trip.

I have no idea as to why this didn't work.

After reading his comment and getting the visual of him desperately screaming at Fitzgerald, a few things came to mind:

1) I agree, I didn't think Fitzgerald was that fast. After seeing him play at Pitt for two years, and only briefly in the NFL (hey, we don't get many Cardinals games here) his speed never really stood out. It was always his ability to make catches that defy all human logic, as he soars over four defensive backs and somehow comes down with a one-handed catch.

To illustrate this further, his 40-yard dash at the combine prior to the 2004 draft had him clocked at 4.63. Roy Williams, for example, checked in with a 4.48. Note to NFL scouts for the upcoming combine: 40-yard times are not gospel.

2) I don't even recall Clark being on my television screen during the play. How in the heck would he have even been in shouting distance?

3) Every Steelers fan in the country was screaming at Fitzgerald, only the four-letter f-word they were using wasn't exactly "fall."