[jwplayer uNg4wQUX]
There’s a lot of time until Week 10. Plenty can happen before the Buffalo Bills visit the Arizona Cardinals that week.
Will the Bills have a winning record? Could the playoff picture be on the horizon? Maybe the unthinkable happens and Buffalo’s out of it? Let’s hope not.
But you can bet one thing, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah Hodgins, the Bills’ two rookie wide receivers have that game circled on the schedule already. And you’ve probably guessed why by now, because of Larry Fitzgerald.
One of the NFL’s all-time greats, the soon-to-be 37-year-old is entering his 17th season in the league. He’s twice led the NFL in receptions and touchdown catches, and just has been a pinnacle of consistent output, having only missed six games in his career.
Yeah, holy cow.
It’s clear to see why both Davis and Hodgins would look up to such a guy, who’s done it every step of the way with class. But their reasonings are quite a bit different and they both discussed him via video conference from Bills training camp this week.
Davis is more of what you’re thinking. Just looking up to him as a fan.
“Who… actually made me fall in love with the game, especially the receiver position, was Larry Fitzgerald. Loved watching Larry Fitzgerald,” Davis said. “He was just all-around a great. From hands, to blocking, to route running to big, physical… was a deep threat. The guy was just different, he’s still different to this day, obviously. He’s what, 17 years into the league I think? That’s a guy I kind of model my game after, had his number and everything all throughout little league and until I got up to college.”
Hodgins, instead, has a bit of a more “hands on” experience. His father, James, James, played eight seasons in the NFL. One of his teammates? Yup… Fitzgerald.
“I just grew up catching the ball. With my dad playing in the NFL, kind of growing up around that. I was able to grow up around guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and everyone. My dad was just teaching me stuff what they would do in practice all the time,” Hodgins said.
Both guys are certainly not alone in this. Ask any rookie wideout in the entire league and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear more than half mention Fitzgerald’s name.
After hearing both guys, we now have something else interesting to lookout for when the Bills and Cards meet in 2020. If both Davis and Hodgins are on the active roster that game and on the sideline, who’s going to get to do the ol’ jersey swap with Fitz? Will someone like Stefon Diggs step in instead? Will Fitz just have a suitcase of jerseys lined up on the sideline each game?
For what it’s worth, at the recent NFL Scouting Combine, Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 second while Hodgins clocked in at 4.61…
[lawrence-related id=68880,68724,68908,68891]