MMQB (cont.)

Larry Fitzgerald, who comes from a military family, has made four trips to Iraq since joining the NFL. Getty Images

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Larry Fitzgerald's grandfather earned a Purple Heart. His aunt and uncle have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively. So it's no surprise, at least to him, that the 2009 USO journey to Iraq was the fourth trip he's made to see the troops since becoming an NFL player.

In every stop on the four-player tour (Jared Allen, Will Witherspoon, Danny Clark went with Fitzgerald) of U.S. military bases in Iraq, the playoff hero told the crowd some version of this: "Thank you. If it wasn't for you doing what you do, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. I just want you to know how much I appreciate all the sacrifices you're making -- and I'm not alone.''

Speaking from Al Asad, Iraq, Sunday night, Fitzgerald sounded grateful to have the platform to be able to tell the service men and women thanks. Having been on the USO trip to Afghanistan last year with three players, I can tell you it's a draining experience for the players, being "on'' for 14 or 16 hours in a day with no clocks.

"The great thing about all these guys,'' said NFL liaison David Krichavsky, traveling with the group, "is that they all have family in the military, and they're all thrilled to be able to tell them some stories and just be with them. None of them has complained once about the hours. They love it. They are absolutely superstars, perfect for this trip. And after almost every meet-and-greet on the bases, we're looking around, saying, 'Where's Larry?' And he'll be over the side, or outside, with one or two or three people asking them, 'What are you going through?' or 'How are you holding up?' He's an incredibly generous, heartfelt person.''

I asked Fitzgerald whether, five weeks later, the Super Bowl loss still stung. It seemed an odd time to ask the question, with him being on the other side of the world and doing some real good, but I asked anyway.

"Most definitely,'' he said. "I still haven't watched the game. It hurts. I can shut it off, but it hurts when I think about it, and obviously, everyone here is asking about it. We were 1:56 away from being world champions. I can't lie to you; it stings. I just wish we were the team with the ball with two minutes to go with a chance to drive down the field and win.''

It was a strange game for Fitzgerald, obviously. No catches in the first half. Six for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

"I can tell you this,'' he said, chuckling over the phone. "I'll never go the whole first half without a catch again in a Super Bowl. The whole experience was a great one. In fact, the playoffs were a great experience for our team, and it's only going to help us grow. Personally, I know I'm not the player I need to be, or the player I want to be. I remember learning about how hard Jerry Rice worked every offseason, even when people recognized him as the best in the game, because he knew he needed to get better every year. That's the way I want to work.''

We knew this already, but in my limited exposure to Fitzgerald, I've found him to have an insatiable desire to be great. He's going to be fun to watch over the next few years. Imagine this: He's 25. He has 426 catches. He doesn't turn 26 'til a week before the 2009 season. It sounds heretical, but with that kind of attitude, he's got a chance, if he stays healthy and in the right offense, to make a run at Rice's record of 1,549 catches.

Stat of the Week

Kerry Collins will pass Joe Montana on the all-time passing yards list this year if he throws for 3,159 yards. Does anyone else find that amazing?