A Pair Of Aces

Arizona must also account for Warner, who's scheduled to become a free agent after the season. At 37 he appears to have turned back the clock to his Super Bowl days with the Rams: He leads the league in passer rating (105.5) and completion percentage (a phenomenal 70.9), and is second in passing yards (3,155) and touchdowns (20). Now the Cardinals must decide how high they're willing to go when they have their 2006 first-round pick, Matt Leinart, serving as a backup. Insiders say the organization will make a "fair" offer to Warner, but the Cards hope he'll take slightly less than market value for an MVP-caliber quarterback to stay with an ascending team that has two dominant wideouts (and a promising third option in second-year player Steve Breaston, who has 48 catches this season). If that happens, it could facilitate a new deal for Boldin, who reached 400 receptions quicker than any other player in NFL history, and ensure that he and Fitzgerald remain together through the end of the decade. If so, they could rewrite the record books.

"I don't know if we've accomplished enough yet to be considered among the greatest in history," says Fitzgerald. "But if we continue on the pace we're on, a couple of years down the road we might be compared to some of those people. A lot has to do with winning playoff games, playing deep into the postseason and getting some hardware. When you do that, you solidify yourselves as great players."

Says Haley, "Larry has so much untapped ability, and Q has proved that when he's healthy, he's unmatched. So to me it comes down to two things: Larry reaching his full potential and Anquan just being able to stay healthy and play the game he plays. Because when he does, the two of them become unstoppable."