Most won't give the Arizona Cardinals a chance to defeat the surging Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in the desert with a third-string quarterback starting under center.
Larry Fitzgerald, however, isn't buying the storyline that Ryan Lindley -- who hasn't started a game since Dec. 23, 2012 -- will be an Achilles' heel. Fitzgerald told NFL Network's NFL AMÂ on Tuesday that Lindley has the mentality and talent to guide the Cards.
"He's a really cerebral young man, he's been in the league for over three (years) and he works hard, extremely hard in the offseason," the wide receiver said. "We actually train together, and he's a student of the game, really focused. ... We really believe in Ryan, he can make all the throws. We just got to protect him, make some plays for him outside, run the ball. We're going to be just fine."
Fitzgerald's point that Lindley can "make all the throws" is important, because if Bruce Arians has proven one thing, it's that he's still going to take shots down the field, regardless of who is slinging it.
Facing a Seahawks team playing one of the most dominant stretches of team defense in recent memory will be a tall task to overcome for a quarterback who has thrown exactly zero touchdown passes in his career.
However, Fitzgerald believes this challenge is just another bump in the road, not a debilitating pothole.
"We've been dealing with adversity in terms of injury all season, we never used it as an excuse, and we're not going to start now," he said. "We have a bunker mentality on our team, everybody fights for the next man. And we understand what we have here in terms of our team, what our goals are and they are all in front of us.
"We control our own destiny at this point and any time you can get to Week 16 in the NFL and be able to control your own destiny, you're in a good position."
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