Bill Belichick paid Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald a huge compliment by saying Fitz could end up being the greatest wide receiver of all time. That left Fitzgerald in a giddy mood, eager to return the favor.
"That's what he said?" Fitzgerald asked New England reporters via the Boston Herald. "I mean, it's an honor that he even knows my name, to be honest with you. He's the best coach ever. Look at his record, what he's been able to accomplish over his career. He's an unbelievable football coach."
The lovefest didn't end there. Fitzgerald lavishly praised Tom Brady, calling him a model of consistency. And then things got a little weird.
"He's just unbelievable, passer rating, touchdowns-to-interceptions (ratio), the guy does it every single year," Fitzgerald said. "Not to mention he has the most beautiful wife in the world. So he's every man's dream ... er, every woman's dream, I mean.
"I bought a pair of Uggs just to try to be like him."
This flirtation is starting to feel like the beginning of a story that ends in the 2014 offseason with the Patriots sending a handful of picks to acquire Fitzgerald in Belichick's last gasp at winning one more title with Brady.
(Note to angry/depressed/resigned Cardinals fans: This probably won't actually happen. Probably.)
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
