HOT GALLERY: Get to Know These NFL Power Players Before They Were Stars
The past 2012 NFL season got off to a shaky start when the replacement referees (brought in while the NFL negotiated with the usual starters) made some highly controversial (read: wrong) calls. And in 2013, two brothers go head to head, coaching the two playoff winners: The Ravens and 49ers. And both have their eyes on that coveted Superbowl title—what are the odds of that? Check out some of these NFL big shots—and a few future Hall of Famers—before they were stars... By Nina Hämmerling SmithAfter just two years at the University of Pittsburgh, Larry Fitzgerald petitioned the league to allow him to enter the draft—which it did—and he was picked up third overall in the 2004 draft by the Arizona Cardinals, where he has played all eight (and counting) seasons. In that time he has gone to six Pro Bowls and has been named MVP of the game once. As a wide receiver, he became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 700 catches and owns a score of Cardinals franchise records, including most receiving yards and most receiving touchdowns—and has become one of the most popular figures in the league, as much for his caliber of play as for his fearless, hardworking attitude.