Key to stopping Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald is pressuring QB Kurt Warner

Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald stands 6 feet 3 with spring-loaded legs and a gift of grab as strong as Spock's Vulcan nerve pinch.

He's a handful by just about any measure.

"Unless you're in the perfect position, he's going to make you pay," said Tim Lewis, the Seahawks' secondary coach.

Costly is probably the right term for Seattle's recent coverage of Fitzgerald. His receiving-yards total has hit triple digits each of his past three games against the Seahawks — all Arizona victories, by the way — and just last month he caught 13 passes in the Cardinals' 27-3 victory in Seattle.

There is one surefire way to keep Fitzgerald from getting his hands on the ball, though, and that's to badger, bludgeon and otherwise bother the man in charge of throwing him the ball: quarterback Kurt Warner.

"He's not the most mobile quarterback," Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill said. "Everybody knows that. If you can get pressure up in his face and block his vision a little bit, he won't be able to get away. When you sit back and let him throw the ball clean, somebody's going to be open. That's just how their offense works."

A few good whacks is usually enough.

Warner has a tendency to break open like a piñata, and the turnovers start spilling out. In three losses this season, Warner has been sacked nine times and turned the ball over 10 times. In five victories, he has been sacked just six times total and committed all of three turnovers.

"If you don't pressure him, and he doesn't feel the heat, he'll pick you apart," said Jordan Babineaux, Seattle's safety.

If only applying pressure were easy as turning a dial or flipping a switch. Saying it's imperative to pressure Warner is one thing, according to Seattle coach Jim Mora. Doing it is quite another. Seattle sacked Warner just twice in last month's meeting.

"If you just think you're just going to knock him around all day, that hasn't proven to be the case with him the last couple of years," Mora said. "He's too crafty. He's too quick getting rid of the football."

That is the primary reason Warner resuscitated his career in Arizona. When the Giants benched him in 2004 in favor of rookie Eli Manning, coach Tom Coughlin's decision was based upon the amount of time Warner waited before throwing the ball.

From there he went to Arizona, where he has stuck with the Cardinals through one coaching change and Arizona's selection of Matt Leinart No. 10 overall in 2006. Last February, Warner became the second NFL quarterback to start the Super Bowl for different franchises.

He re-signed with Arizona this offseason. How does he look at age 38? Pretty good, according to his No. 1 receiver.

"He's playing at a Pro Bowl level again," Fitzgerald said. "When he gets into that rhythm where he's able to spread the football around, it's like watching poetry in motion. He's still a top-five quarterback in this league, and we're very fortunate to have his services."

Not only does Warner still have his fastball, it's the quick-hit completions that make Arizona's offense so difficult to defend, said Lewis.

"He sees you're pressuring, boom, it's out fast," Lewis said. "He does not hold the ball very long at all. ... So you've got to be close in your coverage, and you've got to be creative in your coverage."

And that brings Seattle back to the challenge of covering Fitzgerald, the sticky-handed receiver whose fingerprints have been all over the Cardinals' three consecutive wins over Seattle.

Note

• Seattle signed wide receiver Mike Jones to its practice squad Wednesday, replacing guard Brian De La Puente. Jones is from Arizona State.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com