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He has the longest reception for the Arizona Cardinals this season. Yet, his name is not Larry Fitzgerald. Or Anquan Boldin. Or Steve Breaston.
It’s Jerheme Urban.The same Urban who played Division III football at Trinity University in San Antonio and spent the 2006 season on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad before being cut in training camp a year later.In his first two seasons in Arizona, Urban caught 56 passes for 777 yards and six touchdowns. But it wasn’t until training camp this year that Urban fully earned Kurt Warner’s trust."I was able to go into training camp and get some opportunities from the quarterbacks, and I made the most of them," Urban said in a telephone interview. "I think it’s led to greater confidence. I have a full understanding of the offense and how Kurt likes things done now. We’ve really kind of grown together."It’s definitely nice to have him throw me the ball, and he’s confident in what I’m going to do right now. It’s just fun to have that long play right now [40 yards], but I’m sure our other guys are going to make some bigger plays than that this year."Urban’s only problem is there aren’t enough footballs to go around. Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breaston all had 1,000-yard seasons a year ago, only the fifth time in NFL history that a team has had three players reach that milestone in a single season. Urban, who has 13 receptions for 154 yards this season, is the Cardinals’ fourth wideout. "Obviously, with the three guys ahead of me, my opportunities are going to be a little more limited as far as being able to make a huge contribution," Urban said. "But at the same time, my opportunities are going to come. Kurt spreads the ball around. He doesn’t try to force things a ton, even though he has the luxury of being able to justify it with those two guys outside. I’ll have my chances. I have to be ready for it. I definitely feel like I’m coming into my own and feeling comfortable out there and making plays."Urban, who is making $624,800 this season, is in the final year of his contract. He has thought about his future, but he said unless he gets an offer he can’t refuse — one he doesn’t expect — he sees himself back in Arizona. "I’ve been cut my share of times and moved around more than I would have liked to," said Urban, whose wife, Emily, is expecting the couple’s first child in March. "It’s exciting to be at that contract point because it means you’ve had a sustained career; you’ve played long enough to make it to that point. It’s exciting to see what your value is. At the same time, this is a great situation out here for me."Of all the reasons to stay, the biggest is the fact that the Cardinals finally are a winning organization. "I would absolutely love to be one of the top guys on a team," Urban said. "But football is fun when you’re winning."
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