FLAGSTAFF
Everyone loves Deuce Lutui, but understanding him takes considerably more effort.
Lutui is quick with a quip, and the Cardinals guard plays football with an odd blend of nastiness and humor. He imitates pro wrestlers in the locker room, and occasionally on the field.
Two years ago, he (allegedly) enticed Chicago Bears tackle Tommie Harris to punch him just a minute into the game. Lutui was on the ground, appearing as defenseless as a 340-pound man can be, and receiver Larry Fitzgerald ran over.
Fitzgerald stood over Lutui, concerned, until Lutui peeked through his fingers and asked if Harris was still around.
Funny stuff.
What Lutui is going through now, however, is not so humorous. For the second consecutive year, Lutui has cost himself millions by failing to control his weight.
It's the main reason the Cardinals didn't sign him to a multiyear deal last year. It's the reason the Bengals cut him this week after agreeing to terms on a two-year, $8 million deal.
So Lutui, who is from Mesa, returned home to the team that drafted him, signing a one-year deal worth far less than the $5 million he would have made this year in Cincinnati.
A lesson learned, Lutui said.
Make us believe
The Cardinals have heard that before. They will believe the numbers on the scale, not the words from Lutui.
"You kind of hope it's a little bit of an awakening," assistant head coach/offensive line Russ Grimm said, "but that remains to be seen. Sometimes you need a little bit of a reality check to realize where you're at."
The Cardinals thought that reality check came last year. Unhappy that he hadn't received a multiyear offer, Lutui stayed away from off-season conditioning work. He reportedly weighed 396 when he signed the tender and had to lose a considerable amount of weight to play.
Lutui had every motivation this off-season to get in shape. Only 28, he was an unrestricted free agent with five years of starting experience. But his weight problem apparently scared away most teams, so he took the short-term offer from the Bengals.
They looked at the scales and bid him farewell.
Lutui reported to Cardinals training camp Monday night and said all the right things to reporters Tuesday. Lutui told coaches this year was a test of character. They didn't disagree.
"I guarantee it's a renewed commitment," Lutui said. "It says, 'It's my integrity.' I'm not doing this because you're telling me, but it's for myself, my whole health."
The Cardinals are dubious because they've been through this with Lutui. In coach Ken Whisenhunt's first two seasons, Lutui played at a reasonable weight and performed well. Over the past two years, his weight increased and his production decreased, Grimm said.
No one is sure whether Lutui views it that way. Being large is "one of the crosses I've got to carry," said Lutui, who pointed out several times that he weighed 13 pounds at birth.
Functional and big
The Cardinals would prefer Lutui to play at about 340 pounds. He weighed in at 381 in Cincinnati.
It's been clear over the past two years that Lutui believes he can play at the heavier weight.
A Hall of Fame lineman, Grimm said it's sometimes hard to convince players that they aren't playing as well as they think.
"The rule is you want them as big as they can function," Grimm said. "When it starts to affect your quickness and athletic ability, then you need to get it down a little bit."
Most Americans can identify with Lutui's struggle with weight. Lutui joked that many of the people questioning him Tuesday could stand to drop a few, too.
But no one had offered them millions to do it, either.
That's what is confounding about Lutui. He had a chance to make big money in free agency. If he had been in shape the past two years, there's a good chance that money would have come from the Cardinals.
How could Lutui have blown that?
"It hurts to see him not realize the potential you know is there," Whisenhunt said. "Deuce seems willing to work at that, but we're not going to have a lot of patience with that."
