Oct 13, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) and San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) talk after the game on the field at Candlestick Park. San Francisco 49ers won 32-20. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is one of the most respected players in the NFL. In college he was known for his polite on-field behavior and refusal to celebrate. His tradition of running over to the referee and handing him the ball almost became a celebration and was often imitated.
Because of that respect, Fitzgerald hasn’t become the target of on-field trash talk. This week he goes up against one the NFL’s more vocal trash-talkers, cornerback Richard Sherman. The cornerback famously confronted Tom Brady after a win over the Patriots. Fitzgerald isn’t expecting any trash-talk from Sherman though.
“Not much if at all,” Fitzgerald said, via the team’s website. “I’m not a big talker. If a guy talks to me in a professional, polite way, I might have a conversation. But jawing, I just don’t engage in that much.
“Nobody ever really says anything to me,” Fitzgerald added. “I don’t know, I just don’t talk a lot of mess. It’s not my personality.”
Last year, Larry Fitzgerald struggled against the Seattle Seahawks. In the season opener he caught 4 passes for 63 yards. In the second match up, in week 14, Fitzgerald caught 1 pass for two yards. In both games, Fitzgerald was targeted 11 times.
Fitzgerald was of course dealing with an ever-changing situation at quarterback last year and he has some stability now with Carson Palmer under center.
