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.