Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald pulls in a pass in front of Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman during last year's game between the teams at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Larry Fitzgerald isn't expecting trash talk from famed Seahawks trash-talker Richard Sherman, who also happens to be the best cover man Seattle has.
"Not much if at all," Fitzgerald said Tuesday, a couple of days before his Cardinals host the Seahawks. "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."
Maybe Fitzgerald won't hear from Sherman, but the Cardinals figure to feel them. Sherman, fellow cornerback Brandon Browner
and the rest of an excellent Seattle secondary are big, strong and like to be physical, for which the Cardinals want to be prepared.
"They're going to grab and hold, and they're going to play very physical," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "You've got to fight back. If they're going to let guys play like they did last week and let the grabbing go on and let it be a physical game, we've got to match their physicality.
"You've got to win those one-on-one matchups. When he's hanging on you, grabbing you, pulling you down, you've got to make those tough kind of grimy catches the Coach is always talking about that probably aren't going to get called."
Fitzgerald said he'd rather not be thinking much about any potential grabbing from the Seattle defenders, instead focusing on his own game.
"It's more about us and what we need to do and imposing our assignments more efficiently than them executing their assignments," Fitzgerald said. "That's what it will come down to. We know Seattle. This is about going out and playing precise football."
As for the extra-curricular verbiage, that might not come. Sherman said Tuesday there was a "mutual respect" between he and Fitzgerald – Fitzgerald had Sherman out to Arizona to play in his charity softball tournament – and Sherman was quoted recently that Fitzgerald "gets in my head. He tries to talk nice to take my edge off. I hate that."
To that, Fitzgerald shakes his head.
"I don't know about being too nice," Fitzgerald said. "I love playing against him. He's right up there at the tip in our business. He's one of those guys who can change the complexion of the game."
CAMPBELL RETURNS TO PRACTICE; FITZ SAYS HE'S "FINE"
Defensive end Calais Campbell (neck) was back at practice on a limited basis Tuesday after having been cleared by doctors following his scare in San Francisco. He was joined as limited by Fitzgerald, linebackers Karlos Dansby (quadriceps) and John Abraham (shoulder) and tight end Rob Housler (ankle).
Fitzgerald shrugged off concerns that he was trying to play on a short week battling his hamstring problem. "I'm fine," Fitzgerald said. "It's a division game against the division leaders. You don't make excuses. You just go out and play ball."
For the Seahawks, running back Marshawn Lynch appeared on the injury report for the first time this week with a hip problem. Lynch sat out practice Tuesday, as did running back Spencer Ware (ankle), tackle Breno Giacomini (knee), linebacker Bobby Wagner (ankle) and defensive end Chris Clemons (elbow).
WAITING FOR HOUSLER
Offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin was asked when he was expecting tight end Rob Housler to have the breakout game many have been waiting for. Housler, after missing the first two games, had a season-high four catches in San Francisco but only had 32 yards. For the season, he has six receptions for 68 yards.
"Great question," Goodwin said. "There was a pass (in San Francisco) that was just a little bit over and he couldn't get to it. Obviously he has to have a breakout game sooner rather than later."
