Larry Fitzgerald asks defenders not to hit him low, Lions’ Glover Quin says

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald isn’t known as a trash talker. But he does talk.

According to one opponent on the Detroit Lions, who Arizona plays to open the 2017 season, Fitzgerald requests that his opponents to hit him high rather than go low and risk injuring his legs.

Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin said Fitzgerald has made such requests to him, though Quin has a special place in Fitzgerald’s memory. The defensive back made a tackle in 2014 that led to Fitzgerald missing two games because of a sprained knee.

“He’s big on, like, don’t hit him low, hit him high,” Quin said Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. “He’ll tell you on the field like, ‘Hey bro, I’ll pay your fine for you. Like, don’t him me in the legs.’ He’ll rather you hit him up high. Don’t take his legs, because obviously you need your legs to run.”

That’s easier said than done now that the NFL has altered its rules to prevent head injuries. It’s led to defensive backs aiming to tackle opponents below the waist, perhaps increasing the chance of causing leg injuries.

Fitzgerald apparently felt that Quin’s tackle back in 2014 was at the knees, but Quin said he thought he’d hit the Cardinals receiver in the hip.

“He’ll say it all the time,” Quin said. “You can ask anybody. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only DB. You ask anybody he’ll tell you like, ‘Hey man, don’t take my knees out like that.'”

Whether it’s genetics, luck or the conversations he has with opposing defensive backs, Fitzgerald’s reliability has kept him quite healthy throughout his career entering its 14th season.

The longtime Cardinal receiver has missed only six games in his 13-year career: three in 2006, one in 2007 and two in 2014.

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