Three days, three different messages
On Friday night, Mike LaFleur wasn’t sweating it. By Saturday the tone had changed, with the Arizona head coach saying his player would not practice this week. Then on Sunday, ESPN filled in the blanks.
Jeremiyah Love is dealing with a high ankle sprain. The Cardinals rookie will miss the rest of the preseason.
Arizona is still hoping he can be back for the regular-season opener on 13 September at the Los Angeles Chargers. Hoping. There is no guarantee attached to that timetable.
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Eleven carries, 58 yards, then nothing
The injury came in the second quarter of the Cardinals’ second preseason game, against the Raiders. Love had carried 11 times for 58 yards before leaving. He had already sat out the Hall of Fame Game against Carolina, the opener of the summer.
That is precious little football for a third overall pick.
Because that is exactly what he is. Taken third in the first round last April, Love arrived with serious expectations. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting last season after piling up 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
His Notre Dame record tells its own story: 2,882 rushing yards, 594 receiving yards, 42 touchdowns in 41 games, 36 of them on the ground.
The real cost of this injury is not the preseason snaps. It is the time lost learning a pro system, and the reps you never get back from film sessions alone.
The running back room is thinning out fast
The problem goes beyond Love. James Conner is nursing a foot issue. Trey Benson is also sidelined with a knee problem. Three running backs in the treatment room at the same time, with less than a month to go before kickoff.
Arizona signed Tre Stewart on Sunday. That was a panic move, not a luxury addition.
A high ankle sprain does not clear up in 15 days. It is the kind of injury that lingers, flares up again and forces staffs to pad out the timeline. LaFleur has already had to change his tune once in three days.
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