Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love just got hit with a high ankle sprain, a brutal blow that immediately shuts him down for the rest of preseason games. That’s a tough break, especially for a guy trying to make his mark early as a rookie.
Rookie Nightmare: A High Ankle Sprain That Could Haunt the Regular Season
Love, who was seen picking up a first down against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 13, helped the Cardinals grab a 27-14 win in that game. But now, he’s out for all the remaining preseason matchups. The real gut punch, though, isn’t just losing him for those tune-up games. There’s a serious, lingering fear this high ankle sprain could drag into the *actual* regular season. We’re talking about an injury that can really stick around and impact a player’s performance for weeks, or even months. No team wants to start the year with a key rookie nursing an injury, especially one that can just keep a guy off the field when the games really start to count.
Unrealistic Workload: 14 Touches and a Reckless Game Script
But honestly, we gotta talk about how this even happened. Looking back at that August 13th Raiders game, Love logged a stunning 11 carries and 3 receptions. That’s a total of 14 touches, all in less than a single half of play. Let’s put that in perspective: the guy had only *eight fewer touches* in his entire college career than what he saw in just part of one preseason game against the Raiders! This isn’t just a big leap, it’s a massive, almost reckless jump in workload. To give him 14 touches in under half a game, if he kept that pace, projects out to something like 31 touches in a full game.
Does anyone seriously expect a rookie running back to be handling 25+ touches every single game right out of the gate in his first NFL season? That’s a workload that would be 200 more touches than he ever had in any single college season. Sure, maybe an established veteran could eventually hit 350+ touches in a season, but for a rookie? Pushing that kind of volume on him in preseason, when he’s still adjusting to the speed and physicality of the pro game, just feels like a recipe for disaster. That game script, with 14 touches in less than a half, was just not a realistic or responsible plan. Now, Love’s paying the painful price for that heavy workload.
So now, the Cardinals are stuck hoping this high ankle sprain heals up fast and doesn’t become a lingering problem through the regular season. For Jeremiyah Love, it’s a seriously frustrating and unfair end to his preseason push to prove himself. This whole situation just raises some huge questions about how teams are managing their young, vital talent. You just can’t put a rookie, fresh out of college, under that kind of intense physical stress and not expect consequences. Here’s hoping he’s back on the field making those first downs sooner rather than later, but this entire episode just screams ‘avoidable’ to me. Someone needs to answer for putting that kind of load on a brand new guy.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Revenge of the Birds.
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