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When Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett talked to the media on July 25, he was asked a simple question about where running back Jeremiyah Love was in his progress.
Hackett stated the obvious when he said, “I mean, he's definitely a rookie and as we've talked about, he'll keep growing every single day. I'm very excited for him. All those guys, not just him.”
Naturally, the toxicity on social media erupted as many wondered how Hackett could utter such a controversial comment. To be fair, there were some in the media who seemed surprised that in the first few days of padded practices, four-year veteran Tyler Allgeier had more snaps with the first team than Love. But then, who’s counting?!
So it was that on Friday (July 31), when Love met with the media, it was immediately joked by a reporter that “we heard you were a rookie” and asked then him “if it was true that he’s a rookie.”
Love smiled and said, “Yeah, I am a rookie literally. I am a rookie. I just got drafted.”
It was then asked if he was surprised by a lot of the reaction and how people were “freaking out” by the comment.
Love took it in stride and said, “I’ve seen the clip from Coach Hackett saying he’s a rookie and quite literally I am a rookie and so I don’t know how people can take that wrong, but they did so to each your own and the way they think.
“But I look at my role right now, training camp, get my feet on the ground, get a feel for this offense, get a feel for my teammates, coaches and also just prove myself and prove that I can be a good addition to this team and that I can help us go out there and make plays and win games.”
After that subject was dispatched, “the rookie” was asked about his biggest adjustment and what he has to focus on the most. He said, “The biggest challenge for me has been the mental side of everything. Moving from college to the NFL, there’s a big shift in the guys that you play. Guys are a lot smarter, people move a lot faster, people do play with velocity.
“That’s been a big difference from college and making sure I’m processing everything really, really fast. Just trying to get to the level where I know the game just as good or better than the defense and the guys around me.”
Is it running the ball, running routes, pass protections?
“I would just say the feel of the game,” Love emphasized. “I’ve been playing football since I was about five or six, so running the ball is natural for me. I can find holes and I get a feel for different (run schemes). I got a feel for that stuff, but the flow of the game is different.
“As a rookie, a guy that’s just coming into the NFL, I got to get a flow for how fast guys play, how fast guys pick up on things. That’s just the thing that I gotta get better at and be more patient. Which I am. Every day at practice I’m getting better. Making better reads, making better plays.”
And being able to follow the mantra of ignoring the noise.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Breaking News: Arizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love admits he’s a rookie
Continue reading...
Hackett stated the obvious when he said, “I mean, he's definitely a rookie and as we've talked about, he'll keep growing every single day. I'm very excited for him. All those guys, not just him.”
Naturally, the toxicity on social media erupted as many wondered how Hackett could utter such a controversial comment. To be fair, there were some in the media who seemed surprised that in the first few days of padded practices, four-year veteran Tyler Allgeier had more snaps with the first team than Love. But then, who’s counting?!
So it was that on Friday (July 31), when Love met with the media, it was immediately joked by a reporter that “we heard you were a rookie” and asked then him “if it was true that he’s a rookie.”
Love smiled and said, “Yeah, I am a rookie literally. I am a rookie. I just got drafted.”
It was then asked if he was surprised by a lot of the reaction and how people were “freaking out” by the comment.
Love took it in stride and said, “I’ve seen the clip from Coach Hackett saying he’s a rookie and quite literally I am a rookie and so I don’t know how people can take that wrong, but they did so to each your own and the way they think.
“But I look at my role right now, training camp, get my feet on the ground, get a feel for this offense, get a feel for my teammates, coaches and also just prove myself and prove that I can be a good addition to this team and that I can help us go out there and make plays and win games.”
After that subject was dispatched, “the rookie” was asked about his biggest adjustment and what he has to focus on the most. He said, “The biggest challenge for me has been the mental side of everything. Moving from college to the NFL, there’s a big shift in the guys that you play. Guys are a lot smarter, people move a lot faster, people do play with velocity.
“That’s been a big difference from college and making sure I’m processing everything really, really fast. Just trying to get to the level where I know the game just as good or better than the defense and the guys around me.”
Is it running the ball, running routes, pass protections?
“I would just say the feel of the game,” Love emphasized. “I’ve been playing football since I was about five or six, so running the ball is natural for me. I can find holes and I get a feel for different (run schemes). I got a feel for that stuff, but the flow of the game is different.
“As a rookie, a guy that’s just coming into the NFL, I got to get a flow for how fast guys play, how fast guys pick up on things. That’s just the thing that I gotta get better at and be more patient. Which I am. Every day at practice I’m getting better. Making better reads, making better plays.”
And being able to follow the mantra of ignoring the noise.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Breaking News: Arizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love admits he’s a rookie
Continue reading...
