TEMPE — When you think about a running back, toting the rock and catching passes out of the backfield quickly come to mind.
Cardinals first-round pick Jeremiyah Love more than checks those boxes after back-to-back monster seasons at Notre Dame, but it’s the dirty work that can sometimes fall by the wayside that really gets the running back’s juices going.
“Pass protection is the most important part of my game. That’s the only thing I really train on when I’m at practice. Footwork is natural,” Love said Friday. “But pass protection is what we really focus on because you got to be able to protect the ball, you got to be able to protect the quarterback so that he can have time to make plays. … People always hitting me, so whenever I get to deliver a blow, I’m going to take pride in it and I’m gonna do the best of my ability to try and knock your head off.
“I love pass protection. I love trying to hit people. I’m a football player at the end of the day. I used to play defense back in the day. So, I got a little bit of craziness to me. Pass protection is the key for success.”
Safe to say pass protection is high atop the priorities for Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love.
“I’m a football player at the end of the day. I used to play defense back in the day, so I got a little craziness to me.” pic.twitter.com/yAeKxuzpii
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) April 24, 2026
That should be music to head coach Mike LaFleur and the Cardinals’ offense’s ears after what went down last year.
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Forced to throw the rock that much more thanks to a stagnant run game littered with injuries, the pass attempts skyrocketed for Jacoby Brissett last year.
And with more chances to get home, plus an inconsistent offensive line, defenses basically lived in Arizona’s backfield with 59 sacks. That ranked fifth-most in the NFL last year.
Love by himself isn’t going to be able to remedy all of the issues that were on display last year. He does, however, provide a boost in the department thanks to his willingness to rattle someone’s cage.
The grittiness to Love’s game doesn’t stop at pass pro, either.
Making defenses pay in short-yardage situations is another part of Love’s game that may not get all the glitz and glam as explosives but can be equally important in a given week.
It also embodies the sport Love has dedicated his life to.
“It’s just gritty. Football is supposed to be gritty. You’re supposed to exhibit toughness and those short-yardage runs allow you to do that,” Love told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke. “They show me who I am as a person and as a player. And I like to hit people, man.
“In short yardage, you get to hit. A lot of guys will come up for your neck, you come up for theirs, man on man, and you get to test your mettle against another man. … At the end of the day, you get to dominate somebody, so that’s what I love about short-yardage.”
from Arizona Sports https://ift.tt/JsngRUa
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