Arizona Cardinals GM wants Jonathan Cooper to learn to ‘play through pain’
By Cory Buck
The Arizona Cardinals entered the offseason as a team full of promise. They won ten games in the tough NFC West and took solace in the fact that had they played in any other division, they probably would have made the playoffs. Then the injuries and suspensions started piling up on defense. Now it appears the team has an issue to deal with on offense, as guard Jonathan Cooper, their seventh overall pick from a year ago, still seems unable to get on the field and make an impact.
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“The guy had a tremendous career at North Carolina, and to my knowledge was never hurt or ever had a significant injury,” Cardinals GM Steve Keim told the Arizona Republic in reference to Cooper. “So now this offseason, he’s had to deal not only with a significant lower-leg injury, now he has a significant turf-toe injury.”
That lower leg injury was Cooper having broken his leg in the 2013 preseason. It was the first major injury of his football career and it seems his bad luck continued into the offseason, when he suffered a turf toe injury. While Keim understands the nature of the injury, saying “Turf toes can be major issues,” he also wants more out of Cooper nonetheless.
"“I think it’s going to come down to the fact that he’s going to have to feel comfortable getting back on the field and, on top of that, a guy who has never been hurt is going to have to understand how to play and manage playing in pain. That’s going to be awkward for him, but the most time he is out here … he’s just going to have to get used to it.”"
For now, Cooper is slotted in with the second team, but his talent and his place on the team should be enough to vault him back with the starters, provided Cooper can show his GM what he wants to see. That being a game or two in which Cooper guts out an injury and contributes to team success. Given the streak of injuries to hit the Cardinals, they’ll need everyone they can get to meet that end.