Arizona Cardinals LB Sean Weatherspoon suffers setback, expected to be sidelined another week

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Arizona Cardinals starting inside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon aggravated his hamstring in practice and is back on the shelf likely into next week, according to head coach Bruce Arians.

Weatherspoon initially hurt the hamstring on the first day of training camp.

Over the last week-and-a-half, Weatherspoon rehabbed, progressing to the point where he suited up—shorts and shells—for Tuesday’s practice only to suffer “a little setback,” Arians said.

“He wasn’t quite where we thought he was.”

Weatherspoon, 27, explained he had been running well without any trouble, but then yesterday in “some half-gassers throughout practice” he felt some tightness.

“Just not feeling as strong as it needs to be in order to sustain the practice,” he said.

Weatherspoon missed his ninth straight practice Wednesday.

“I want to practice, I want to go out there with my guys and get that timing down with them,” he said, “but the main thing is I’m on a one-year deal so I got to be healthy before I get out there so that’s what it’s all about.”

The Cardinals signed Weatherspoon as an unrestricted free agent after he spent the first five seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons.

Not being on the field is a concern, though Weatherspoon didn’t sound too worried about falling behind.

“Nah, I ran the scheme before,” he said.  “It’s different in some aspects but I’m just studying, making my note cards and just going over that.  It stinks you can’t get the reps but you got to get the mental reps while you can.”

Staying healthy has been an issue recently for Weatherspoon, who turns 28 in December.

The former first-round pick out of Missouri, where he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors three times, Weatherspoon spent all of last season on injured reserve after suffering an Achilles injury.

The year before, foot and knee injuries sidelined him for nine games.

In the past two seasons, Weatherspoon has played just seven games.

“The best thing about this situation,” he said, referring to the hamstring injury, “is it’s something that’s minor and you don’t want it to linger on so you just got to take the time and get it right regardless of you wanting to get out there and wanting to go and do whatever you can.

“It’s really all about getting your body in the best shape.  I felt pretty good at OTAs, so I’m pretty sure that if I work with these guys (the trainers) I can get it back to where I felt.”

While Weatherspoon has been out he’s watched, with great interest, the other inside linebackers, specifically young players like Kevin Minter, Kenny Demens, Gabe Martin, Alani Fua, Glenn Carson and Edwin Jackson.

“Oh, they’re fun to watch.  They’re an effervescent group,” Weatherspoon said.  “They come out each and every day with that attitude of getting better and then they have a coach who pushes us, Coach (Larry) Foote.  He’s done it, and if you can get it from a guy like that, it helps.  The young guys, man, they just take the challenge.  That’s what I tell them, ‘I’m not practicing, it’s a chance for you to go out there and make some hay.’  That’s what it’s all about.  You have to be that kind of veteran.  You don’t want to be that guy that, looking at the young guys like, ‘ah, they’re getting my reps.’

“We’re a close-knit group.  We stick together, we sit together in all of our meetings.  We learn from each other, not just the older guys teaching the young guys, the young guys are teaching the older guys, as well.  We got a good group.  They’re physical.  They get downhill.  The 9-on-7 looks like it looks like on paper when you see the defensive line doing their job and the linebackers fitting up.  We’re doing a good job of that, we just got to keep that going.”

So, having said that, is job security not a concern?

“It’s always a concern in the NFL,” Weatherspoon said, smiling.  “I’m just focused on getting healthy.  I’ll be fine.”

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