Where has Jeremiyah Love grown the most this offseason?

TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love joined the franchise already armed with the intangibles of being one of the next great NFL running backs.

Physically, he showcased a lot of those traits during two minicamps and three sessions of organized team activities — even if they were practices in shorts. Mack Wilson Sr. not viewing him as a rookie is a good example of the presence Love is bringing to the offense. “He got game.”

Nothing really new there to report.

But Love’s mental game? That’s gotten a boost in his short time as a Cardinal.

 

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“Physically, I’m just as good as any other guy, but I’ve seen a jump in just my mental,” Love said Monday. “I understand the game a little bit better being able to see how coach (Mike LaFleur) likes to call his offense and being able to understand why he calls offense and the way he calls it. And then also just understanding my role as a running back. … Everything’s about timing, protections, blocking.

“Make sure that (the quarterback) has a happy cocoon of love so he can do what he got to do, dice the defense up. My mental has improved greatly throughout just the little bit of the time I’ve been here. I think it’s only just going to get better as we go to training camp, we get a little break now to maybe get a head start on looking at some teams and stuff like that.”

Getting a better understanding of the offense and working ahead on scouting Arizona’s opponents are two big factors that could benefit Love in his transition from the college game to the pros as a rookie.

He’s not stopping there, though. If Love wants to produce like many expect him to at the next level, staying upright and locked in on a weekly basis are key.

That’s where the advice from veteran running backs James Conner and Tyler Allgeier come into play.

“I’ve talked to James quite a bit. … He’s got a lot of experience, a lot of wisdom. I’ve just talked to him a little bit about how he takes care of his body, what’s his mentality been like throughout all the years he’s been in the NFL,” Love said.

“And then Tyler, he’s a bit of a younger guy compared to James … and this is his second contract. So talking to him about how he’s maintaining his body and how he’s maintaining his mind. So that’s kind of what I’ve been trying to focus on. Getting some information about how you maintain your body, how you go about your day-to-day and how you keep your mental where it needs to be so you can go out there every day and do what you got to do.”

Armed with that kind of knowledge, it’s “all gas, no brakes” for Love with his first NFL training camp on the horizon.

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