It’s taken three years, but Arizona Cardinals running back
Beanie Wells is beginning to evolve into the talent fans
were hoping.

Wells continued his career season Sunday with a 228 yard
rushing performance against the Rams, besting LeShon
Johnson’s previous record of 214 yards set back in 1996
against New Orleans.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt said the performance showed just
how far Wells has come as a player.

“It’s a great sign of Beanie’s growth,” Whisenhunt said.
“He’s maturing as an NFL player understanding what it
takes in this league to be consistent as well as
dependable, it’s great to see a young guy like Beanie make
that progress.”

Wells has been battling various injuries since Week 3, and
for a moment on Sunday it looked like his season may have
come to an end.

“When he got his knee bent back it looked horrible,”
Whisenhunt said. “At that point I’m sure most of us
assumed that was it, he was done because he was already
fighting the knee, but to his credit he fought through it
and had a couple of big runs.”

So far this season Wells has racked up 849 rushing yards
and eight touchdowns, both career highs. It’s a notable
improvement over last season’s 397 yards and two
touchdowns.

Whisenhunt attributes the turnaround to Wells being more
comfortable in the NFL.

“Last year was tough, I think there was a lot of pressure
that comes with being a first round pick especially when
it has a lot of notoriety, like he did coming out of Ohio
State, and obviously he had a good season his rookie year
so the expectations for him last season were pretty high
and then he got injured early and fought that the whole
year,” Whisenhunt said. “Mentally its tough on you and you
see a lot of players that don’t go the right way when that
happens, but Beanie believed in himself and this year he
came in with a great attitude and its paid off.”

Whisenhunt believes Wells performance not only goes a long
way for the running back himself but also gives a
confidence boost to the offensive line.

“It’s very significant Beanie and the line have taken a
lot of shots,” Whisenhunt said. “Ultimately I think it’s a
great reflection on the line and their ability to do what
they needed to do yesterday.”

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