Sean Weatherspoon suffers no setbacks in limited return to Arizona Cardinals practice

Tempe, Ariz. — There is a scene in The Matrix where a child, who is aware that the world they are in is not real, tells Neo, the main character and hero, “there is no spoon.”

For the Arizona Cardinals, at least since training camp began, the same has pretty much held true.

Sean Weatherspoon, a linebacker signed to a one-year contract in the offseason, has been out with a hamstring injury since pulling it on the first day of camp. He has not practiced since, though it appears he took some steps forward Monday at the team’s Tempe training facility.

Prior to practice, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said Weatherspoon would undergo a run test to see how he felt, and afterwards the linebacker said there were no setbacks.

“I’m just thankful for that, thank God,” he said.

Weatherspoon said he was going to talk to the team’s trainers as soon as he was done chatting with the media, and from there he would have a better idea of what the plan is for the rest of the week and going forward.

But Monday’s practice, where he ran and did some individual work, was noteworthy because while this is not the first time he has seemed to be nearing a return, it is the first time he has gotten through this step without re-injury.

Weatherspoon said even if he practices Tuesday he’s not sure if he will be on the field for Thursday’s preseason finale with the Denver Broncos.

“We’ll just take it as it comes, so whatever they want me to do that’s what I’ll be ready to do,” he said.

Chances are the Cardinals will not push Weatherspoon any more than they need to, however they would certainly like to get the 27-year-old on the field. An impact player when healthy, Weatherspoon joined the Cardinals with career totals of 336 tackles, eight sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

The issue for him has been staying on the field, as he missed all of last season with an Achilles injury and played in just seven games the year before. A first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2010, he has appeared in just 47 of a possible 80 games over the last five seasons.

He’s played even fewer games for Arians and the Cardinals, and when asked if Weatherspoon’s status for Week 1 is in jeopardy, the coach said, “Yeah, he hasn’t done anything.”

If Weatherspoon continues to stay healthy, that shouldn’t be an issue much longer. The linebacker said he’s not sure how much practice he needs in order to be ready for the season opener because football can be as much about passion than anything else, and he’s not lacking there. But whatever the team wants him to do, he’ll do it.

He just wants to be part of the team again.

“It stinks, man, because a new free agent signing, you want to show people what you can do,” he said of having to sit out. “When you’re banged up you don’t get a chance to do that.

“It’s tough to watch every day, but you find the little things to get better at, and I think mentally that’s what it’s about when you can’t play. So that was my focus and I feel like I have a grasp on what we’re doing, a good grasp on it, and I’m just trying to continue to learn from the guys that are actually doing it right now and also be a help to them as well.”

If there is a silver lining to Weatherspoon’s injury it’s that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is not like the Achilles injury that cost him 2014, nor the foot injury that caused him to miss seven games in 2013. While frustrating, it was only a matter of time before the linebacker’s hamstring healed.

And in a way, Weatherspoon’s track record of dealing with injuries — some of which are worse than this one — made it easier to get through.

“I’ve accepted I’ve been hurt before,” he said. “Once you get hurt once, you understand it. That’s the thing. You can’t get down on yourself just because you can’t go out there and do what you love to do — football can’t be your life.

“You have to keep your mind right, because some people that I’ve seen that didn’t get a chance to play because of injury, I’ve seen it go bad ways, I’ve seen it go good ways. It just depends on what the individual thinks. If you’re thinking about not being out there, it’s going to make you upset every day. So I try to just focus on the positive things and I think that’s something that’s helped me throughout this camp.”

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