Injured wide receiver testing Arizona Cardinals’ patience
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals’ Bruce Arians has been John Brown’s biggest fan, but the head coach may now be reaching a breaking point
Former Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Dave McGinnis once stated that “availability is more important than ability”. He was obviously referring to a player who was injured at the time. Roughly 15 years later, it appears that not much has changed down at Cardinals’ headquarters.
It seems that a war of words has broken out between current Arizona head coach Bruce Arians and a wide receiver of his. The jovial John Brown, who in the past has worn a smile as regularly as the sun shines in the desert, has changed. He no longer appears to be the fun-loving young man that Cards’ fans and the team have grown accustomed to.
After an offseason in which the fourth-year pro collected rave reviews from the coaching staff, a quadriceps injury is causing a rift. Back in May, Arians was glowing about Brown’s apparent recovery from a strange sickle-cell condition that diminished his 2016 campaign. “‘Smoke looks like John Brown (again), knock on wood it stays that way “, Arians remarked at the time.
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The coach’s comments weren’t as complimentary the other day when he was asked about Brown’s missed practice time. “It’s a concern, he’s not available. You’re only good when you’re available “.
If Arians’ observations concerning the 27-year old were meant to light a fire under him and get him back on the field, it didn’t work. “They expect me to come back fast, but I cant,” Brown told reporters when asked about the situation. “I’m just not about to run out there and hurt myself because I got to be out there. ”
That probably wasn’t the type of response Arians was looking for. General manager Steve Keim can’t be thrilled with that answer either, considering the fact that Brown will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the upcoming season. His reluctance to get back to practice can’t be making management anxious to hand him a new contract any time soon.
Hopefully, Brown returns to the field soon and this disagreement is forgotten. The performance of the Cardinals’ wideouts thus far in training camp has been disappointing, so the squad can certainly use his skill-set. Arians would certainly have to agree with that assessment.