A very nondescript play Sunday against Tampa Bay turned out to be one that has severe consequences for star running back Christian McCaffrey and the Carolina Panthers.
A play where McCaffrey wasn’t obviously hurt and showed no inured signs thereafter has resulted in him being out anywhere from 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain, which can linger and cause issues several months later if not treated and rested properly.
“It sucks,” he said Monday afternoon. “To be 100 percent transparent, anytime you get injured, it’s a horrible thing. You play football to play, not to sit out. Obviously, it’s part of the game and it happens.”
McCaffrey said it happened late in the third quarter, but he continued to play and eventually scored on a 7-yard run with 13:25 left to play to cut Tampa’s lead to 21-14.
He never returned and Carolina lost 31-17.
“I played a couple of plays and just realized that I wasn’t 100 percent,” McCaffrey said. “I went over to the sideline and it started getting worse and worse and I realized that it would be inefficient if I continued to play due to the level that I was at.”
Last season when starting quarterback Cam Newton had an injured foot, he later admitted that he lied to coaches and medical personnel about the severity of it and played when he shouldn’t have.
McCaffrey said that won’t happen with him.
“I’m going to do everything I can to rush to get back honestly, if that makes any sense,” he said. “We have such a great training staff that they’re transparent with me and I’m transparent with them. I’d never do anything to jeopardize my team, so I’ll make sure I’m 100 percent healthy and I’m going to try to rush back as fast as I can as long as I’m 100 percent healthy.”
Panthers head coach Matt Rhule is a personable guy and someone that is loyal to those he works with and coach. That’s why the injury is also tough on him from a personal standpoint that has nothing to do with how many victories occur.
“I care about our players beyond football and beyond just winning, so when a guy gets hurt, whether he’s a really talented player or a guy that’s just hanging on as the 53rd guy, I hate to see it,” he said. “Christian is a special player, and even more so he’s a special person. And I know how badly he wants to be out there for his team. …
“I hate it for him. No one wants to be out that and play more than Christian does.”
Mike Davis and presumably Reggie Bonnafon will take over the duties at tailback.
“This is the National Football League,” Rhule said. “Guys have to step up when their number’s called and I have a lot of confidence in Mike and in Reggie and anybody else that we bring in.”
But trying to fill McCaffrey’s shoes even partly is going to be a difficult task, let alone completely.
McCaffrey became just the third play in NFL history last season to have at least 1,000 yards each in rushing and receiving. He also played 93 percent of the team’s offensive plays last year. Moreover, he hasn’t missed a game in his young career.
As a reward, McCaffrey, 24, was given a four-year, $64 million contract extension last offseason, making him the league’s highest paid running back.
And the fourth-year player and All-Pro said this is just another hurdle that he’s going to clear and that he’ll attack it like he does opposing defenses and that he believes he’ll be stronger in the end for it.
“It’s obviously frustrating at first, but the more you keep telling yourself, ‘Oh, this sucks,’ or ‘this is frustrating,’ the less time you’re spending focusing on taking care of it,” he said. “Obviously, it’s very disappointing at first. I wish I could be out there, but at the same time it’s up to me to stay positive and to approach it in a way that I’m going to get better.
“I don’t believe in coincidences. This happened for a reason.”