Dalvin Cook: Playing Through Pain Is Part Of This Game
Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook is walking the tightrope between fitness and injury entering NFL Week 5.
Dalvin Cook intends to play against the Detroit Lions on Sunday despite missing practice on Wednesday. He also missed Minnesota’s Week 3 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Dalvin Cook returned in Week 4, although he wasn’t at his best in the defeat to Cleveland. In that game, he had only 9 carries for 34 yards.
His ‘plan’ is to play through the pain until he returns to full fitness.
Want $250 to bet on NFL Week 5?
Cook knows a thing or two about returning from injury, having never managed to play a full NFL season. He missed 17 of 32 games over his first two years in the league.
In four years, he’s dealt with ACL, chest, hamstring and groin injuries. The 26 year old is worth the wait when he is fit, though, having produced consecutive 1,100 yard seasons with double-digit touchdowns.
“That’s the plan,” Cook said Wednesday.
“I don’t feel like I’m getting worse. I don’t feel like I’m headed in the wrong direction. I’m headed in the right direction to get myself back to where I need to be at. You have those days, but we just played a game. Just trying to work myself back to being 100 percent so I can help us win games.”
Read: NFL Week 5 Schedule – 5 Teams That Need To Win The Most
“It’s kind of like hand-in-hand because if you’re not out there you’re frustrated still,” Cook said.
“And if you are out there, sometimes it can hinder you from me being the Dalvin that’s being explosive a lot of plays, and sometimes it can do that, and that’s the frustrating part. But you play through it. Part of this game is playing through pain, and that’s what comes with it. Playing through injury is something different. Playing through pain, that’s what comes with this game, and that’s what I’m dealing with, a little pain.”
