Mike LaFleur has a good problem in his first year as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and he’s invoked the name of an NBA superstar to address it.
On paper, the Cardinals have solid depth at the running back position, with Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier and James Conner all in the mix.
With such a talented RB room, it’s a challenge for LaFleur to balance it. Taking a page from a different sport, the 39-year-old LaFleur explained how he would deal with such a dilemma.
“If Steph Curry’s on fire, and he’s supposed to get his sub, you’re not taking the hot hand out,” LaFleur told reporters. “And that’s kind of the same approach you end up taking with a back. A back, just like a basketball player or any football player, can get into a rhythm. It’s like, just keep giving him the football. He’s just feeling it right now.”
#Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur on how he’ll deploy his running backs:
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) June 10, 2026
“If Steph Curry’s on fire, and he’s supposed to get his sub, you’re not taking the hot hand out. And that’s kinda the same approach you end up taking with a back. A back — just like a basketball player, or any… pic.twitter.com/bEkYqmFQR5
More than the running back usage, it will be interesting to see how big of a shift toward more rushing plays the Cardinals will have in LaFleur’s first year in charge of the team. Last season, Arizona ranked last in the league with just 21.5 rushing attempts per game and second-to-last with 93.1 rushing yards per game.
Then again, three of the Cardinals’ most productive rushers in 2025 are no longer on the team, including quarterback Kyler Murray, who’s now with the Minnesota Vikings.
