Cardinals vs. Bills: Greg Toler looks unlikely to play on Sunday

When the Arizona Cardinals brought cornerback Crezdon Butler back to the team instead of signing a running back when Ryan Williams was placed on injured reserve, it was surprising. It was surprising until the ijury reports came out this week and neither Mike Adams nor Greg Toler practiced due to injuries. It doesn't look like Toler will be able to go as of right now.

I spoke to Toler in particular about being banged up after getting back on the field with some success, coming back from ACL surgery a season ago.

I asked him how frustrating is it coming back from missing the whole season, only to suffer minor stuff like his hamstring now. "It's just tough coming back off injury," he told me. "The doctors and staff, they're just working with me and just saying that compensation is always a big factor after coming off a year of missing football, so my body just isn't acting as it would if I had played the whole season last year.

I'm just trying to get reacclimated and get my body to know what I'm about to do. Just little things are going to come up."

He said "it was great" getting back on the field this season, especially after "practicing and going through rehab constantly." Since he didn't play last year or practice, he had only been going against his teammates in practice this year until he got on the field on defense against the Dolphins. He said "it was good going against an opponent."

However, after talking to him, it seemed clear that playing on Sunday vs. the Bills seems unlikely. "I'm going to try and push for this week, but Tom (head athletic trainer Tom Reed) said we're just going play it by ear," said Toler. "I have two days left, so I'm just going to try to work as hard as I can."

Sounds like he will be ready next weekend. More importantly, his getting banged up isn't so much about his surgically repaired knee. It is getting his body used to football again after a year off.