econd consecutive game because of a groin injury. The 32-year-old likely will miss one

STANFORD, Calif. -- David Shaw swears he understands. Shaw, the Cardinal head coach, knows theres a limit to how many times junior Christian McCaffrey can take the ball and be effective. The latest test comes Friday night, when the No. 7 Cardinal play at No. 10 Washington (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).He cant take every single rep and be able to survive a 13-, 14-game season, Shaw said. He cant. Even at that age, in the best shape of [his] life, and a phenomenal athlete, probably one of the best-conditioned athletes in the nation. Somebody else has to take some reps.Over the course of McCaffreys record-breaking 2015 season, the running back carried, caught or returned the football 424 times. Thats 30.3 times per game, way more than any other FBS player in the nation. It worked out pretty well for him. He broke the single-season all-purpose yards record (3,250) set by Barry Sanders in 1988. McCaffrey finished with 3,864 yards.When Shaw and offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren stand on the sideline and look down at their call sheets, they seem to become every 10-year-old who ever ripped open a one-pound bag of M&Ms. How do you stop?It takes a concerted effort among the coaches, Bloomgren said. If we say, Who is the best for this [play]? It usually comes up being 5 (McCaffreys number). You have to be really careful. If we put 25 pounds on him, Id probably play him at guard. At the same time, we say it every time we watch a game. Hey, he played X number of plays. And its too many.Three games into his junior year, McCaffreys workload has ticked upward -- 32 times per game. He has 79 carries, 12 receptions, three kick returns and two punt returns for a total of 635 yards (211.7-yard average). The 91 carries and catches are 59.9 percent of Stanfords total this season. Thats 13 percentage points higher than the second-biggest ball hog in the FBS, Donnel Pumphrey of San Diego State.OK, its not fair to call McCaffrey a ball hog. He isnt calling plays. And in Shaws defense, sophomore running back Bryce Love missed the opener against Kansas State, and quarterback Ryan Burns played little before winning the starting job in August.We live in an age of specialization, with personnel groups shuttling on and off the field every down. Yet McCaffrey is as evergreen as the tree in the Stanford logo. How much is too much? What is the limit?The Stanford coaches dont think in numbers. Shaw mentioned 25 carries, give or take. He checks the halftime stats to see if McCaffrey has too many touches, or too few.The other thing thats hard? Bloomgren said. The kid doesnt want to be out of the game a single play. If he were asking, Can I get a break? that would make it so much easier for all of us. But hes the last one that wants to take a play off.McCaffrey dismisses the pitch count, too, although he said the USC game, when he had 31 carries, three catches and a kick return, has been the toughest to recover from.Sometimes youll have 30, 40 touches in the game, and youll feel better than if you had 22, he said. It depends on where you get hit and how you get hit.McCaffrey expected his workload to increase this season. He is playing more as a slot receiver, hoping to get one-on-one with some poor linebacker unable to match his rare combination of speed and strength. Shaw stressed the difference in McCaffrey between last season and this, the physical maturation of a 19-year-old who turned 20. But theres also a big difference in his preparation.McCaffrey assesses the condition of his body with the care of an NFL veteran, spending a total of three to four hours before and after practice to prepare for and recover from the workload. Foam rollers, stretches, Pilates, one minute in the hot pool, two in the cold, and back again for 30 minutes.Last year, I was doing stuff where I didnt know if that was necessarily the best thing for me to do, McCaffrey said. This year, OK, Im having a little bit of tightness in my adductor. I know I need to get my glutes back firing. I know my body a lot better. I can pinpoint and find exactly what I need to do.The result is a fresher back. He feels better on Monday than he did last season. He accepts that he isnt going to do much physical work on Monday. He understands that Love needs the reps.Last year, we would sit him out of practice on Mondays and he would pout, Bloomgren said. Body language. Now he understands its part of the process.As Burns matures, Shaw and Bloomgren hope the quarterback will be able to take more of the responsibility for the offense. Love has proven in the past two games that he is an effective counterpunch to McCaffrey. Until that really happens, however, Shaw said, the offensive burden is going to be on the offensive line and McCaffrey.Going into a game, I know that Im going to run a lot, McCaffrey said. I know Im going to have a lot of volume, and I know that Im going to get hit a lot, which is great. Sometimes we try to deliver some blows, too, try to break as many tackles as possible. We know its going to hurt the next day. Thats why we love the game.Red Sox Jerseys China . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Custom Red Sox Jersey China . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. http://www.customredsoxjersey.com/ . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Authentic Custom Red Sox Jersey . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. Wholesale Custom Red Sox Shirts .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup.CHICAGO -- For the past two-plus seasons, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling fulfilled his role as Corey Crawfords backup without complaint.Naturally, Darling has bigger dreams of becoming a No. 1 netminder. His recent success as Crawfords injury replacement has reinforced the faith of his coaches and teammates.I think that, being patient, he can become a starter, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said.Chicago (17-8-3) leans on Darling again as they host the New York Rangers (18-9-1). The teams play each other twice in the next five days in their only meetings of the season.Darling, 27, makes his fourth consecutive start as Crawford recovers from an emergency appendectomy. He has posted a .940 save percentage in his last three outings and is 8-5-2 with a 2.39 goals-against average and .919 save percentage this season.Crawford could miss a couple more weeks, which means Darling will receive regular work.You find a lot about the goalie, whether he can handle that workload, Quenneville said. Every time hes done it, hes proven that he can do it. I think thats the next step is the real job. Theres not a lot of opportunities to get that job in our league and its very competitive, but I think hes proven that he can play a lot of games.The Rangers pose a tough test for any goaltender. New York leads the league with 99 goals this season and averages 3.54 goals per game. Michael Grabner has a team-leading 13 goals, while Rick Nash and Kevin Hayes have 11 goals apiece.Hayes most recent goal Thursday night lifted the Rangers to a 2-1 victory over Winnnipeg.dddddddddddd. The Rangers improved to 8-5-0 on the road as they travel to the United Center.Injuries to key players have forced both teams to adjust.The Blackhawks will be without Crawford, captain Jonathan Toews (upper body) and defenseman Brent Seabrook (upper body). The absence of Toews has prompted Quenneville to give more responsibility to center Marcus Kruger.For the Rangers, Nash will miss his second consecutive game because of a groin injury. The 32-year-old likely will miss one or two more games in addition to Fridays contest.Forwards Jimmy Vesey and Matt Puempel also have been out with upper-body injuries.Obviously were missing a couple key elements, but every team in the NHL goes through injuries, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. Like Ive mentioned many times, its an opportunity for some other players to step in and have more ice time and a bigger role.Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is expected to be in goal after being given the night off against the Jets. Lundqvist is 12-8-1 with a 2.55 GAA and a .912 save percentage this season. In his career against Chicago, he is 6-2-2 with a 2.19 GAA and a .925 save percentage.Marian Hossa leads the Blackhawks with 14 goals. Hossa is coming off a two-goal game Tuesday in a 4-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. The performance increased Hossas total to 513 career goals, which matched him with ex-Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick for No. 38 on the all-time list. ' ' '