Shady, One Of The Best?

I love being the best!

At the beginning of the year, Eagles running back Lesean McCoy made a bold goal:  1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards rushing.  Although McCoy currently has only 129 receiving yards, he does have 569 yards rushing and is well on his way to not only achieving his goal but also becoming one of the most elite backs in the NFL.  But does he deserve to be up there with the likes of Adrian Peterson and Darren McFadden?  I personally believe that after this year Lesean McCoy will widely be regarded as one of the best if not the best running back in the NFL, here's why.

Statistically, Lesean is right there with the best of the best.  He is currently 7th in the NFL in total rushing yards, but you have to take into consideration the fact that he has about 40 fewer carries than Adrain Peterson and Maurice Jones Drew who are first and second in rushing yards respectively.  In terms of yards per carry, McCoy is currently tied with Darren McFadden and Matt Forte for second place with 5.4 yards per carry behind only Fred Jackson who has 5.7.

But those are just the boring statistics.  In terms of versatility Lesean is a great blocker and is probably an even better receiver.  Although his receiving yards are down this year, McCoy is still such a threat in the screen game and once he is in the open field, he is such a threat to take it to the house.  And in terms of ball security McCoy is probably the best.  In 467 career carries, McCoy has just 4 fumbles and has yet to cough up the football this year.  In Adrian Peterson's first three seasons he coughed up the ball 20 times!  Barring a tragic finish, I think it's safe to say McCoy is more safe with the football than AD.  And McCoy also has Maurice Jones Drew beat in this category as he has fumbled 6 times already this year.

Probably the biggest thing Shady has going for him at this point is his age.  McCoy is currently just 23 years old and is overall one of the youngest and most dangerous backs in the NFL.  Statistically McCoy is not at the top just yet.  But in the upcoming games and years I expect the Eagles to rely more and more on the running attack.  Against the Redskins, McCoy was given a record 28 attempts and not only did the Eagles win, but they were also able to control the game.  Running the ball does so much good for a football team and I think Andy Reid is slowly beginning to realize just how talented McCoy is.

When it looks like the other team has him for a loss, BAM he cuts on the dime and breaks open a 5-7 yard gain.  When it looks like the defensive line is collapsing in on him, he finds that little seam and accelerates through.  McCoy is such a fun and exciting player to watch and when it's all said and done I feel that he will go down in history as one of the greatest running backs in Eagles history.  And maybe in the years to come, he will be widely regarded as the best running back in the entire NFL.