Can Shady Handle The Workload?

During the past two games Shady has gotten a combined 58 carries which is pretty significant given the fact that he had just 77 carries through the first 5 weeks of the season.  There is no argument that Shady is quickly emerging as one of the most talented backs in the entire NFL.  The only question or argument that arises is whether or not he will be able to handle such a heavy workload.

McCoy is undoubtedly shifty and extremely fun to watch when he has the ball.  He can make people miss and turn a broken play into a large gain.  But at the same time he's not the biggest running back, and if he's averaging between 25-30 carries there is no telling if he will be able to handle such a big work load.  And if other teams really begin to stack the box in an effort to slow down McCoy, it will mean less wide open running lanes for McCoy and increased risk for injury.

McCoy really has seized the opportunities that Marty Mornhinweg and Andy Reid have given him.  He is cashing in on big games, and overall helping his team win.  But the Eagles have to be mindful to not overwork him.  They have a pretty good back up in Ronnie Brown who they should look to give more carries to if McCoy gets a little banged up on or play or just needs a quick breather.

Very rarely in this day and age in the NFL do you see teams with one main running back.  Usually there is a steady back up or a running mate who helps out and takes some of the carries and pressure off of the feature back.  But the Eagles are clearly not thrilled with Ronnie Brown and the jury is still out on Dion Lewis, so all of the running responsibilities fall right on the shoulders of number 25.

McCoy averaged 23 touches a game during his two years at Pitt, but 23 carries in college and 25-30 at the professional level are two completely different statistics.  Shady is a very talented runner and extremely fun to watch, but the Eagles have to be careful not to give him too much of a workload.