Why The Eagles Season Relies On Shady McCoy

Things aren't exactly unfolding the way Philadelphia fans planned. A few months ago the Eagles looked unstoppable. It appeared they were the favorite in the NFC East if not the NFC.

Brian Westbrook was supposed to be 100%. It was obvious when the season began that he wasn't. He looked slow in the first two games and didn't play in the third game against Kansas City. LeSean McCoy started in his place.

It was terrible news to hear Westbrook would not start. Not just because I was at the game, but because it meant that Brian's knee was worse than we had thought.

There is no doubt that B-West is the center of the Eagles offense. In the past, the Eagles offense has struggled without him. That could change this year with his carbon copy backing him up.

Against the Chiefs, McCoy rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry. The Chiefs are a good team to get your first start against, almost like a practice. (no offense to Chiefs fans.) He showed great elusiveness and had an impressive 6 yard run for a touchdown in the wildcat formation. You can see it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmNf3MNMmbk.

Shady is the perfect backup for the Eagles. He ran the same offense at Pitt. He can also catch out of the backfield very well and has a similar playing style to Westbrook. McCoy has shown that he can run between the tackles, which many analysts didn't think he could do. Overall, he has been very impressive. McCoy's only real weakness is blocking. He has improved, but he does need some work.

Currently McCoy ranks second among rookies (Knowshon Moreno is first) in rush yards. If he can keep those numbers up he will undoubtedly be a ROTY candidate.

Well we'll just have to see how this season plays out. Unfortunately, I think we're going to see a lot of McCoy and possibly Eldra Buckley this season. Westbrook just isn't the old Westbrook anymore. He never will be again. However I'm not too worried. The future has arrived in the form of LeSean McCoy.