LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles Needs To Become a More Complete Back

LeSean McCoy played well last season for the Eagles as a rookie in the role he was asked to play. He set the Eagles rookie record for yards rushing in 2009.

But in 2010, he will need to strive for greatness.

We already know that Shady can run the ball. He’s proven that already.

However, there is more to being a successful running back then just being able to carry the rock.

Well-rounded running backs need to be able to block and catch balls out of the backfield as well. One of McCoy’s biggest downfalls last year was his inability to pick up blitzes.

This is probably the most undervalued part of a running back’s game.

We were spoiled for a long time since Brian Westbrook was great at picking up blocks. When you have a back like that, it allows your quarterback to have confidence and not worry about getting killed.

I’ve heard that McCoy has bulked up a bit in the offseason, which should definitely help him handle rushing blitzers better. I'd also like him to sit down and study film of how Westbrook positioned himself and handled his blocking.

Westbrook was also an absolute terror catching passes out of the backfield, and McCoy will have to be the same way. I think he has the hands and speed to do so; he will just have to work on positioning himself and using his blockers to do some of the work for him.

But with the departure of Westbrook the Eagles lost not only a complete back but also a great leader.

McCoy will have to try to fill these shoes as well, at least as it concerns the running backs. There are a lot of new, young faces in the backfield, and McCoy will be looked to as a mentor.

He is young himself, but he will have to act much older.

McCoy is definitely on the doorstep of taking his game to a whole new level.

If he focuses on doing other things besides just rushing the ball, he could become a really good complete back.