LeSean McCoy Establishing Himself as Best RB in Eagles History

With even modest production versus the Seattle Seahawks this coming Sunday, LeSean McCoy will become the Philadelphia Eagles’ all-time leading rusher. The two-time All-Pro needs just 48 yards to eclipse Wilbert Montgomery’s mark of 6,538 set back in 1984.

What took Montgomery eight NFL seasons to accomplish, McCoy is about to do in less than six. What took Montgomery 100 games played will have taken McCoy 87.

And at just 26 years of age, McCoy may have an opportunity to put the franchise record so far out of reach, it could take another 30 years or longer before anybody comes along and breaks it—should it ever fall.

McCoy isn’t merely establishing himself as one of the best running backs in Eagles history. He’s staking his claim as the greatest, bar none. That’s saying something for a franchise that’s had names like Montgomery, Brian Westbrook and Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren, the latter of whom retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher in 1951.

Records are made to be broken, but in today’s pass-happy league, more often than not it’s the numbers through the air that are constantly getting one-upped.

Not the case in Philadelphia, where McCoy is considered the team’s star player and biggest offensive threat. McCoy already made history this season, becoming the first Eagles back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season four times. Now he’s aiming for more.

PLAYER	YDS	AVG	RUSH/TOTAL TD	SCRM YDS
W. Montgomery	6,538	4.5	45/57	8,985
L. McCoy	6,491	4.7	43/52	8,729
B. Westbrook	5,995	4.6	37/66	9,785
S. Van Buren	5,860	4.4	69/72	6,383

With 4.7 yards per carry, McCoy already owns the highest average for a running back in club history. As long as he remains healthy, he should raise the bar for rushing attempts and total touches during the final four games of this season. All-time leader in yards from scrimmage is also within his sights, albeit at 1,056 yards behind Westbrook, that one will take another year.

Just about the only record McCoy isn’t on the verge of shattering is Van Buren’s 69 touchdowns on the ground. McCoy has 43.

However, we have seen McCoy eclipse Van Buren’s team single-season rushing and total touchdowns records with 17 and 20, respectively, in 2011. Just last season, McCoy also carved out his place in franchise lore with 1,607 yards on the ground and 2,146 from scrimmage, en route to becoming the first Eagle to lead the league in rushing since Van Buren in 1949.

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

When everything is said and done, McCoy will own just about any major rushing and yards from scrimmage record in team history, which dates back to 1933. It will be virtually impossible to argue a better runner has come through Philadelphia.

McCoy’s assault on the record books doesn’t end there, either. At 26 years old, he is uniquely positioned to move up the NFL’s all-time leaderboard—and perhaps even author a Hall of Fame career of his own.

McCoy is currently sitting at No. 71 in league history for rushing yards. Even assuming he does the bare minimum to surpass Montgomery on Sunday, he would move up to No. 65.

How many years of amazing football do you think McCoy has left at his age? Let’s say he has two more 1,000-yard seasons in him. That will be enough to elevate him into the top 35. Even if McCoy only averaged 750 yards over the next five seasons, when he’ll turn 31 and his career is finally winding down, he would easily crack 10,000.

RANK	PLAYER	AGE	YDS
1.	Steven Jackson	31	11,283
2.	Frank Gore	31	10,679
3.	Adrian Peterson	29	10,190
6.	Marshawn Lynch	28	8,345
8.	Matt Forte	29	7,494
10.	Jamaal Charles	28	6,630
11.	LeSean McCoy	26	6,491
14.	Arian Foster	28	5,964
23.	DeMarco Murray	26	4,108

Only 29 players in NFL history have rushed for 10,000 yards in their career. Among active players who are closest, McCoy has the best shot of doing it because of his age.

McCoy is the youngest active player in the league with over 6,000 yards rushing. In fact, he is the youngest active player to post over 4,000 yards rushing.

McCoy may be more than merely the best running back in franchise history. If he keeps up this torrid pace, McCoy has the chance to be the greatest of a generation.

The only thing really missing from McCoy’s resume right now are postseason accolades and numbers. In addition to leading the league in rushing four times, Van Buren carried Philadelphia to two NFL championships in the '40s. The Eagles haven’t won a playoff game since before McCoy arrived as a second-round pick in ’09.

Of course, that chapter could be rewritten this year. With a 9-3 record, the Eagles are well on their way to securing a berth in the tournament, and no doubt they’ll be a trendy pick to compete for a spot in the Super Bowl come January.

Should they make it that far or come close, it will undoubtedly be in some part thanks to McCoy, who the Eagles have leaned on this season and last, in particular. At that point, McCoy likely will have solidified himself as the greatest back in franchise history—if he hasn’t done so already.