LeSean "Shady" McCoy: Is He Better Than Brian Westbrook?

Before the hate mail starts flowing, let me set the record straight. Brian Westbrook was arguably one of the best players in Philadelphia Eagles history.

He became my favorite player on the team in 2002, back when he was still listed as the third running back on the Eagles' depth chart. I owned his jersey before he was ever named a starter.

When Westbrook was released on March 5, 2010 I was disgusted to be an Eagles fan. I know he is past his prime, but it hurt me more to watch Westbrook walk away than Brian Dawkins a year earlier.

LeSean McCoy is quickly making me forget.

Keep two numbers in the back of your head as you watch the Eagles' final four games this season: 277 rushing yards and 166 receiving yards.

These numbers would put McCoy at 1,100 rushing yards and 700 receiving yards on the season. If he can accomplish this, he will be the ninth player in league history to achieve the milestone. The remarkable part is that he will have done it in his first year as the Eagles' starting running back.

A list of other players to accomplish this feat: LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Brian Westbrook, William Andrews, Ray Rice, Marcus Allen and Marshall Faulk (four times).

With his high rate of success this season, many Eagles fans have started contemplating whether or not McCoy is already better than Brian Westbrook was. I suppose it really depends on how you look at it.

I personally feel that Shady is a more gifted running back. He has the ability to run between the tackles and looks like he would be very comfortable taking 20+ handoffs per game. He has some receiving skills, but I feel they aren't quite as good as they appear.

Being the product of an Andy Reid offense, it is almost a requirement that a running back will have at least 50 receptions in a season. The amount of swing passes and screen plays that are run in the Eagles offense is well above the league average.

It wasn't until the Eagles' most recent game against the Texans that I saw McCoy do anything in the passing game that overly impressed me. The 40-yard catch and run on a short screen pass was the best he has looked catching out of the backfield all season.

Unfortunately, it still doesn't even compare to Westbrook. I said McCoy seems to be a more gifted running back, but Westbrook was the better football player. At least at this point in his career, McCoy doesn't quite have the playmaking abilities Westbrook once had.

Westbrook was a force in his prime. Teams would have to develop entire defensive strategies around him. He could line up at running back, in the slot or out at wide receiver. He would even return kicks and punts when asked. I'm sure none of us will ever forget the 85-yard punt return in 2003 against the New York Giants to win the game. In case you have, view the video on this page.

Westbrook was simply electrifying, taking over games with very little help. For the majority of his career, his help consisted of Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, Reggie Brown and Greg Lewis.

McCoy has the gift of a much better team surrounding him. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and even Michael Vick allow for McCoy to have more opportunities to make a play, since defenders can't key in on him like they did with Westbrook.

When his career is over, LeSean McCoy will go down as another one of the best running backs in Philadelphia Eagles history. He may eventually even be considered the best, but he still has a long way to go.

What do you think Eagles fans? Is McCoy already a better talent than Brian Westbrook? If not, do you think he will be one day?