Run First Quarterback Does Not Equal Harmony In The Locker Room

Some well-held beliefs about the NFL:

1) Players want to get paid: While many claim they play for the love of the game, one might argue that the weekly paycheck makes up a large part of the "raison d'etre" of pro sports.

Amongst themselves, players often intone to each other "Get Yours."

Quite the war cry.

2) Players who put up big numbers, get REALLY paid: Players know that guys who can produce get rewarded and so do their agents.

3) Winning sometimes takes a backseat to money: e.g. Albert Haynesworth

4) Professional athletes have been know to have a little bit of ego about them.

When it comes time for contract negotiations, agents sit down with management and use comparables (much like a real estate agent) to drive negotiations:

"Look, my guy put up the same numbers as whats-his-face. Whats-his-face is making X amount of dollars - pay my guy what his market value is..."

Mr. Slick Agent then turns around to his many clients and says, "If you want to get paid, put up the numbers."

If you're a cornerback, a boatload of interceptions will go a long way (or show that teams don't throw to your side of the field, a la Revis and Asamougha) to a large payday.

If you're a linebacker, you gotta rack up the tackles and the sacks.

O-line, make sure you don't get beat and the QB doesn't get beaten up.

Simple, right?

What about when you have a player who performs the functions of other team members and removes from them the opportunity to showcase their talents and maximize their earning potential at the bargaining table?

Let me explain: In the 2010 regular season, the Eagles LeSean McCoy finished 14th overall in rushing yards, with 1080. Good season, right?

Well, the NFL leader Arian Foster finished with 1616, almost 600 yds more.

But further inspection reveals that McCoy had 120 fewer touches than Foster. In fact, McCoy had the second lowest amount of runs out of anyone in the top 20 (but he did miss playing in Week 17). McCoy had the second highest average (behind KC's Jamaal Charles) of anyone in the top 20.

But Andy Reid is a guy who loves the aerial attack anyways, right? Let's go check on the receivers then.

There we are, in 12th place is DeSean Jackson with 1056 yards. Just like we thought...

But wait...Jackson only caught 47 passes and was targeted 96 times. Leader Brandon Lloyd caught 77 and had 153 targets. In fact, Jackson had the lowest amount of receptions in the top 25 and the lowest amount of targets in the top 20; some guys caught and were targeted almost TWICE as many times as Jackson.

Jackson did lead the league in average yards per catch.

So, how is this happening? Well, who was under center for most of the 2010 season? Michael Vick, right?

Taking a look again at the leagues top 40 rushers, we see a few teams with two guys carrying the load: The Giants have Bradshaw and Jacobs, KC has Jones and Charles, New England has Green-Ellis and Woodhead, Jets had Green and Tomlinson and the Eagles have McCoy and Vick.

Vick had 100 rushes for 676 yards—great running numbers. He only played 12 games this year, which works out to about eight rushes a game.

I don't know if you can see where I am going here, but if you took those 100 rushes and gave them to McCoy at 5.2 yards a carry, all of a sudden he has another 520 yards for a total of 1600 yards for the season—only 16 yards off the pace set by Foster.

Conversely, if Jackson was the beneficiary of ONE EXTRA RECEPTION A GAME at his average of 22 yards per catch, he is in the conversation for leading the league in receiving yards as he tries to work out a contract extension with the Eagles this year.

Now I know what you're going to say: A smart agent will highlight the fact that Vick encroaches through his unique style of play, on the "traditional" territory of other position players, hence their high averages.

Smart GMs will retort that players like Vick will open up the field for them to achieve their splendid numbers and that he deserves the credit.

The bottom line is, however, the bottom line. McCoy and Jackson did not lead the league in their respective categories, while one might surmise based on extrapolation—the possibility was definitely there for both of them.

I guess the question remains, whether they (and their hubris) feel that a traditional pocket passer would have given them more touches and targets, therefore helping them to increase their maximum earning potential.