One of the true success stories of the Eagles off-season was the emergence of running back Eldra Buckley.
After spending two seasons on the San Diego Chargers practice squad hoping for a chance in a crowded backfield that, at times, included stalwarts LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner and Darren Sproles, Buckley came to the Eagles' mini-camp in the spring and looked like a roster long shot.
Buckley's biggest drawback as a player was his discomfort as a receiver out of the backfield, a skill that is highly valued in the Eagles offense.
"You have to be a pass-catcher in this offense," Buckley said. "I knew coming (to Philadelphia) that was going to be something I had to work on."
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| RB Eldra Buckley won the fans over with his tough, physical running style |
"When all the coaches told me to catch passes every day, the offensive line coach (Juan Castillo) stressed to me that if you go out there and catch a lot of passes, you can become a better receiver," Buckley said. "Every day I went out and started catching more and more and more and it became comfortable to me.
"I tried to catch 50 (balls) a day right after practice. And I won't stop; I'm going to keep catching balls before and after practice so I can keep working on catching the ball."
The fruits of Buckley's labor could be seen in his performance against the New England Patriots in the opening week of the preseason, when he caught six passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
While Buckley's improved hands made the Eagles comfortable with having him in the backfield, his calling card is a punishing, downhill running style that has quickly turned him into a fan-favorite with Eagles fans.
Buckley announced his presence with authority on the very first day of full-contact practice in training camp at Lehigh when he had two 50 -yard runs that were both punctuated when he continued to fight for extra yards after his helmet was popped off.
"When I came out here I just told myself that I was going to give it all I got," he said.
The other aspect of the game where Buckley shined in the preseason was special teams. A sure open-field tackler, Buckley was praised by special teams coordinator Ted Daisher, and Buckley believes that will be where he is expected to provide his greatest contribution.
"I'm going to be mostly a special teams guy," he said. "I'm going to go out there and give it all I got on special teams, and that can really change a game.
As well as he knew he played during the preseason, Buckley still had no guarantee that he'd be on the Eagles' opening week roster. He spent Saturday afternoon hanging out with some friends "trying not to think about it."
"I knew I put my best foot forward, and I was prepared for whatever the outcome was," he said.
So how did he find out that he made it?
"It came to 6 o'clock and they didn't cut me, so I knew I must have made it," Buckley said.
Although he said he knows he won't be a featured player in the Eagles offense, he intends to do whatever he can to help the team achieve success this season.
"Of course, I have two real good running backs in front of me (Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy)," Buckley said. "Whatever role I can fill to help this team then I'll fill that role."
