Running back LeSean McCoy is many things - an electrifying player, an elusive running back and a home-run threat. He's also an intense competitor. But with two games to go and the Eagles' record meaning little, does he still want to go back on the field?
"Why would I want to play? Why wouldn't I want to play?" he said after practice Wednesday. "They pay me to play this game. I love to play this game, so why wouldn't I play? My teammates are out there playing."
McCoy suffered a concussion in the Eagles' last meeting with the Redskins in Week 11. After four weeks, he has been cleared to play and will start Sunday against the team that prematurely took him out of his last game. It may take some time for McCoy to regain his footing, but he is confident that he'll be ready to go once Sunday afternoon rolls around.
"I never usually miss games at all, especially practice. So it was definitely different," McCoy said. "Plus, (I'm) just getting my wind back. Just listening to the plays and things like that, I felt real rusty today. But I'll be back to normal."
The Eagles would be happy to see McCoy back to normal as well. Though his numbers weren't the same as his All-Pro campaign in 2011, McCoy has been a vital piece of the Eagles' offense all season. In the 10 games before his injury, McCoy had amassed 750 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
When McCoy went down, rookie Bryce Brown took over the starting job in style. In Weeks 12 and 13, he rushed for a combined 347 yards and four touchdowns. But since then, Brown has fallen back to Earth. In the last two games, Brown has only compiled 40 yards rushing and no scores.
Still, Brown has shown enough promise to warrant discussion about using he and McCoy as a one-two punch at running back. Reid said Wednesday that he will monitor McCoy's workload closely, and will make sure the two runners split carries. But McCoy doesn't anticipate a drastically different gameplan.
"Not a lot has changed," McCoy said. "We rotated even before he had the two good games. I don't think there's a big difference."
Some have questioned why McCoy would want to finish out the season on the field. But great players don't get where they are by taking games off. And it's certainly not how McCoy wants to finish the year.
"I don't live like that – just taking off," he said. "Just like the play when I got hurt, people blame Coach for a bit, but I wanted to be in there. I'm a competitor. I'm going to finish the season out."
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