What does LeSean McCoy do for an encore?
After a thrilling first half of the season in which McCoy established himself as an elite running back, the second-year running back and his teammates prepare for the stretch run that they hope will lead to the playoffs. McCoy, who has totaled 770 yards from scrimmage through seven games, says that in order for the 4-3 team to reach its goals, they have to eliminate the unnecessary mistakes.
"The biggest things, man, I think are turnovers, penalties are killing us, and finishing," McCoy said Monday. "We play great the whole game. There are going to be ups and downs in any game. But you have to have that mindset of, 'Alright, we have them on the ropes. Put your foot on their throat and finish the game out.'
"We feel good right now. There were a lot of games we could have won that we let away. We stayed in a good situation ... (The NFC) is wide open. We have to continue to play our game and get better each week and go out and just finish. Starting well and finishing teams. We can't worry about the other teams out there; we just have to play our game."
The Eagles begin their post-bye push this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field against the Indianapolis Colts, where all eyes will be on the return of quarterback Michael Vick to the starting role. Vick, who incurred a rib cartilage injury on a scramble during the Week 4 loss to the Washington Redskins, said Monday that he plans on placing an emphasis on avoiding big hits. McCoy, who knows a little something about playing hurt, has some advice for his left-hand man.
"We need him, and he knows that," McCoy said of Vick. "The good thing is he can get away, so we might not need the extra one or two yards. It's a great effort, but we might not need it. I'd rather have him here for the rest of this season than have an extra first down or an extra couple of yards. He's aware of it."
Meanwhile, McCoy suffered a broken rib in the same Redskins game but managed to play through the pain in team's three subsequent games. He said the bye week did him wonders and that he feels "a lot healthier," adding that he's not quite 100 percent. While the week off certainly did wonders for McCoy's body, it also allowed him to refocus on the goal at hand.
"I think everybody, after this bye week, is hoping in the second half of the season that we finish strong," McCoy said. "Every game counts, every game counts. I think in the beginning of the season we get to see the type of team we have. Everybody sees the talent up and down this locker room. It's just the fact of going out and using it and then finishing teams."
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 6:02 p.m., November 1
