The NFL's rushing champion, LeSean McCoy, was a guest on ESPN's Mike and Mike on Friday morning. He was asked his thoughts on the addition of Darren Sproles. The Eagles sent a fifth-round pick to New Orleans for the dynamic all-purpose back in March.
McCoy could view the addition of Sproles as someone who will cut into his workload, but the All-Pro has a different take on the move.
"I think 366 touches is a lot," McCoy said of his combined rushes and receptions last season. "Being in the prime of my career and bringing in a guy like Sproles who can do so much, we'll work well together. I think having me fresh in the fourth quarter with fewer carries can be even more dangerous."
McCoy is already one of the greatest fourth-quarter running backs in NFL history. Last year, McCoy led the NFL with 441 rushing yards for a gaudy 5.96 yards per rush. No player with more than 40 fourth-quarter carries had a better yards-per-carry average than McCoy. In his career, McCoy holds the NFL record with seven fourth-quarter touchdowns of 40 or more yards.
In his first season with head coach Chip Kelly, McCoy set new career highs in rushing yards (1,607) and yards from scrimmage (2,127), which were both single-season franchise records. McCoy can only imagine what Kelly will have in store with the ability to put both he and Sproles on the field at the same time.
"As a defense, you have so much to prepare for with this offense. And now, you bring in a guy like that. We can run the ball. We can throw the ball. We have so many different movements to watch out for. I'm excited. When he got here, the first thing I told him was I'm happy that he's here," McCoy said.
"There's so much in this offense from motions to different looks, I mean, the guy's a genius. One thing I can say about Chip is that he's a genius. He knows offense."
On Thursday, the Eagles acquired RB Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints. Here are 10 things to know about the Eagles new weapon ...
Born in Waterloo, IA, Sproles played high school football at Olathe High School in Olathe, KS
Aside from just playing football, Sproles was also a track star in high school, finishing second in the 200 meters as a junior
At Kansas State, Sproles gained 4,979 rushing yards on the ground, set 23 school records over his college career, and was named an All-American and a Heisman Trophy finalist in his junior season
Graduated Kansas State with a degree in criminal justice
Since 2007, no player has more all-purpose yards than Sproles' 13,806
Sproles is the cousin of former Saints WR Courtney Roby
Sproles' father, Larry, played college football at MidAmerica Nazarene University
Sproles holds the San Diego Chargers franchise record for career kickoff return yards (6,469) and he also holds the Saints single-season all-purpose yards record (2,696 in 2011)
Sproles has scored 43 touchdowns in his career (27 through the air, 11 on the ground and five on returns)
He also created Sproles Empowered Youth, a non-profit organization that has held events to benefit youth and families in Kansas City
