While many of the positive vibes surrounding the Eagles right now relate to running back LeSean McCoy, one of the players who leads the way for McCoy is having just as standout a campaign.
Jason Peters, who analyst Mike Mayock recently called the best left tackle in football, has had an unbelievable year. McCoy has gained more yards, 236, running behind the 6-4, 340-pound lineman this season than behind any other Eagles lineman. When Peters leads the way, Shady averages an astounding 8.7 yards per carry.
"LeSean's having a great season," said Peters. "He's one of the top backs in the league and I just love blocking for him. He makes it so easy. You just get on your block for a moment and he makes guys miss. A lot of times, I'll just look up and next thing I know I see him all the way down the field breaking a big run."
Pro Football Focus, one of the more reputable amateur scouting services online, rates Peters the top tackle in the league. What makes this even more impressive is that in their rankings, the Arkansas-alum was penalized for missing two games due to injury.
Despite the season Peters has put together, he is not even top five in NFC Pro Bowl fan voting at his position. This is nothing new. The Pro Bowl is notorious for rewarding borderline players on winning teams while ignoring great players on losing teams. Following the 2009 season, when the Eagles went 11-5 in the regular season, they had nine players make the Pro Bowl, including Peters. This year, the Eagles only have four players in the top three in the NFC at their positions in fan voting.
The converted tight end doesn't mind that he's flying under the radar this season. As long as he's doing his job, he knows the coaches will see that and that he'll be putting his team in a better position to win games.
"I don't really worry about being noticed by the fans or the media," said Peters. "As long as we win games, I don't care. I just go out there and play hard every week."
As much as Peters insists that he doesn't care about the accolades, Eagles fans should help get this well-deserving offensive lineman into the Pro Bowl. Click here to vote Peters, and the rest of your Philadelphia Eagles, into the 2012 Pro Bowl.
