LeSean McCoy: ‘It’s Been a Real Tough Year’

LeSean McCoy needed about 57 seconds to run through the entire list.

The Eagles running back had just played his first game in more than a month, returning to the field against the Redskins after suffering a concussion against them on Nov. 18. He was asked how tough this year’s been on him.

“It’s been tough for me because losing is definitely hard to deal with, being a winning franchise, and also just being hurt,” McCoy said. “I’ve never really been injured, not even missed games, so that’s probably the toughest part, not being able to help your teammates out, being one of the top players on the team.”

But there was more.

“Another thing is, just coming off a good year last year, considered one of the better backs, and this year, kind of falling off, due to injury. Then your team’s not winning, I mean, it’s all bad. I don’t see any positives from this year at all – from the team aspect, personal or individual. There’s so many things that you want to do better, to help yourself and help the team out. Then so much heat on one of the best coaches in this league, Coach Reid. It’s been a tough year if you add all those things together. It’s been a real tough year.”

All week, Andy Reid said he would monitor his running back’s snaps, but McCoy saw plenty of action. He carried 13 times for 45 yards and did more damage as a receiver with nine catches for 77 yards on 11 targets.

He wasn’t all the way back, but McCoy showed his trademark elusiveness, often making defenders miss and managing to turn nothing into something. On the Eagles’ final possession, they drove to the Redskins’ 5-yard line before an intentional grounding call against Foles ended the game. McCoy accounted for 40 of the 75 yards on the drive. He picked up 12 yards on a 4th-and-2 play to keep the Eagles’ hopes of a comeback alive.

“We drove all the way down the field,” McCoy said. “Nick [Foles] made the right checks, Marty [Mornhinweg] made the right calls, and then another situation where we just don’t capitalize. That’s kind of how the season went this year.”

Throughout the week, some questioned why McCoy would return at all, but he never wavered in his plans to play once he was cleared from the concussion.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from him,” Reid said. “That’s just how he’s wired. He loves playing the game. He was into it. He was into it all week. Even when I took him out of the game, he battled me to get back in the game. He wanted to play. That says something about the kid.

The only thing separating McCoy from the offseason is a matchup next Sunday against the Giants. The Eagles are sure to make many changes in the coming months, but regardless of who the coach is, he’ll have a talented, motivated, 24-year old running back to work with on offense.

“I made a promise to myself that I’m not even going to take that long of a break off – maybe two to three weeks and I’m back at it,” McCoy said. “So much negative stuff happened this year, you look for stuff to feed yourself to motivate you and things to drive you. I’m not saying this is a good thing to lose, but it gives me something to look for next year.”

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
Become a fan of Birds 24/7 on Facebook.