McCoy Sheds Weight, Feels Quicker
Pat Shurmur was asked a question about Matt Barkley, but his answer included a nugget on LeSean McCoy.
“The two guys that looked the most different when they got here [for training camp] were LeSean and Matt,” Shurmur said. “They got themselves ready to go.”
McCoy, 26, is coming off a career year in which he totaled 1,607 yards on the ground and averaged 5.1 YPC. He led the NFL in touches, rushing yards and yards from scrimmage.
But entering his second year in Chip Kelly’s offense, McCoy has made some changes.
“I felt last year, even the year I did have, it was based on just the guys up front really blocking well, going off of just God-given talent,” he said. “I feel like at a lighter [weight] I’m just so much more effective. I look at all my old film and see how much quicker I was. I was 210, 209. I mean, there’s a big difference. And I’m feeling like that again. I’ve always made plays, even last year I made a lot of plays, but just you know your body. You know yourself. I wanted to be a little bit more bulkier last year. Sometimes it’s like a mental thing, which it doesn’t matter.”
McCoy said he played last year at around 215. Now he’s down to 209 or 210.
“Eating a lot in small portions, get my metabolism rolling a little bit,” he added. “Nothing too crazy. Everything’s about portions. I’m not eating Doritos with the sauce at 12 o’clock at night.”
The change, in part, goes back to a couple years ago. McCoy had a monster 2011 season, scoring 20 touchdowns and averaging 4.8 YPC.
He came back the next year and played behind a decimated offensive line, totaling 840 yards while missing four games due to injury.
“I just feel like I’m 23 right now, 23 years old,” he said. “That’s all. I’ve just been working, working hard, putting a lot into this game and preparation. The thing is I’ve had a really, really good year, and then the next year not have such a great year. I got hurt. So I’m trying to capitalize off that – have a real dominant year, come back with another one. I have the teammates and most importantly the linemen to do it. So just trying to stay in shape, stay lean and stay aggressive.”
McCoy expects big things now that he’s in his second year with Kelly, and he mentioned new wrinkles being put in with the addition of Darren Sproles.
The coaches didn’t suggest to McCoy that he drop weight, but he decided it was the right move.
“That was me,” he said. “You’re always trying to perfect yourself and really try to do the best you can. Nowadays, obviously you’ve gotta be stronger, but the quicker you are, the faster you are, the better you are. Big guys can’t get on you.”