Eagles’ LeSean McCoy Can Be Better in 2012

When you look at running back LeSean McCoy’s numbers from his breakout 2011 season, it’s fair to wonder if the fourth-year back will ever be able to match that performance. But consider this point made by the Philadelphia Inqurier’s Sheil Kapadia earlier today in his blog. As Kapadia notes, Aaron Schatz of Football Outsider points out that McCoy lost three or more yards on 22 carries a year ago, which was twice as many as any other running back in the league except for Chris Johnson.

That’s simply too many negative plays. Certainly, one can argue that many of McCoy’s gains came because he continually tried to make something out of nothing. But with better vision and decision-making, it’s possible for McCoy to know when it’s worth it to take a shot and when he’s best served to fold.

In an interview with Philadelphia Daily News columnist Rich Hofmann last month, Eagles’ running backs coach Ted Williams said, “The really good running backs are willing to take zero. When you’re young, you think you can make a big play out of every play. That’s kind of where he is. He’s not, per se, not willing to run it up in there — he just thinks he can make a play out of every play. There are times when that doesn’t happen. It’s my job to make sure he understands there are going to be days where that ain’t going to happen, where you’re not going to outrun ‘em all, you’re not going to fake ‘em all out, they’re not all going to miss you. What are you going to do then? We talk about that constantly.”

And, really, that has to be the theme of the 2012 season for the Eagles—better consistency, efficiency, and decision-making on the offensive side of the football.