LeSean McCoy still thinks he’s best RB in NFL
By Cory Buck
While everyone in the NFL can’t stop talking about the dominance of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and how he’s one of the best running backs ever, one other running back continues to take issue with how little he’s being talked about.
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LeSean McCoy, the Philadelphia Eagles star running back, still firmly believes that he’s the best running back in the entire NFL. He doesn’t care if you, me or Adrian Peterson thinks it’s funny because he still thinks it’s the truth and he luckily has a lot to back it up with.
McCoy even told CSN Philly reporters as much on Monday.
"“I’ve been All-Pro first-team twice. I never leave the field. I block. I catch. I never leave the field. I don’t have anybody do my job. I do it myself. Tons of credit goes out to Adrian Peterson. I’m a big fan of his, for sure. But I feel I’m the best.”"
McCoy makes a point there. As the article notes, Peterson has more rushing yards in the last three seasons by a fair margin (4,333 for AP to 3,756 for McCoy) but McCoy has more total yards from scrimmage in the same stretch. That seems to be at the center of McCoy’s argument. While Peterson is a great pure running back from traditional sets, McCoy is a diverse player asked to do many different things in complicated offenses.
Both Andy Reid and Chip Kelly have used McCoy in all sorts of sets and formations and McCoy has answered the bell by producing the most yards from scrimmage in the last three seasons. That’s a sound argument as the best back even if Peterson has more big years in his career and also has the best single season between them in the last three years. Peterson totaled 2,097 yards and scored 12 rushing touchdowns that season to go with another 217 yards and 1 TD through the air.
Unfortunately the Eagles and Vikings aren’t scheduled to meet this year, so unless Teddy Bridgewater has a crazy playoff run in him, there’s really no chance of seeing the backs duel. The only thing we have in the meantime is conjecture and groundless analysis. As Pro Football Talk notes at the end of their coverage, Peterson received thrice the votes of McCoy in a Best Back poll. Clearly those people didn’t have McCoy on their fantasy teams last season.