By Lewis Gould
“Some men see things as they are and say why,” George Bernard Shaw is famous for saying. “I dream things that never were and say why not?”
Place Eagles’ running back in the latter category.
He believes that he is the same running back this year as he was last year when he led the NFL with 1,607 rushing yards and averaged 5.1 yards a carry, added 539 receiving yards, and scored 11 touchdowns. This year, McCoy has run for 729 yards and 3.7 yards a carry, has added 110 receiving yards, and scored two touchdowns. Obviously, McCoy is not as good this year as he was last year.
But McCoy says he hasn’t changed.
When reporters asked him on Wednesday if he’s the same player he used to be, McCoy first said he wouldn’t answer.
“I’m not even going to address, ‘am I the same player?’” McCoy said. “That’s for you all to figure out.”
Then McCoy did answer, and insisted that he is.
“Are you crazy?” he said. “I am the same player. I’m not going to sit here and play that game, like, ‘Am I the same player?’”
McCoy may view himself as the same person he was a year ago, but the reality is he’s nowhere near as good as he was a year ago. Last year he was one of the best players in the NFL; this year the Eagles’ offense has been better when Darren Sproles takes the field to replace McCoy.
If the Eagles can get McCoy playing back at his 2013 level for the rest of this season, that would go a long way toward putting them in the playoffs. But right now, McCoy isn’t the same player he was last year.
