Lesean Mccoy Make America Great Again

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Adrian Peterson is a beast and Jamaal Charles is a dynamic playmaker, but it's LeSean McCoy who has developed into the NFL'south best running back.

McCoy was selected with the No. 53 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles dorsum in 2009 out of Pittsburgh. He'south amassed more than 7,400 yards from scrimmage in his five seasons, and 2013 has been his best with just over 2,000.

Whether information technology's statistics from a box score or avant-garde NFL metrics, or only from watching the moving picture, McCoy has climbed to the top of the running dorsum mount with his performance in 2013.

Looking at the box scores

McCoy has carried the ball more than whatsoever other running dorsum this year.

When you combine that with a 5.1 yards-per-carry boilerplate, which ranks second in the NFL among running backs with at least 120 carries, you've got a playmaking workhorse who tin can carry the load for your squad.

Hither are the cold, hard numbers.

LeSean McCoy's statistical ranks in 2013 (through 15 games)
Category	Number	NFL Rank
No. of carries	287	1st
Rushing Yards	1,476	1st
Yards per conduct (min of 120 carries)	5.one	2nd
Total yards from scrimmage	2,012	1st
TDs	9	6th
Beginning downs	72	1st
ESPN.com

These basic statistics are the easiest way to determine whether or non a role player has had a successful flavour, and they're normally the numbers people throw out there to decide how expert a running dorsum has been.

McCoy has the most rushing yards, near yards from scrimmage and has carried the ball more whatever other thespian this season.

Information technology'd exist easy to think a player with the nigh carries would take the almost yards simply considering of the number of opportunities, but the fact that McCoy is second in the NFL in YPC means he's not only durable, but also dynamic.

McCoy'south 1,476 rushing yards not but leads the league, only it's 189 more than the 2nd-identify player, Jamaal Charles, who has 1,287 yards. McCoy is just 36 yards shy of the Eagles' unmarried-season franchise record, currently held by Wilbert Montgomery, who posted 1,512 yards in 1979.

Despite wanting to win more than than anything, McCoy acknowledges that breaking these records does matter to him, via Alex Smith of PhiladelphiaEagles.com:

To exist honest, information technology would mean a lot. In this game, I think stats and records are meant to exist cleaved. You train hard, and it'south stuff that you dream nearly. You dream nigh going to the Super Bowl and winning those games. You dream about breaking records and setting records and rushing titles.

McCoy and the Eagles law-breaking volition face a Dallas Cowboys defense side by side Lord's day nighttime that'due south currently ranked 27th in the NFL against the run, surrendering more than 127 yards per game on the ground. Everything is set up perfectly for him to take another solid functioning.

In three prime-time games this flavor, McCoy has 69 carries for 475 yards (six.88 YPC) and four touchdowns.

Advanced NFL Metrics

In case the uncomplicated box-score statistics didn't convince you, allow's take a look at the advanced NFL statistical metrics from the people over at Pro Football game Focus (subscription required).

PFF's top-ranked running backs in 2013 (through 15 games)
Rank	Player	Team	Overall score
ane	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	29.0
2	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	22.5
iii	Eddie Lacy	Light-green Bay Packers	17.four
four	Giovani Bernard	Cincinnati Bengals	16.iv
5	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	16.3
Pro Football game Focus

From simple statistics to advanced metrics, McCoy is yet the meridian-ranked running dorsum.

The margin between McCoy and Charles (7.0) is larger than the one betwixt Eddie Lacy and the No. 13-ranked running back, Frank Gore (ten.2).

Some other interesting statistic from PFF is yards afterward contact, in which McCoy ranks 2d in the NFL with 703.  That's non something you lot would initially call back, as he seems more than like the histrion who likes to bounce plays outside and avoid contact.

But too Peterson, who ranks No. ane in that category, no other role player in the NFL picks up more than yards after first contact than McCoy.

It'due south not surprising that McCoy'southward highest YPC average (6.two) goes right through the left baby-sit, Evan Mathis, who is PFF'southward top-ranked guard.

Co-ordinate to PFF, McCoy averages more than 5.3 YPC running through all three interior offensive line areas for the Eagles, which might seem odd for a player who isn't known as a concrete runner.

McCoy has found success running downhill this season, but we've all seen his ability in the open field also.

Film Room

There are three things that brand LeSean McCoy such a dangerous player from a skill-set perspective, and nosotros're going to take a await at each of those in three separate plays from this season.

The first is "vision."

In this play against the Chicago Bears last week, McCoy displays the kind of vision that isn't just about where he'south going and a pigsty that could announced, but how the guys around him touch on a hole that could potentially open.

NFL Rewind - BJ Kissel

The H-Back for the Eagles is going to come back around (xanthous line) and be the lead blocker for McCoy on this play.

McCoy will initially get out in front of the blocker and realize that he has no protection entering the center of the field. He'southward got a linebacker with a free lane (red circumvolve) to him, then he curls back around (white circle and motion) and allows his blocker to occupy the linebacker (yellow line).

Once McCoy has that block fix, as illustrated by the picture on the bottom left, he then accelerates through the defense and is able to selection up considerable yardage.

McCoy not merely understood where his blocker was coming from and had the athletic intuition to tiresome downwardly and let it develop, only he likewise displayed the vision to know when and how to ready up that block.

The 2nd is "agility."

This side by side play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shows McCoy's patented "fly-by" movement he oft puts on defensive backs who overpursue.

NFL Rewind - BJ Kissel

Because McCoy does possess game-breaking speed and awareness in the open field, it's extremely difficult for defensive backs to take proper angles on him in one case he breaks through the second level of a defence force.

On this particular play, McCoy has a gaping hole through the first and second level of the Buccaneers defense force, and a lot of force per unit area is and then put on the defensive backs to make a tackle.

The safety (cerise circle) is attempting to take an angle that would keep McCoy from bursting down the field for a touchdown, but McCoy sets him upward perfectly for his spring-cutting, "fly-past" move, every bit he literally stops and jumps in the air before landing and cut back the other way.

He jumps back to avoid having the defender, who is flying right past him as he overpursued, catch onto him and not allow him to cut back the other management.

This is a motion you'll often see from McCoy when he's in the open up field.

Finally, the third is "burst."

This final play was against the Light-green Bay Packers from earlier in the season.

NFL Rewind - BJ Kissel

McCoy is going to meet Clay Matthews in the hole one time he takes the handoff and gets to the line of scrimmage. Matthews flashes within on the stunt, and McCoy displays reactions that can't be developed or taught. He cuts dorsum to the outside and bursts into the open field.

Whether it's vision, burst, agility, innate football awareness or all of the above, McCoy displayed it on this run.

He could not have anticipated Matthews flashing inside the way that he did, and he didn't have fourth dimension to think about his bound-cut back to the outside. He just reacted to the play, and the result was a demonstration of what existence the best in the NFL looks similar.

Could a number of running backs in the NFL have fabricated this same play?

Sure, but the combination of vision, agility, flare-up and awareness that McCoy has demonstrated all season has set him apart.

Finishing strong

Another adept sign for whatsoever running dorsum is how he finishes games.

Is he getting stronger equally the game goes on?

McCoy's YPC average improves each successive quarter. He's averaged 4.iii YPC in the first quarter this season, four.7 in the 2nd, 5.3 in the third and 6.3 in the quaternary.

Some of that might take to practice with the Eagles' bustle-upwardly-style criminal offence under Bit Kelly, as defenses are often worn down toward the finish of the game.

But McCoy has also improved his YPC average each calendar month from October (3.4) and November (four.8) to December (vi.iii).

Other factors are involved hither with these numbers, such equally the recent play of quarterback Nick Foles recently. Even so, he has played at an All-Pro level the unabridged flavour, and if information technology wasn't for Peyton Manning, McCoy would have a decent case for the MVP award this flavor.

McCoy hasn't just put the Eagles on his back—he's done and then while proving to the rest of the NFL that he's now the standard to which all other running backs will be compared.

According to bones statistics, advanced metrics and game film, McCoy is the best running back in the NFL right now.

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Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1900175-why-lesean-mccoy-is-the-best-running-back-in-the-nfl

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