There’s an old adage out there that applies to a lot of different walks of life. When you’re good at something, you tell everybody. . .when you’re great at something, everybody tells you. And this old proverb can certainly be applied to the braggadocio world that is the NFL. Just recently, Philadelphia Eagles Running back, Lesean McCoy, ruffled a few feathers when he made it clear that he is the best running back in the NFL. A title that most will say belongs to Minnesota Vikings Running back, Adrian Peterson.
The debate was set into play when Lesean McCoy made an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take”, and made a claim for being the best at his position.
“My brother always rips me all the time, trying to make me play harder. I say, ‘I’m the best,’ and he’ll say, ‘Did Adrian Peterson retire?’ I look at the last three years and everything. I think AP has been the best back for so long, and he’s been doing it for so long, that’s why he automatically gets the best running back [title],”
“But the last three years? 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.”
So of course that didn’t sit well with the former MVP Adrian Peterson. He had this to say about McCoy’s comments.
“I definitely started laughing,” Peterson said. “It was funny because when Stephen [A. Smith] asked him the question, you know, he kind of hesitated. If you watched it, you know he didn’t believe it when he said it. So I’ve got to tell the youngsters, ‘Next time, say it with your chest, man. Say it like you mean it!’”
“He didn’t really mean it,” Peterson said. “If you watched – if you’ve seen his response – he didn’t really mean it. … But, you know, I’ve got to give the young guy credit, you know. There’s nothing wrong with having confidence in yourself.”
Before we all get ahead of ourselves with who said what, it should be known that both players have the utmost respect for each other’s game. Each of the star runningbacks has professed their respect for one another. Peterson said that McCoy is a “heck of a running back.” Before the Eagles-Vikings game last season, and Peterson was the first name McCoy mentioned when discussing the top rushers in the NFL.
But if anyone is like me and is not a big fan of verbal sparring between athletes, than maybe a comparison of the two elite backs will suit you a lot better. Besides… men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.
If you were to take a quick glance at both of their stat sheets, the two runningbacks are very comparable on paper. Over the last three year span, Adrian Peterson has 4,333 yards rushing, 527 yards receiving and 37 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Lesean McCoy racked up 3,756 yards rushing, 1,227 yards receiving and 36 total touchdowns.
It is true that they are both great runningbacks that have been very productive for their respective teams, everyone knows that. But it is their unique running style, that separates the two and makes them great in their own regard.
If you are a big fan of the ol’ school, hard-nosed, pure runningback, then Adrian Peterson has been the answer to your prayers for the past 7 years. Since 2007, Adrian Peterson has ran through, over, and past every defender in his path. He has been the tenacious, in between-the-tackles runner that GM’s salivate for and coaches have nightmares over before game day.
The only question is for how long can AP keep up his tough running style. At age 29, Peterson has taken a lot of hits and has been under the knife twice for ACL and MCL surgery and groin surgery. And these are only the newest additions to the laundry list of other injuries that has hampered Peterson during his career.
Though Peterson has defied the odds on many occasions, he may not be able to out run father time. Which is why it may be wise that Peterson should be looking over his shoulder and preparing for the arrival of Shady McCoy, who is 4 years his junior.
Lesean McCoy is coming off a career-year, in which he claimed the rushing title with 1,607 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns. The aforementioned statistics will tell you that McCoy and Peterson are evenly matched on paper, but in a broader spectrum, McCoy has been more of a versatile offensive threat.
During his time in the league, McCoy has been successful running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s amassed more than 7,400 yards from scrimmage in his five seasons, and 2013 was his best with just over 2,000.Whether it’s statistics from a box score or advanced NFL metrics, or simply from watching the film, McCoy has climbed to the top of the running back mountain with his performance. Lesean McCoy has become the most explosive player in the open field by making ankle-breaking moves on defenders look routine every Sunday.
Since entering league in 2009, McCoy’s play has been trending upward every season. A trend that the Eagles will like to see continued if they hope to make a push for Super Bowl contention. And as Chip Kelly continues to fine tune the Eagles roster and play book, hopefully McCoy’s role in the offense continues to grow. On top of that Darren Sproles has been added to the roster to help bolster the Eagles backfield, and there is a chance that McCoy will be splitting touches in the 2014 season. Which will make it hard for Lesean to contest Adrian Peterson for who is the best, because Peterson has proven so…. by himself.
For so long, Adrian Peterson has held the title for being the best RB in the NFL, and has not been challenged in that regard. Which is rightfully so because not only has Peterson put the Viking on his back—he’s done so while proving to the rest of the NFL that he’s now the standard to which all other running backs will be compared to. But now there seems to be a viable challenger to throne in Lesean McCoy, who brings a multi-faceted skill set to the table that has not been seen before at such a high level. Maybe it is time to get ready to pass the torch to a younger back that personifies what the game is evolving to? Or maybe we have gotten ahead of ourselves again trying replace someone that will not waver under any amount of pressure or outside competition.
