When Eagles RB Saquon Barkley ripped off a 19-yard touchdown run in the expiring seconds of the second quarter, breaking ankles while turning on a dime, the first man to rush over and dab him up was a predictable one. LeSean McCoy knew the assignment.
It was only fitting that the Eagles’ all-time leader in rushing yards would be the first guy on the scene to congratulate Barkley, ceremonially passing the torch in a way, not that Barkley needed more fire in his belly. He has worn the Superman cape for years, yet it looked even more impenetrable in the Eagles’ Kelly green uniform, channeling the color of kryptonite and then taking a backwards leap over it. Barkley cannot be stopped.
“You see Saquon? Saquon’s put together, you hearing me?,” McCoy told reporters prior to kickoff against Jacksonville. “I remember hanging out with other running backs, they all got big necks, big [shoulders], I was never like that.”
McCoy was never physically gifted like that, but the skinny speedster was a superhero in the way he attacked angles and slipped through tackles, carving out holes that were never there and churning out extra yards. The Eagles honored the retired running back on Sunday by inducting him into their Hall of Fame, certifying that McCoy’s impact on the Eagles’ organization would never be forgotten.
“To be one of the Eagles Hall of Famers, and to be inducted today, that means a lot,” an emotional McCoy said. “It just shows you the hard work I put in. The way that the team and the organization see me, right? And then all of my teammates, the way that they supported me and helped me out, so this is a great honor.”
There was a certain pall of regret hanging over the proceedings, though. McCoy was traded against his will, sent packing to Buffalo for a 239-pound box of donuts, because “the little short coach” didn’t like him. McCoy, who grew up an Eagles fan in nearby Harrisburg, has tried to stop dwelling on the way things ended, although once in a while the scene pops back into his mind before he can hit the off button.
“I’m older, I’m doing a lot of different things now that I’m done playing football,” McCoy said. “I guess if I was still just stuck in that football mindset, it might still be there, but I am kind of past it. I do always wonder, though … if I remained an Eagle, right? Because I guess when guys leave teams it’s over money or it’s over production and neither of them things was the problem.”
McCoy racked up 11,102 rushing yards in 170 career games, about 898 yards shy of the unofficial total to get into Canton. It’s still possible he gets a Gold Jacket, but the odds are longer due to the trade. McCoy feels strongly that a longer stint in midnight green would have netted him “more yards” for sure.
“This place was so special to me,” McCoy said. “And my hometown, where I grew up, is an hour and some change away, so every now and then I think about it, but I guess this [induction] makes it right.”
LeSean McCoy Recalls Donovan McNabb, Eagles Snow Game
LeSean McCoy was racking his brain to find a favorite memory from his six seasons in Philadelphia but all of them, collectively, stand out for different reasons. One story he shared took him back to his high school days at Bishop McDevitt. It centered on a visit to Eagles training camp at Lehigh University where McCoy — one of the top recruits in the country — got to meet Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook.
Here, let McCoy tell the tale in full …
“I was a big fan of McNabb and Westbrook and them dudes. I remember coming up to the training camps [at Lehigh], and I remember I was one of the top running backs in the country, in high school, and them dudes didn’t pay me no mind, and I always tell ’em that. I say, when we got in the huddle, I’m always joking and having fun — I say ‘now you are depending on me to get this first down but when I was 18 years old you didn’t even talk to me, McNabb” — you know, we just be joking … but I have so many memories, man. But I think the biggest one, more than the memories, is the bonds.”
The majority of Eagles fans point to the fabled Snow Game in 2013 as the pinnacle of McCoy’s career. With Lane Johnson making snow angels on the field, McCoy ran roughshod over the Lions to the tune of 217 yards. It was magical for multiple reasons.
“Normally, I’m sore after games but there was so much snow that the speed of the defenders was reduced because of the fields situation,” McCoy said, smiling and laughing. “And then the hits, like Ndamukong Suh was a beast and he loved to tackle and drop you to the ground so you would feel that, but you couldn’t do it in the snow because he was slower and he would hit me, and he would slam me, but it was like falling on pillows. So, I remember that game — shoot, I hung out after that game, partied after that [game], where normally I wouldn’t party until like later on because I would be sore.”
‘Above Average’ Quarterbacks More Valued Than Running Backs
Fast forward to 2024. LeSean McCoy is a paid member of the working media and it’s his job to sometimes criticize players. He loves the high-paying work, but it can be a very delicate balance. McCoy said guys have reached out to him, including his former Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce, reach out and ask him to back off.
“It’s a weird balance, and as I get older, I’m better with how I say things because I am a ball player at heart,” McCoy said. “And if a player is trash, I’m going to say the player is trash. Or the ASS word, with the Dak [Prescott] thing. But I’m learning how to say different things. I guess I can be a little biased with the Eagles, right? So, I’m still learning that game. FOX is paying me good, though.”
McCoy also gave an insightful answer for how running backs are now treated, financially, in the NFL. Contracts are hard to get, drying up, as franchises only want to shell out big money for quarterbacks. Problem is, the word elite has been redefined at the position, with “above average” quarterbacks out-earning “elite” running backs.
McCoy said: “You want to make elite money? Just be good. Just be above average. You see what I’m saying? So I’ve had to like learn how to deal with that, like talking about the running backs like Josh Jacobs. He was with the Raiders and then he went to Green Bay, but before he went there, he was trying to get a deal the same as Saquon [Barkley], he told me that the Raiders didn’t even offer him a contract. Really? Like, how not?”
“When you ask me about the running back market, it’s hard for me to even talk about it because the name of the game is be elite, win games, and you make your money and hopefully you win a Super Bowl, and that’s how it works. But lately it hasn’t been that way. Saquon had to claw and fight and have Howie [Roseman] come save him.“
Photo credit: Getty Images
