The Eagles will look to feed LeSean McCoy Sunday against Detroit. Credit: Getty Images
The dumbest campaign in sports right now is LeSean McCoy’s effort to convince the world that he’s the NFL’s best running back. In a boast reminiscent of Muhammad Ali’s “I am the greatest!” shtick of some 40 years ago, the Eagles star went on ESPN last week and again stated his case.
“Check the numbers,” McCoy boasted. “The last three years? I’ve been All-Pro first-team twice. I never leave the field. I block. I catch. . . . Tons of credit goes out to Adrian Peterson. I’m a big fan of his, for sure. But I feel I’m the best.”
Maybe McCoy is right. He certainly was amazing in that snowstorm last fall, when he slalomed for 217 yards against Detroit and gave fans a performance that will be remembered forever. And yes, he has been slightly better than Peterson in all-purpose yards (4,983- 4,860) over the past three years.
The problem is, McCoy should not be the one making the argument. What does he hope to accomplish by offering testimonials to himself? When he proclaimed himself No. 1 the first time a few months ago, everybody wrote it off as a weak moment by a normally classy player, but McCoy has not stopped the self-tributes this whole off-season.
Football has always been a sport in which there’s more talk than actual action. For every game, there is a week of speculation, then a week of rehash, and then six months of largely pointless off-season conversation. As a talk-show host myself, I am as guilty of the blabber overload as anybody. But it’s my job. I have an excuse. I have a responsibility.
LeSean McCoy is a terrific running back – maybe the best there is in the NFL. Now what he really needs to do is shut up and prove it.
