Light Workload Leaves McCoy Shaking His Head

LeSean McCoy shook his head as the question came his way, undoubtedly frustrated by his light workload in Arizona Sunday.

You are considered by many to be a top three back in this league. Only five running plays were called in the first half. What gives?

“Um,” said McCoy, getting his politically-correct response in order. “Sometimes it goes like that. Who knows? If we got more carries or…I don’t live like that. I just go with the plays that are drawn up for us. We just got to do better, man. Simple as that.”

With the Cardinals’ ears pinned back and Michael Vick under siege, McCoy received just four carries in the first two quarters for 15 yards. In all, Marty Mornhinweg dialed up 25 pass plays and only five runs in the first half as the Eagles fell into a 24-0 hole.

“Obviously, we thought we could throw the ball and do a better job in that area, but we didn’t,” said Andy Reid, setting up a familiar refrain. “In hindsight, it would have been okay to run the ball a little more.”

McCoy ended with 13 carries for 70 yards, four of which came in the fourth quarter when the Eagles arguably least needed them.

The statistics don’t scream of a running back starved for carries. When the final gun went off Sunday, he was third in the league in totes with 45 behind just Arian Foster (54) and Marshawn Lynch (47). That does not take into accound the overall imbalance in play selection in two of the Eagles’ first three games, though. McCoy’s 20 carries against the Browns, for instance, don’t look quite as impressive when you factor in that the Eagles had 88 offensive snaps overall in that game. Or on this night, when Vick dropped back 46 times.

Officially, the Cardinals were credited with 13 quarterback hits — a very high number by any standard. The television broadcast had the overall hits on Vick north of 20 for the afternoon. Some of that is on the offensive line; much of it is on Vick holding onto the ball for too long. Regardless, the bottom line is that the number of hits are piling up at an alarming rate. And all McCoy can do is shake his head.

Vick was asked if something has to dramatically change with the game plan.

“I think we are going to have to make a lot of adjustments,” said Vick, “and I think our coaches do a great job of doing that.”