My LeSean McCoy Blog

Brian Westbrook was one of the few positives for the Eagles on Sunday and we soon saw why he still needs to contribute. LeSean McCoy is not quite ready to make the leap to being a feature running back in the NFL.

Don't get me wrong, I think the kid is great. However, he showed us on Sunday that he still is a rookie. He is definitely going to be lectured in film this week for the way he was carrying the ball. Whenever he runs, the ball is only up against his forearm, and the other nose of the football is clearly exposed. This reminds me of the way L.J. Smith used to hold the ball when he would run in the open field (you know any comparison to L.J. Smith is not good). At one point on Sunday, he did lose the ball. Although he didn't turn it over, you know the coaches gave him an earful. He's got talent but really needs to focus on protecting the ball better.

I think one of the things that makes Westbrook a great running back is his ability to see and pick up the blitz. McCoy had at least one blown assignment that led to Donovan McNabb being sacked. When this happens, plays get ruined and long-yardage situations are created.

McCoy is still young but has lofty expectations. If he wants to be a great NFL running back, he's got to learn to do the little things. He seems like a smart kid so I hope he's spending a lot of time watching film and soaking up everything the coaches tell him. Westbrook can be a great mentor for him so he needs to make sure he asks a lot of questions and watches everything he does while he's on the field.

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There is no official word yet, but I think it seems pretty likely that Brian Westbrook will be unable to play Sunday against the Giants. He was hit pretty hard and knocked unconscious. Andy Reid has said he expects him to be able to go on Sunday but I think he knows in his heart that it's very unlikely. This isn't the kind of injury a player should force himself to play with. Concussions can be very serious and it seems the one Westbrook received was a pretty good one.

So that brings us to LeSean McCoy. Can this guy be our Brian Westbrook in arguably the biggest game of the year thus far? If we want to have a chance at winning this game, he's going to have to be. For him, it's bigger than just being productive on the ground.

There's a lot of other things he needs to do well for the offense to be successful. He's going to need to pick up blitzes, help block the talented defensive ends the Giants have, use his blockers in the screen game, make plays in the open field, and not turn the ball over. That's a lot to ask from one rookie but we don't have any other choice right now.

McCoy has shown that he can run the ball well but it's all the other things he's failed to do. To be a good running back in this league, you need to be able to do more than run. He is still learning but for the sake of this team he's going to have to learn a little faster.

There's a lot of pressure on this kid but he seems like the type who can handle it. Maybe we'll get lucky and Westbrook will be able to play, but at this time I don't think that's very likely.

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