LeSean McCoy Gives A Level-Headed Answer To Starting QB Question
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Chip Kelly isn't ready to name a starting quarterback. Michael Vick wishes Kelly would make up his mind already, and DeSean Jackson agrees.
Evan Mathis and LeSean McCoy, they both think Kelly should take all the time he needs.
"I haven't been evaluating our quarterbacks because I'm focused on the offensive line but I really don't see the point of Chip Kelly naming a starting QB before camp," Mathis told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "This is an entirely new coaching staff with an entirely new offense, which isn't even fully installed yet. It's not rocket science; whoever the coaches feel will help the team the most will win the job after proving himself in training camp and preseason."
McCoy sees where Vick and Jackson are coming from, but sides with Mathis and his coach.
"I look at Mike Vick as one of the better players in this league, a guy that's been established. Then I look at Nick Foles, a guy that has great potential to be a great quarterback and he's doing great so far. It's hard to tell the head coach what he should do and what he shouldn't do, because he's the head coach. That's why they pay him the money, that's why they go to Oregon to get him," McCoy told 94WIP's Michael Barkann and Ike Reese on Thursday.
"I mean they're grown men. I think anybody wants to know if they're starter or not, so I don't fault Mike for that. Same with myself, so I would want to know, 'Hey am I starting or not?' But then again, you got to look at the head coach. He makes the final decisions on what goes on. It's hard to go against that, that's something that they'll talk out. That's the good thing about Coach Kelly, even though he comes from college he's big on communication and it works well in the NFL. So, they'll work it out," he said.
McCoy doesn't see working with the first or second, or even third team in practice as a detriment.
"The way we work, our offense is so fast, and we're going non-stop," he said. "There's times where I'm with the three's which would never happen, you know what I'm saying? And there's times where Mike might be with the threes, or Nick might be with the threes. We got that offense where we keep going, keep going, so you never get the feel of OK, the one's go out. OK the two's go out. You never get that feeling."
The quarterback situation took a back seat on Thursday to Jason Peters. Peters was arrested for allegedly drag racing on a public street, then running from police. Regardless of his legal troubles, McCoy thinks having Peters back in the lineup for the Eagles is a pretty big deal.
500 yards big.
McCoy said he would have likely had 500 more rushing yards in 2012 if Peters was back in the lineup.
"I mean, we had so many guys hurt also. [Jason] Kelce went down. Todd [Herremans] was up and down at times, and I was banged up. Everybody was in here---Mike [Vick]. It's hard to really have a successful season when all your starters are banged up," McCoy said. "But Jason [Peters], to answer your question, he's a great player. It looks like he's in shape. It's hard to really tell in mini-camp because you are in shorts and t-shirts, we're not doing everything that we would be doing in the pads. He's a professional, he's been doing this for a long time. He's probably the best left-tackle in the game. So, I'm sure he'll be ready for camp, he'll be ready to go, he'll be in the right shape. I guess the situation happened with him getting arrested and I'm sure he'll handle that in a professional way and the good thing about a veteran like him, he doesn't bring the off-field commotion and distractions to the team. He takes care of it and comes ready to play."
