LeSean “Shady” McCoy is retiring from the NFL after 12 seasons. He signed a one-day contract with the Eagles on Thursday to end his career in the place where it started.
McCoy ended his career as the best statistical running back of the 2010s in terms of yardage (10,434). He also made six Pro Bowls, was a two-time All-Pro and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Eagles announced former Pro-Bowl RB LeSean McCoy is retiring, and signing a one-day contract to do it as a member of their team. pic.twitter.com/4iOeqkcUgm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 30, 2021
There was a time when Shady’s game was so turned up as a member of the Eagles that he was compared to the football version of the movie “Fast & the Furious.” Over his first four years in the NFL McCoy put up some scorching numbers.
Happy birthday LeSean McCoy!
Players with 11,000 rushing yards and 3,800 receiving yards in #NFL history
Walter Payton*
Frank Gore
LaDainian Tomlinson*
Marshall Faulk*
Marcus Allen*
Thurman Thomas*
LeSean McCoy*In @ProFootballHOF #Eagles #Bills #Chiefs #Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/tScIfXHLOO
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) July 12, 2021
All-Purpose Dominance
McCoy starred at the University of Pittsburgh before entering the league as a second-round pick of the Eagles in 2009. He took over from running back Brian Westbrook in 2010 and had 1,080 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in a powerful offense led by Michael Vick. With the multi-talented Vick at the helm, the following season McCoy became a star and had his best year, scoring 17 TDs.
Over the next four years he broke the 1,300-yard rushing mark twice and was a force catching balls out of the backfield before being traded to Buffalo, where he continued to rack up 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
When McCoy was in his prime, fans were hard pressed to find a more talented running back playing in the NFL.
Sure, Adrian Peterson, is the standard by which all pure running backs have been measured over the past decade. However, in a league where the passing game is king, McCoy was the gold star. He is one of the few backs in the league that could dominate on all three downs, as he proved himself to be equally dangerous as both a runner and receiver.
Nowadays running backs can’t even get on the team if they aren’t dual threats. The success of Shady McCoy has a lot to do with the way the game has changed since he was a rookie.
“The way Shady McCoy held the ball” appreciation post pic.twitter.com/GFE5MNXseq
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 30, 2021
The New Marshall Faulk
In fact, in his prime, he may have been the most dangerous all-purpose threat the game has seen since the days of, dare I say, Hall of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk.
McCoy, who is similar to Faulk in body type, build and overall talent, also posted similar stats to Faulk to begin his career. Faulk compiled 4,001 rushing yards over his first four seasons, which is slightly more than the 3,866 rushing yards put up by McCoy in his first four years in the league. Their receiving numbers over those time frames are similar, as Faulk caught 211 passes for 1,896 yards, compared against McCoy’s 220 receptions for 1,588 yards. Touchdown wise, the numbers are even closer, as Faulk had 41 to McCoy’s 39.
From 2010 to 2015 McCoy was probably the most dangerous back in the NFL. He always found a way to break off that big run or catch that demoralizes the defense.
LeSean McCoy calls it a career. Are these Hall of Fame numbers to you? @CutonDime25
⭐️ 6x Pro Bowler
⭐️ 2x Super Bowl Champion
⭐️ 11,102 rushing yards + 3,898 receiving yards
⭐️ 89 career touchdowns
⭐️ NFL 2010s All-Decade Team pic.twitter.com/PtFwhE0Cwi— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) September 30, 2021
Shady didn’t succeed in bringing a title to Philly, but he caught a pair at the end of his run with Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs and Tom Barady’s Bucs. He had a career that is Hall of Fame-worthy, and hopefully he gets inducted when he’s eligible.
