Buffalo Bills: LeSean McCoy turned back the clock in 2016, can he do it again?
At one point in his career, LeSean McCoy of the Buffalo Bills was the best back in the NFL. His time with the Philadelphia Eagles placed him on a pedestal with the likes of Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles. But as quick as Chip Kelly ran him out-of-town, it seemed that a little bit of his rage was left at the Linc. To watch McCoy run is like watching that uncle who used to be fast race his younger nephews at a family gathering and win. To these younger guys, McCoy was not the same McCoy.
The new age of backs have been ushered in and for at least a season, McCoy was an afterthought. Maybe it was the Bills record or the fact that McCoy struggled in an offense that had a hard time throwing the ball. In 2015, after coming off a stellar career with the Eagles, McCoy headed to Buffalo to make Kelly look foolish for trading him. However, it didn’t quite work out the way the Bills or McCoy had planned.
Due to injury and off-the-filed issues, McCoy only played in 12 games and may not have been as focused as he normally would be. He rushed for 895 yards and the whispers began that he lost a step. Shady still gained a Pro Bowl invite but being the competitor that he is, the playoffs meant more. The Bills limped to an 8-8 record and McCoy vowed to come back stronger.
In 2016, McCoy re-established himself as one of the top backs in the NFL.
It wasn’t anything he did differently in terms of hitting the gaps, he just had to re-focus. McCoy was healthy last season which resulted in one of his best years as a pro. McCoy rushed for 1267 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 50 passes for 356 yards and 1 touchdown. Needless to say, McCoy tried his best to put the Bills on his back.
While the Bills missed the playoffs yet again, McCoy was able to let the younger generation of backs know that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. If the Bills could add a few other options on offense to take some pressure off McCoy’s legs, then the Bills could end their playoff drought.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
