LeSean McCoy Fantasy News

Leonard Weaver tears ACL, out for year
Sunday, September 12, 2010, 8:40pm

Eagles RB Leonard Weaver tore ACL Sunday.

Saturday, August 28, 2010, 7:35am

This was one of those preseason games that sent both teams home with plenty to work on.

Mike Kafka's 18-yard pass to Riley Cooper in the closing seconds boosted the Philadelphia Eagles past Kansas City 20-17 on Friday night, making Todd Haley 0-7 in preseason games as the Chiefs' head coach.

But the quarterback picked to replace Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb sputtered much of the night. And the Chiefs' first five possessions produced a lost fumble, an interception, two three-and-outs and one first down.

Kevin Kolb was 11 for 25 for 103 yards. He got sacked four times and threw an interception and had a rating of just 39.2 - not exactly reminiscent of McNabb, the departed six-time Pro Bowler.

Chiefs rookie linebacker Cameron Sheffield was immobilized and had to be taken away on a cart after a helmet-to-helmet tackle on Mike Bell left him motionless on the field. Kansas City head coach Todd Haley declined to discuss Sheffield's status but one player said he was moving.

It's the second straight week the Chiefs have had a player removed like that on a cart. Last week it was cornerback Maurice Leggett, whose injuries are now said not to be career-threatening.

Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid said wide receiver DeSean Jackson had a neck strain and was taken out "for precautionary measures."

In addition, Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles did not come back onto the field after seeming to hurt his shoulder or arm near the half. The Chiefs had no comment on him.

Kafka, a rookie out of Northwestern, led the Philadelphia reserves on an 8-play, 80-yard drive against the Chiefs backups to pull out the win. Cooper, a rookie receiver out of Florida, made a nice catch of the perfectly thrown pass into the end zone.

The Chiefs got two sacks apiece from linebackers Demorrio Williams and Andy Studebaker, who's been battling veteran Mike Vrabel for a chance to start.

Charles fumbled on the Chiefs' first play and Cole recovered on the Chiefs' 22. On the second play, LeSean McCoy went up the middle for the touchdown. That would be the Eagles' last TD until the final minutes of the game.

The Eagles (2-1) and Chiefs (0-3) both played most of their starters well into the third quarter. The Chiefs will have one more chance, against Green Bay next week, to give Haley a preseason victory before heading into a regular season.

KC appeared to be stopped on its sixth possession but a delay-of-game penalty kept the offense on the field and Matt Cassel wound up hitting Dwayne Bowe with a 4-yard scoring pass. Thomas Jones scored on an 11-yard run in the third period. Cassel was 14 for 23 for 85 yards.

Kolb, pressured out of the pocket, made an off-balance and ill-advised throw down the field in the third quarter. The ball hung up and rookie safety Kendrick Lewis made a leaping interception and returned the ball 26 yards to the 26, setting up Jones' TD.

Eagles Notes: red zone struggles continue
Monday, August 23, 2010, 10:20am

Sheil Kapadia, the online sports editor at philly.com, broke down the Eagles recent game.

QB Kevin Kolb - Overall, though, I thought Kolb played well. I'm impressed with his accuracy on the move. And I think it's going to take time for him and the offensive line to develop a chemistry. That throw to Jason Avant in the end zone is the one he'd like to have back. And while he hasn't been picked off in two games, he's had at least two throws that could have been intercepted.

QB Michael Vick - The first seven pass plays when Vick was the quarterback in the second half: interception, sack, 12-yard scramble, sack, incompletion, incompletion, interception. Not good. He completed more passes to the Bengals (2) than the Eagles (1).

RB LeSean McCoy - The running game did not look good. McCoy carried six times for 20 yards, but 17 of those came on one play. On the other five carries, he had just 3 yards. There were a couple plays where he had Leonard Weaver as the lead back but didn't use him. On one, it resulted in a short gain. On another, it resulted in the 17-yard gain. McCoy couldn't pick up a 3rd-and-1, but it didn't look like he had much of a shot. The direct snap in the red zone just looked awkward. Weaver sort of ran into him. As a blocker, he did not do a great job, whiffing on a chip before going out into his route on an early play.

RB Leonard Weaver - He got four touches - three carries and a reception. The catch was on a screen pass, with Weaver picking up 8 yards. He was also called for a false start penalty.

RB Eldra Buckley - With Mike Bell's inability to get healthy, Buckley's role could be a lot more significant now than it was three weeks ago. He ran with the second team and had a nice 14-yard run in the third quarter. Overall, four carries for 19 yards.

RB Charles Scott - He had one carry this week, which is one more than he had against the Jaguars. Scott's primary role is as the second-team fullback. He had a decent block on Buckley's 14-yard run.

TE Brent Celek - He stayed in as a blocker quite a bit and did a good job in pass protection. Celek's 14-yard catch over the middle with a couple minutes left in the first half was his only reception and his only target.

TE Clay Harbor - He entered the game with the first team in two tight-end sets. Harbor generally stayed in to block or chipped and then went out into his route. On the 3rd-and-1 play, Harbor and Celek both lined up on the left outside Jason Peters, and the blocking created no room.

TE Cornelius Ingram - I didn't see him on the field in the first three quarters.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 4:20pm

The Eagles broke camp at Lehigh on Wednesday morning and will resume practices at the NovaCare Complex after Friday’s exhibition.

OFFENSIVE STANDOUT
LeSean McCoy can handle the workload of a No. 1 back. He’ll probably play second fiddle to the passing game but he cut down the extra shakes and bakes before hitting the hole and shored up his pass catching out of the the backfield and slot.

LEAST IMPRRESSIVE ROOKIE
Running back Charles Scott, a sixth-round pick from LSU, blew an opportunity to secure a roster spot. Scott could have staked his claim for the No. 2 job but he dropped too many passes and didn’t make enough standout plays.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 11:14am

In one respect, LeSean McCoy is ahead of the game. Thanks to Brian Westbrook's injuries last season, McCoy gained 637 rushing yards on 155 carries as a second-round rookie out of Pitt, the most yards by any Eagles rookie rusher ever. He also caught 40 passes for 308 yards.

But just because McCoy showed promise in an opportunity that wasn't afforded to Staley or Westbrook (46 carries for 193 yards, nine catches for 86 yards in 2002) doesn't necessarily mean McCoy will become as good as Staley or Westbrook. McCoy wore down over the second half of the season; he never managed more than 48 yards rushing or 39 yards receiving in his last half-dozen games, including the playoff loss at Dallas. McCoy also had some typical rookie stuff to work through, such as dancing around in the backfield, thinking he was going to find a route around the entire defense, the way he often had at Pittsburgh, instead of hitting the hole quickly and taking what was there.

Eagles Notes: McCoy sits out; starters vs. starters in live drills
Monday, August 16, 2010, 2:19pm

• Running back LeSean McCoy missed practice with a quadriceps contusion, the Eagles said. The severity of the injury is unknown at this time but it does not appear to be serious. A contusion, in layman's terms, is a bruise, and McCoy probably received one of those dings that many NFL players get nowadays because they often don't wear thigh pads.

• With McCoy out and Mike Bell nursing a calf strain, Eldra Buckley moved up to the first team and Martell Mallett played with the backups. Mallett even got some repetitions with the starters during a "live" red zone period.

• The first team offense took on the first team defense, the first time this camp that the starters faced off in a full-contact period. The result was a draw. The offense scored twice with Kevin Kolb passing to Mallett underneath and the tailback running into the end zone both times. The last score came on a shovel pass. Defensive end Juqua Parker read the play, but Mallett carried Parker and just crossed the line. Or did he? It was close and the defense protested. Eagles coach Andy Reid called it a touchdown. We'll check the tape.

• Mallett hyperextended his left knee when the second team units butted heads. He went to the trainer's tent to get a look-see, but he was able to walk off the field. J.J. Arrington made an appearance at practice after missing the last week or so with a foot contusion.

• WR Chad Hall once again took reps with the running backs during individual drills and played some halfback during team drills.

Philly Notes: Kolb's decision making; McCoy dropping balls
Monday, August 9, 2010, 1:15pm

Sheil Kapadia, online sports editor at philly.com, had some training camp notes:

The Eagles' first-year starting quarterback Kevin Kolb has the job of identifying different looks, making quick decisions and avoiding interceptions.

So far, Kolb has had his ups and downs. One of the biggest unknowns with him in his first season is how Kolb will perform when blitzed or pressured. To simplify it, the process boils down to two factors: knowing where he should go with the ball, and then getting it there.

For the past decade, Donovan McNabb was able to take a different approach. He was able to avoid pressure, fight off defensive linemen and buy time with his legs. That's not going to be how Kolb attacks pressure. Don't get me wrong. He's shown in camp he's more athletic than I thought. But for him, the key will be quick decisions, execution and avoiding turnovers.

I'm not sure we'll be able go judge this in the preseason when defenses often show vanilla looks. But it will certainly be a key early in the season. And the Eagles are doing their best to simulate the different looks Kolb could see.

• CB Dimitri Patterson did a good job of sticking with WR DeSean Jackson for about 8 yards during one-on-one WR vs. CB drills. Then Jackson left him in the dust. That's what happens a lot of times. Perfect throw from Kolb too.

• I'm not sure the Eagles have a cornerback who can stop WR Riley Cooper from getting inside position on a slant.

• Unlike yesterday, WR Jeremy Maclin participated fully in the morning practice. And he looked great. Did a good job of getting open and making plays. No signs of the hyperextended knee or bone bruise or whatever it was affecting him.

• Don't like what I've seen from RB LeSean McCoy as a receiver the past couple of days. Good job of getting open. Linebackers definitely can't keep up with him, but he's dropping too many balls.

• Noticed drops by TE Clay Harbor and WR Chad Hall also.

Friday, June 11, 2010, 5:44pm

As expected, Mike Bell will serve as the Eagles' back-up running back next season.

Thursday, June 10, 2010, 12:02pm

S Quintin Mikell is back at practice after tweaking his knee yesterday. RB LeSean McCoy is also back.

Monday, June 7, 2010, 1:33pm

The list of guys who were sitting out by the end of last week because of what the Philadelphia Eagles said were minor injuries included running back LeSean McCoy.

Eagles FB Leonard Weaver's Workload Will Lighten
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 8:03pm

After Brian Westbrook was injured during the 2009 season, Philadelphia fullback Leonard Weaver helped pick up the slack, and was used more than other fullbacks around the NFL. But with running back LeSean McCoy entering his second season and the acquisition of Mike Bell, Weaver's workload as a runner will drop. Weaver told philly.com that Bell and McCoy are going to be a "great duo" and while he might be used on occasion, they "are going to be the workhorses."

Saturday, May 1, 2010, 9:15pm

The Eagles 2nd year RB LeSean McCoy has grown up quickly. He's had no choice. With his mentor Brian Westbrook gone, McCoy is the Eagles' go-to running back. And his approach in the months leading up to this post-draft mini-camp has earned rave reviews from offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

"It's just 180 degrees different," Mornhinweg said in comparing McCoy's rookie year to now. "He's very, very good right now. He's in shape. He's got a year under his belt. He's teaching the younger guys. I think he feels pretty comfortable, pretty confident right now within this offense, and all of the things he's learned over the past year."

Eagles will release veteran RB Brian Westbrook
Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 4:17pm

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday that they will release two-time Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook, who struggled to stay healthy this past season.

A former All-Pro, Westbrook led the league in 2007 with 2,104 yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 1,333 yards and accounted for 12 touchdowns that season.

However, Westbrook spent much of last season on the sideline. He missed eight games because of two concussions and an ankle injury and finished with just two touchdowns.

"Brian is one of the greatest Eagles of all time and he is even a better person and leader," Eagles coach Andy Reid said in a statement released by the team. "In my mind, there has not been a more versatile running back that the NFL has seen.

"I had a conversation with Brian this morning to let him know (he was being released). This is by far the most difficult part of this job. We wanted to make this move now in order to maximize Brian's chances of landing with another NFL team."

Second year back LeSean McCoy will be the starter heading into 2010.

Thursday, February 4, 2010, 6:24pm

Two Eagles put on some weight during their rookie seasons. Running back LeSean McCoy now weighs in at 210 pounds, after previously being listed as 198 pounds. Meanwhile, safety Macho Harris bulked up from 187 pounds to 195 pounds as season's end.

McNabb expects Westbrook, Vick to return
Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 3:41pm

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said he expects running back Brian Westbrook and quarterback Michael Vick to return to the Eagles next season.

“He looks forward to getting back,” McNabb said of Westbrook following the NFC’s Pro Bowl practice Wednesday. “All the talk people are saying on retirement or whatever it may be, it’s all false.”

When asked if he thinks Vick will be back for a second season, McNabb simply said, “Yes.”

Westbrook’s future came into question after concussions caused him to miss seven games this season. Westbrook, 30, finished with 274 yards on 61 carries and was spelled or replaced by rookie LeSean McCoy, who had 637 yards on 155 carries.

Vick signed a two-year deal to be McNabb’s backup last season but speculation is that his option won’t be picked up or he will be traded, especially since Vick has expressed a desire to be a starting quarterback next season.