Star Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy apparently got a wake-up call after his team released wide receiver DeSean Jackson earlier this offseason. Without indicating for certain that Jackson wasn’t buying into what Chip Kelly was building in Philadelphia, the running back did go on record saying the entire situation sent a message to the team.
According to NFL.com, McCoy had the following to say.
The whole DeSean Jackson thing, that helped out, to be honest, in making all the other guys aware.
McCoy seems to believe that the Eagles were sending a message to all the players on the team by releasing Jackson, who has always been considered somewhat of a malcontent on and off the field.
McCoy continued…
It’s all possible. They’ll cut one of your best guys if (he’s) not buying in. On any team — any team — you look at that, and as a player, you can look at it from so many different sides, but no matter how good you are, you gotta follow these guidelines. And if you don’t, you could be gone. … You gotta buy in.
This isn’t to say that McCoy was putting Jackson on blast, though some could very well draw that conclusion.
Philadelphia finished last season with a 10-6 record and earned the NFC East title. It lost to the New Orleans Saints in the wildcard round of the playoffs and is looking to take the next step among the top contenders in the conference this upcoming season.
McCoy had his best season in what has been a stellar career in Chip Kelly’s first year as the Eagles head coach. He recorded 2,146 total yards and 11 touchdowns while earning All-Pro honors.
The running back also has a point here. Kelly was brought in to change the culture in Philadelphia. Too often, it seemed that the players ran the organization rather than former head coach Andy Reid during the latter part of his tenure with the team. Along with bringing in a new up-tempo offense, Kelly has brought a certain level of accountability to the roster.
McCoy’s latest comments may very well be yet another indication that the internal strife between Jackson and the Eagles was seeded deeper than most of us thought when the entire drama came up earlier this offseason. Jackson, now with the Redskins, will have his chance to prove the Eagles (and McCoy) wrong twice this upcoming season.
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