The New York Giants are hosting the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, and head coach Ben McAdoo knows stopping Darren Sproles will be key for his team.
At the age of 33, Sproles remains a key cog in Philadelphia’s offense and has likely taken over as the No. 1 back instead of Ryan Mathews. When asked about the sprightly, diminutive back who keeps showing up big, McAdoo shared a fantastic comment.
McAdoo on Darren Sproles: “Very dangerous. He’s like a fine wine. He gets better as he gets older.''
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) November 4, 2016
Last week was a reminder of just how good Sproles can be when he’s featured. In a losing cause, he rushed for 86 yards on 15 carries and caught five passes for 17 yards.
Thus far in 2016, Sproles has totaled 455 yards on just 68 touches and has one touchdown.
The Giants are likely to see a heavy dose of Sproles Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Philly head coach Doug Pederson hasn’t committed to making Sproles the No. 1 running back but appears to be leaning in that direction. When asked about it, he replied:
“I can’t say that 100 percent,” he said. “It’s something we’ll evaluate in these next couple of days and make that determination.”
It’s pretty remarkable that a guy who’s been in the league since 2005 and has spent most of his career as a scat back and special teams ace still has what it takes to start at running back at his age. Like Frank Gore of the Indianapolis Colts, he’s been remarkably healthy for most of his NFL career and has most certainly gotten better with age.
We’ll see if the Eagles are sipping on fine wine after the Week 9 rumble with their NFC East rivals in New York. If so, you can bet Sproles will have a hand in the victory.