Eagles' Sproles achieves big with a small frame

After each of Darren Sproles' two touchdowns with the Eagles this season, he pointed to the back of his jersey. Sproles wanted to send a message to those who undervalued him or underappreciated him: He turned his back on whoever turned their backs on him.

"It's just telling some people that I still have it," Sproles said. "It's still me. That's the reason I do it."

The message is not just to the New Orleans Saints, who traded Sproles to the Eagles during the offseason. It's been a theme for much of Sproles' life as a football player.

He never grew past 5-foot-6. A speech impediment made him reluctant to embrace public accolades. At 31, he's at an age that often sees a player begin to decline.

Sproles has gained more all-purpose yards than any player since he entered the NFL in 2005. Every other player in the top 10 has been to at least two Pro Bowls, and the nine players have averaged 3.9 bids. Sproles has never been to one.

"Someone like Darren, you can't put a value on what they bring to the team," said former Pro Bowl running back LaDainian Tomlinson, an NFL Network analyst who was Sproles' teammate in San Diego. "Think about it: What's New Orleans' record right now? They're 0-2. And don't say they're unfortunate. No. They miss that guy out of the backfield that presents matchup problems to the defenses. . . . You can't value what he brings to the team because he's a jack-of-all-trades."

When Sproles was around 9, his father, Larry, enrolled him in a football league in Olathe, Kan. Sproles was small, but no one could catch him.

"There were games he did not get tackled," Larry Sproles said.

A mercy rule was applied if a team led by three touchdowns, which happened often. Parents complained. They paid for their children to play in the league, and the games ended too early. So a rule was instituted for Sproles: He could not run sweeps. He was permitted only inside runs, even though he was one of the smallest on the field. It didn't make much difference.

"That taught me how to run between the tackles," Sproles said with a smile.

Olathe is about 30 minutes outside Kansas City, and Larry Sproles brought his son to an inner-city league. Those involved in the league heard of Sproles' exploits, but downplayed them because he played against suburban kids. Larry Sproles wanted to know the record for touchdowns. It was 20.

Sproles broke it.

"The first daggone play of that season, he busted for an 80-yarder," Larry Sproles said.

Sproles was an all-American at Olathe North High School and ran for 4,979 yards in four years at Kansas State. He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2003. Four wide receivers and running backs were among the top 10 vote-getters. Sproles was the only one not selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Larry Sproles is about 5-5. The height runs in the family. Larry's father told him that he would be short, but that he could still be strong. Larry Sproles told his son the same. He brought Darren with him to the gym, and the future NFL running back watched until he was able to join. Then he never missed a day.

Eagles coach Chip Kelly said Sproles is "probably the most fit" player on the Eagles

"I think when you look at his fitness level and I think his size, there may be a little misconception there," Kelly said. "He's 200 pounds; he's short, but he's not small, and I think there's a difference."

Tomlinson said it's human nature to look at Sproles and wonder how he could do it, pointing out that Sproles' size is small for the general public, much less professional football.

"So how much longer can he last with those big guys? How much can he take? They're going to crush him," Tomlinson said, relaying what others think. "But they never do. I think it affects [his reputation] a great deal, but my goodness, 10 years in, what else does he have to do?"

On Wednesday, Larry Sproles watched an FXX sitcom called The League. His son was a guest.

"Oh, my goodness!" Larry Sproles said while watching. "He's talking, he's not stuttering."

By Sproles' own admission, he's a "quiet, laid-back" guy. Those who know him best say his communication skills are underrated, but he's reticent in public because of a speech impediment that led him to shun the spotlight for much of his career.

As a kid, Sproles was teased. He's now a spokesman for the National Stuttering Foundation, agreeing to interviews even if stuttering is a reality.

"I've come a long way," Sproles said.

His father said the stuttering comes out only when Sproles is nervous. If it's a serious interview, Sproles feels pressure. Joking and light conversation alleviate problems.

"A lot of people don't even know he has a speech impediment . . . because rarely do you see him do interviews on TV," Tomlinson said. It has affected the public perception of Sproles. He receives less publicity and lacks commercial appeal compared to other players because of that reluctance.

Tomlinson pointed out Sproles' growth. The acting gig was significant. Sproles was reluctant to accept it at first.

"My wife was like, 'Just go do it. Just go have fun with it,' " Sproles said.

Sproles laughed at the suggestion that he's an actor now. He has accommodated the recent rise of attention, but he still won't be mistaken for outspoken Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.

"I just want to play football," Sproles said. "All the rest of that stuff, I really don't care about."

Sproles has become a Philadelphia fascination over the last two weeks. But the offseason trade was not the first time the Eagles pursued him.

When Sproles was a free agent in 2011 after six seasons in San Diego, the Eagles were interested. Former team president Joe Banner tweeted this past week that the Eagles tried to sign Sproles but that he wanted to reunite with former Chargers teammate Drew Brees, who trains with the running back. Banner wrote that it "may have made a big difference."

General manager Howie Roseman said this past week that the period was "crazy" because it was after the lockout. The Saints had a less-stable running back situation - LeSean McCoy was established in Philadelphia, and Reggie Bush had just been traded by the Saints - and Sproles had a relationship with New Orleans.

The Saints gave Sproles a four-year, $14 million deal with $6 million in guarantees. The Eagles signed Ronnie Brown to a one-year deal.

"I think a Darren Sproles only comes around once in your lifetime, in my career and in everybody's career," Brees told Fox Sports after the trade this offseason. "There may be another one 15, 20 years from now. But there's not many guys like Darren Sproles. He's a special player, he's a special person, he's a special teammate."

In three seasons in New Orleans, Sproles had 188 carries and 232 catches. His fewest touches came last season, and the inside running skills honed in Olathe were not on display. Sproles' father was critical of the way he was used in New Orleans, specifically in the abandoning of the run.

When Sproles was asked about his time in the Big Easy, he smiled and said only that he still has a lot of friends there. But he was delighted to come to Philadelphia, where Kelly immediately praised Sproles' rushing ability.

"In the [NFL], we like to categorize what players are," Tomlinson said. "But a guy like Darren Sproles? We can't value what he brings to the team. Because it's a little more than a running back, it's a little more than a receiver. Albeit differently, it's still a playmaker."

In the last two weeks, Sproles set a career record for receiving yards in a game and recorded his fifth-highest single-game rushing total. He has averaged 17 touches per game and led the NFL in all-purpose yards during the first two weeks. He was the NFC player of the week in Week 2, the first time he has won that award.

"I'm back having fun again playing," Sproles said.

What more can he do? Safety Malcolm Jenkins, a teammate in New Orleans, said Sproles' only limit is the coach's creativity. Kelly's offense fits Sproles' skills, and Kelly is not worried about overuse because of the way Sproles is built. That means he could be pointing at the back of his jersey often in Philadelphia.

"In this offense with Chip Kelly, if Darren Sproles is in space," Tomlinson said, "he's going to play like this a number of years to come."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm