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Westbrook skeptical that McCoy didn't fit Chip's system

The Eagles might think DeMarco Murray is a better fit for Chip Kelly's offense, but Brian Westbrook is not convinced.

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly talks with LeSean McCoy. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly talks with LeSean McCoy. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)Read more

The Eagles might think DeMarco Murray is a better fit for Chip Kelly's offense, but Brian Westbrook is not convinced.

The former Pro Bowl running back heard that the Eagles favored Murray's one-cut running style. But he doesn't think that explanation is totally fair to LeSean McCoy, who followed Westbrook in the Eagles backfield.

"I hear that a lot about Murray being a one-cut runner - it's easy being a one-cut runner when your holes are [as wide] as a truck," Westbrook said in an interview after speaking on a panel at Villanova's Moorad Sports Law Journal Symposium last week.

"I told this to LeSean: 'You've got to play the cards that you're dealt.' Unfortunately, a lot of the offensive line was injured at the beginning of the year. Now, when you look back two years, when the offensive line was doing pretty well, he was much more of a one-cut runner, because he didn't have to make moves in the backfield."

Murray led the NFL in rushing last season with 1,845 yards behind what might have been the best offensive line in the league. McCoy led the NFL in rushing one year earlier, when the Eagles' line was widely considered the best.

McCoy never once ran behind the full 2013 group last season, when he finished No. 3 in the league with 1,319 rushing yards.

The Eagles traded McCoy, Westbrook's friend and the franchise's all-time leading rusher, last month. Westbrook was surprised that the Eagles did not try to renegotiate McCoy's deal, but he was not stunned that a move was made.

They acquired promising, young linebacker Kiko Alonso and opened more than $8 million in salary cap space. Part of that space was allocated to Murray.

"I think a lot has been made about [the running style], and I think we'll see the type of back DeMarco Murray is if he doesn't have the great offensive line," Westbrook said.

"Hopefully, the offensive line of the Eagles is much better this year than they were last year. But, in case you have those breakdowns, can DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews make those people miss in the backfield? We know LeSean McCoy could."

Westbrook speculated that McCoy initial's contact came quicker on carries last season than in 2013. He was correct - McCoy rushed for 51 percent of his yards before contact last season, according to Pro Football Focus, which was a 2.5 percent decrease from 2013.

But, if that's the metric used, then the Eagles should be encouraged by Murray, who rushed for only 46 percent of his yards before contact.

Westbrook and McCoy are close, and Westbook did not sugarcoat some of McCoy's struggles while talking to him early last season. Although McCoy ran behind a patchwork offensive line, Westbrook did not think McCoy broke enough tackles. McCoy had 40 missed tackles last season, according to Pro Football Focus, which was 18 fewer than 2013 and only one more than 2012, when he missed four games. Westbrook thought McCoy did a better job breaking tackles later in the season.

Westbrook, who is No. 3 on the Eagles' all-time rushing list, considers McCoy one of the best running backs in franchise history. He gave McCoy credit for staying healthy and being able to play on all three downs.

"LeSean, he embodied what a running back was for me," Westbrook said. "He's a guy who can make you miss, can make big plays, can make plays in an open field. He wasn't a great short-yardage back, but he wasn't 220 [pounds], either. But what I want if I was a coach, on my team, are playmakers. I want guys that you may lose two yards here and there, but if you can hit that hole and run for me, that's important to me. Because I know we have a chance in every single game."

Westbrook believes in a team building a core from within instead of bringing in players through free agency. And he wants to see how Murray and Mathews do in McCoy's place.

"I still think [McCoy] has a lot left, I still think he's going to be very successful as a player," Westbrook said. "Of course, I hate to see him go. I think it remains to be seen if this team is better now than they were before."

@ZBerm