Unsung McCoy seeks to improve upon historic 2010

Its scary to think just how brilliant LeSean McCoy was last year.

Its even scarier to hear him talk about how much better he can be.

McCoy last year became the youngest player in NFL history with 1,000 rushing yards and 75 receptions in a season and only the fourth player in league history to rush for 1,000 yards, catch 75 passes and average at least 5.2 yards per carry.

It was a historic season for any running back, much less one who didnt turn 23 until six months after the season ended.

Its easy to forget about McCoy, since hes surrounded by Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, but hes a critical guy on this Eagles football team. When McCoy has gotten eight or more carries in his two seasons, the Eagles are 18-5. When he hasnt, theyre 3-5. When hes had 12 or more touches, the Eagles are 17-6. When he hasnt, theyre 4-4.

Now the challenge is to keep improving. McCoy isnt bashful about his goals. He simply wants to be one of the very best running backs in the game.

Nothing less is acceptable.

I think Im going to surprise some people this year, he said. We have a lot of new stuff going on. New people in different positions, and everything has to come together or this whole thing doesnt work. And its not just about me and how many yards I get or how many catches I get, its about how well I play and help this team win and get where we want to be. But I definitely think Im going to open some eyes this year. Im planning on it.

McCoy doesnt get the publicity of a Vick or Jackson, but he quietly enjoyed a phenomenal 2010 season, his first as a full-time starter.

McCoys 1,672 yards from scrimmage led the NFC and ranked fourth in the NFL, behind Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles and Ray Rice. In NFL history, only 10 players 22 or younger have had more. And McCoy did it in 15 games.

If McCoy simply repeated his 2010 season this year, hed become only the fourth player in NFL history with more than one 1,000-yard, 75-catch season. The others are Marshall Faulk, Roger Craig and McCoys former Eagles teammate, Brian Westbrook.

But McCoy isnt interested in repeating anything.

I definitely want to do more, he said. Each year you should want to do more than you did the previous year. Limit the mistakes and try to improve every day. Last year? I did OK, but obviously, it wasnt enough. We didnt go to where we wanted to go, and my personal goals, I didnt reach what I didnt reach.

Theres a lot of improvement there for me. I just cant wait to get out there and start playing and start out on this journey we have in front of ourselves as a team.

Its been a low-key preseason for McCoy. While the focus has been on Jackson and his holdout, Vick and his contract, Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Babin and all the new defensive additions, and a revamped coaching staff, McCoy has quietly had a terrific summer.

So hard to judge preseason, said McCoy, who had only 19 touches in the three preseason games he played. Id have a good play, then Id be done. Looking forward to having a full game, a full game plan, knowing what plays Im going to get, and not, Hopefully, Ill get this play before the quarters over and were out of the game. But I feel good. Ready to roll.

McCoys 4.7 career rushing average is best in Eagles history among running backs with at least 300 carries and 11th-best among active NFL backs.

And all he talks about is getting better.

Man, Shady is driven to be the best he can possibly be, and you see it every day out at practice, Vick said before practice Thursday. Hes so driven to be the best running back in the National Football League, and hes going to do everything possible to achieve that.

His attitude is rare for a young guy. A lot of young guys, they think that they can get by on their talent alone, but he is always talking about how he wants to get better, wants to be in Pro Bowls, wants to be the best there is, and to help his team as much as possible along the way. The attitude he has and the type of person he is, thats going to carry him a long, long way.

One place it hasnt carried him yet is the Pro Bowl.

McCoy makes it clear individual honors arent why he plays football. But hes not going to lie and say he doesnt care about making the Pro Bowl.

Hes one of only four players in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 75 passes in a season and not get picked to a Pro Bowl team, and hes well aware that he had more yards from scrimmage last year than all three NFC Pro Bowl tailbacks -- Adrian Peterson (1,639), Steven Jackson (1,624) and Michael Turner (1,456).

McCoy also averaged 1 12 yards per carry more than Jackson, a yard more than Turner and half a yard more than Peterson. And he had 32 more catches than Jackson, 42 more than Peterson and 66 more than Turner.

He should have gone last year. Hes already made up his mind he will this year.

To be honest, that drives me, he said. You cant really call yourself one of the best or an outstanding player without going to a Pro Bowl. That definitely drives me.

At each level, Ive been that kind of player. One of the elite guys. And I want to get back to being that kind of guy. I know I have a long way to go to being that player, a complete player. And I know I have to be more consistent. Ill go good for three or four good games, then have an off day. I want to be great every week, every game.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said hes been impressed with McCoys hunger to improve on a daily basis and not be content with simply being an outstanding young player.

LeSean McCoy is a talented player, hes had great success early, he knows the pitfalls of that, Mornhinweg said. Very humble, yet extremely confident. He has that mentality of getting better every day and good things will happen, and he doesnt care whether hes running the ball or catching the ball or picking somebody up in pass protection, he doesnt care. He just wants to be as good as he can get at everything he does.

Great mentality, and if you get a bunch of guys with that mentality, then you dont put a lid on yourself, you dont put a cap on yourself, and we have a lot of guys like him. His mentality is quite impressive.

McCoy is generally considered a second-tier NFL running back, with Chris Johnson, Peterson, Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew and Jamaal Charles forming the elite group and McCoy somewhere in the next category down.

We checked five different NFL positional rankings, and McCoy was ranked between seventh and 10th in four of them, 12th in another.

When people talk about the top five running backs in the league, I need to be there, McCoy said. I think people rank me in the top 10, but Im trying to get in that elite top five guys, and I know that to get there I have to do it from all angles -- running, catching, blocking, everything that a running back has to do. To be one of the best, you have to do everything.

When they say the top guys, I just want to be one of those guys. My whole life Ive been in that range. Thats where I belong.

Personal goals? Heres a pretty good one:

I want 1,000-1,000, he said. Thats tough.

Only two players in history -- Roger Craig in 1985 and Marshall Faulk in 1999 -- have had 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving in the same season. Former Eagle Charlie Garner (962 rushing, 941 receiving) came close with the Raiders in 2002.

Thats amazing, thats crazy, McCoy said. I dont know if its possible, but that would be amazing. Team goals are still first and always will be. Because its like, if you achieve your personal goals but the team doesnt achieve its goals, its like, Oh man, it doesnt even matter. Ive never won a Super Bowl, in college I never won a bowl game. I havent won anything since high school. Thats my real goal. Super Bowl. Thats the only one that matters.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.