I am not a guy who obsesses a lot on stats, but I find these pretty interesting, and relevant even, with the rookie again practicing all week as the starter, Westbrook still sidelined by concussion, heading into Sunday afternoon's visit from the Redskins. Washington ranks first in the NFL against the pass, 25th against the rush, and it's possible dominant defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth might not play with an ankle injury.
"You get the first-year guys, every day's a new day for 'em," Eagles coach Andy Reid said, when asked about the disparity in McCoy's performances. "Every team that you play, they kind of have to kind of relearn things."
For rookies more than vets,
Reid said, standing and watching is less helpful than "getting out and doing it." A vet might find meetings and film more valuable than practice reps. Not so a rookie, Reid said. "You've got to go through all the steps, with the young guys."
Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg agreed that the lesson was "practice is important," that more preparation is always better, for a young player.
McCoy also agreed. He said when you practice something, "you know what's going to happen," unlike when you're reading a playbook or trying to learn something by watching someone else do it. But McCoy said another factor for him is that he simply plays better when he plays more - if he's alternating series, as was the case early in the season, sitting down for a long chunk of time, he doesn't get into the flow as easily.
When you know you're the starter, McCoy said, "you're going to get to warm up, get a couple of carries, get a little bit in the mix. I think when you come off the bench, you know you're going to play, but you don't know really when, what time in the game, what quarter, so it's kind of different."
