FOXBORO The New England Patriots have seen their share of talented running backs this season.
There's talented running backs, and then there's Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy.
The third-year running back may be the most complete ball-carrier the Pats see all season. His NFL-leading 1,019 yards rushing stands out, obviously. Even more impressive is the variety of ways he goes about getting them.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has seen plenty of video of McCoy leading up to Sunday's game in Philadelphia.
When asked what jumps off the screen about McCoy's game, Belichick responded, "he's unbelievably quick; he's got tremendous quickness."
But if McCoy's game were primarily about speed, containing him would be a lot easier to do.
"He'syou don't see anyone tackle him one-on-one," Belichick said. "You need a group of guys around him."
New England Patriots
The Patriots faced a similar dilemma earlier in the season when they played at Oakland and their standout running back, Darren McFadden. McFadden came into their Week 4 matchup averaging 131 yards rushing. In New England's 31-19 win, the Patriots held him to just 75 yards on 14 carries. And keep in mind, McFadden broke off one long run of 26 yards in that game.
Limiting McCoy's ability to make the big play, will be much easier said than done.
One of the reasons he has been such an dynamic running back this season has been his ability to break off long runs. The third-year running back has 38 runs of 10 or more yards, tops in the NFL.
Belichick also believes McCoy's strength factors into his success on the ground as well.
"He gets through the line. Guys get a shot at him, and he's able to run through them," Belichick said. 'I'm not saying he's a big-time power runner like (New York Giants running back Brandon) Jacobs. He's got good playing strength."
And unlike most speedy tailbacks, McCoy has also shown the ability to steadily improve as the game goes on. Of his 10 rushing touchdowns, six have come in the second half (tops in the NFL). When he carries the ball 21 or more times, he's averaging 6.6 yards per carry which is also tops in the NFL.
McCoy's versatility reminds some of a former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, who was one of the franchise's all-time rushing leaders.
"I think he's better than Westbrook," Belichick said. "Westbrook's pretty good. This guy's pretty good now. I'd say he's quicker than Westbrook. Westbrook may be a little stronger, I don't know. This guy's a handful."