McCoy insists he isn’t trying to disrespect Peterson with comments.
Philadelphia Eagles star LeSean McCoy has insisted that he believes he is the best running back in the NFL and feels as though he deserves the title over Adrian Peterson.
McCoy was asked for his opinion on whether he believed that he was the league’s top back and he replied, “Yes, sir” before expanding on the reasoning behind his claim.
“My brother always rips me all the time, trying to make me play harder. I say, ‘I’m the best,’ and he’ll say, ‘Did Adrian Peterson retire?’ I look at the last three years and everything. I think AP has been the best back for so long, and he’s been doing it for so long, that’s why he automatically gets the best running back [title],” McCoy said, as reported by ESPN.
“But the last three years? I’ve been All-Pro, first-team, twice. I never leave the field. I block. I catch. I never leave the field. I don’t have anybody do my job; I do it myself. Tons of credit goes out to Adrian Peterson. I’m a big fan of his, for sure. But I feel I’m the best.”
McCoy led the league in rushing last season with a career-best 1,607 yards and he was first in rushing touchdowns in 2011 with 17.
In comparison, Peterson rushed for 1,266 yards last season but led the NFL in 2012 with 2,097 yards when he made a run at Eric Dickerson’s league record of 2,105 yards despite suffering a devastating knee injury at the end of the 2011 season.
Nevertheless, despite all the statistics and records, Peterson is still widely regarded as the best in his position after such a successful career, but it remains to be seen whether or not that title is passed on to McCoy in the coming years if he continues his progress.
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