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PHILADELPHIA – He was the leading rusher in Philadelphia Eagles history. He was abruptly traded away for a linebacker. He was Wilbert Montgomery. Thirty years before the Eagles sent LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso, the team traded Montgomery to the Detroit Lions for linebacker Garry Cobb. Montgomery played in a total of seven games for the Lions. Cobb lasted three years with the Eagles. That 1985 trade marked the sad end in Philadelphia for the player most responsible for the Eagles getting to Super Bowl XV after the 1980 season. The sad part for McCoy is that, for six seasons, he desperately wanted to be that kind of back in Philadelphia. He never really got the chance, and now he never will.  When McCoy came to Philadelphia as a second-round pick in 2009, the Eagles had just played in the NFC Championship Game. They lost to Arizona, but there was a sense that they were a team that would be in the mix for a Super Bowl – at least for the next couple years. The Eagles had played in the Super Bowl four years earlier and Donovan McNabb was still their quarterback.
But the Eagles never got close to another Super Bowl during McCoy’s six seasons. They never even won a playoff game. McNabb was traded away. Michael Vick became the quarterback for a few years. McCoy won personal acclaim, but he didn’t get to experience postseason success. During Andy Reid’s tenure as Eagles head coach, there were some very good running backs. Duce Staley helped get the program going in the right direction. Brian Westbrook played in the Super Bowl. McCoy might have been the most talented all-around back of the Reid era, but that wasn’t going to change the pass-happy Reid. When Chip Kelly replaced Reid in 2013, McCoy was finally placed in an offense that would emphasize the run. He carried the ball a career-high 314 times in Kelly’s first season. He led the NFL in rushing with 1,607 yards. Best of all, he clinched the rushing title in a victory in Dallas that also clinched the NFC East title for the Eagles. They were going to the playoffs, and McCoy carried them there. But then it was over. The New Orleans Saints came to Lincoln Financial Field and put an end to the Eagles’ season, 26-24. After the game, McCoy was inconsolable in the Eagles’ locker room. “They killed us slowly,” McCoy said, referring to the Saints’ final drive. “It was a terrible feeling. I don't know if it's a learning experience. I have been here before. You can only pick up so much from this. We just have to get better. “I thought we were hot. Obviously, we weren't." McCoy came back for 2014 determined to make it a better season. But injuries along the offensive line derailed the Eagles’ running game. Still, they were 9-3 with control of the NFC race. Three consecutive losses knocked them out of the playoff picture. “That’s how fast it happens,” McCoy said after the decisive loss at Washington.” I mean, just a couple weeks ago I was planning on the playoffs and who we were going to be playing and those types of things.” During the season, McCoy passed Montgomery to become the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher. He finished with 6,970 yards in 90 career games with the Eagles. McCoy had a great career in Philadelphia. But when it came to carrying his team to playoff success, he never was able to catch up to Montgomery.
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