LeSean McCoy shows why he's an ex-Eagle

WE COULD SPEND the next 800 to 1,000 words detailing the various logical shortcomings of the argument put forth by LeSean McCoy in yesterday's interview in ESPN The Magazine. But because such an endeavor would seem to imply the existence of expectations for him to fall short of in the first place, let's instead focus on the relevant aspects of the conclusions he draws.

First, it seems we have our firmest evidence yet of why McCoy is no longer an Eagle: He is an awful teammate, perhaps destructively so. McCoy's contention that his former head coach "got rid of all of the good players. Especially all the good black players" is a telling piece of narcissism when you read it from the perspective of players like Jason Peters and Darren Sproles. What he meant as a swipe at Chip Kelly was also a swipe at all of his ex-teammates whom Kelly hasn't gotten rid of.

It seems more likely, given all we know about Kelly and all we have heard from McCoy since his departure, that the coach got rid of all of the players who viewed themselves as bigger than the system he was selling.

Yet just as relevant as McCoy's inward-looking world view is the potential that it signifies a problem that will confront Kelly in the future as he looks to add to his roster. While rational minds can scoff at the suggestion that an NFL coach would prioritize any physical trait ahead of actual skill, it doesn't take much in the way of mental gymnastics to understand how such a perception could have a negative impact on the Eagles' reality. Is McCoy's conclusion about Kelly any more offensive than the one that was essentially accepted as conventional wisdom in the weeks leading up to the draft - that Kelly would have no qualms using Sam Bradford as a trade chip even after swearing publicly he had no intention of doing so and then convincing Bradford's college roommate to sign a contract with the team? OK, so McCoy's version is a lot more offensive. But neither perception constitutes a resounding endorsement of Kelly's character.

The fact is, perceptions often carry just as much weight as realities, particularly those that impact a coach's ability to convince players to buy into his system (whether those players are current members of his roster or prospective ones). Even beyond Kelly's jettisoning of McCoy and DeSean Jackson in successive offseason, there is plenty of ammunition at the disposal of somebody who might wish to convince players of a certain ilk that they are better off playing for another coach. Regardless of the realities of Frank Gore's flip-flop, and the Eagles' signing of Murray after agreeing to terms with Ryan Mathews, and the trade speculation surrounding Bradford, you don't need to be Homer to shape those elements into a narrative that portrays Kelly as a man to be leery of.

There is a strain of that narrative that Kelly would likely agree with.

"He wants the full control," McCoy said in the interview, and nothing that Kelly has said or done suggests that he hopes to offer any other impression. That's what makes him a good coach. The guys who last in this business are the ones who demand unwavering adherence to their vision. In many ways, Kelly's modus operandi is reminiscent of the one Bill Belichick has employed since taking the reins of the Patriots. That's not a bad person to pattern oneself after.

Kelly and Belichick would likely argue that most of the criticism of their approach is self-evidentially irrelevant, because any player who has reservations about being a cog in their system is by definition a player who does not fit in their system. On the one hand, some of those players transcend any system: Belichick and Andy Reid both had their best offensive teams in seasons when Randy Moss and Terrell Owens were dutiful employees. On the other hand, look at the skill-position players who have actually won Super Bowls for Belichick, particularly the wide receivers and running backs. Same goes for the Steelers and the Seahawks.

So maybe none of it is relevant. Certainly the racial stuff isn't. The perceptions about Kelly's stomach for stars, we'll have to see.

There aren't many players - or workers in general - who are happy to view themselves as interchangeable parts. Peel back McCoy's words and that's the sentiment at the heart. And it's why he's no longer here.

On Twitter: @ByDavidMurphy