Nick Piccone
I have to say this has been one of the most frustrating Eagles seasons I’ve ever seen.
There’s been some outspokenness of players on the offensive side of the ball, namely running backs, so far this year who feel like they’re not getting the ball enough. First, it was DeMarco Murray. Then Ryan Mathews. Now, Darren Sproles is voicing his frustration about his lack of playing time, as told to us by the Inquirer‘s Jeff McLane. And I can’t blame him.
“Things get kind of frustrating. You know what I’m saying?” Sproles said this week. “You’re standing on the sidelines. It’s kind of frustrating. But what can you do?”
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“I’m not really on the field. But I don’t get into that,” Sproles said when asked if he thought he was being used properly. “If they’re going to put me on the field, they’re going to put me in. If they’re not, they’re not. You know what I’m saying? If they do put me in, I just try to make the best of it.”
Sproles is one of the most dynamic offensive players when he’s on the field. He always seems to create some plays that either aren’t there, or there and he takes better advantage of them than his counterparts. Before the season began, everyone thought the Eagles had the best rushing attack in the league. They’re currently ranked 10th with our old friend, Andy Reid’s team.
So, do we blame Chip Kelly or Duce Staley? According to Kelly, Staley is in charge of the running backs rotation. I would imagine we could fault Staley for Sproles feeling this way. However, Kelly should make the final call about who’s on the field when, since he’s, you know, the head coach.
In the article, McLane makes a good point, though. Sproles saw 31 percent of offensive snaps through 15 games. So far this season, he’s seen 31 percent. He’s getting more opportunities in regards to rushing and passing, but his production has lessened. According to Sproles, though, he doesn’t think he’s getting enough chances.
“I’m not getting enough chances,” Sproles said. “They got me more in there to run routes. DeMarco and Ryan get the bulk of the carries. . . . To get in a rhythm you need more touches. That’s for any kind of player.”
While true, Kelly says the reason it may look like Sproles isn’t getting enough chances is because when he is put in the game, the defense snuffs it out and gets two defenders on him. That’s probably the only way they can slow Sproles down. But, it’s worked. And it’ll probably continue working unless the offense can adapt. They haven’t shown that they can yet. And with Mathews likely not to play this weekend, maybe this could be Sproles’ best game of the season.
We can only hope.