Nothing revolutionary in wanting to preserve LeSean McCoy's effectiveness or longevity as a premier running back in the NFL... it's as simple as monitoring the pitch count of your ace pitcher in baseball... After all, it's a long season... Why blow out your ace with too many reps and potentially shorten his season or career? He's supposed to be a long-term investment...

This is not breaking news, but I totally get Andy Reid's recently stated intention to give LeSean McCoy less touches in order to get more long-term production out of him...


Andy Reid says he wants to down-size the portions of RB LeSean McCoy's menu of touches in the Eagles offense in 2012... for both the good of the athlete's personal health as well as the team's overall  health on offense...

If this plays out like Andy says, then our resident old-schooler fan J. Wood is left holding the bag--- Woodie is constantly calling for more blasts and dives into the line from his running backs, especially McCoy.

Andy wants to reduce running back LeSean McCoy's workload.

At first thought, and I'll bet Woodie would agree, the logic sounds more than a little twisted. Why would Reid want to take the ball out of the hands of a man who just enjoyed his best and most productive season? Shouldn't McCoy (1309 rushing yards, 48 receptions, league-high 20 touchdowns) get more touches, not less? But Reid is trying to stay ahead of the curve with his thinking here. Right or wrong, he looks at McCoy and sees the point of diminishing returns fast approaching if the Eagles keep calling his number as often as they do.

Nick Fierro of the Allentown Morning Call sums up the logic of Andy's thinking:  "When you look at the percentages, McCoy already has beaten the odds by making it through three seasons without a major injury. The average NFL career is just 3.3 years. For running backs, the number drops to 2.57, according to the NFLPA. Of course, careers don't always end due to injuries alone, but health almost always plays a part in determining the end."

Andy Reid simply wants to get more in the long run out of McCoy than less, and his thinking is all the more admirable when you consider that Reid might not be invited back for 2013 if he doesn't win the final playoff game of 2012.

More food for thought: Reid and the Eagles were successful with this kind of approach before, when they were able to get eight seasons out of Brian Westbrook. When you break down Westbrook's career, he was never the same after 2007, in which he had career highs in carries, rushing yards, receptions and receiving yards and led the league with 2,104 yards from scrimmage. The next season, he averaged a career-low 4.0 yards per rushing attempt, and finished with just 1,338 yards from scrimmage. His career in Philly at that point was basically over.

McCoy's total touches and yards last year fell short of Westbrook's 2007 season totals, and Reid seems hell-bent on keeping it that way. Might not be the worst thought he ever had...

Meanwhile, say goodbye to our friend Kevin Kroboth, the UDFA safety from Temple whom I showcased a few blurggs ago...

"He's one of my favorite kids," Reid said of Kroboth. "Great kid. ... We went in a different direction, but he's a heck of a kid."

Kroboth wanted to sign with the Eagles, but the offer was pulled off the table by the Eagles for undisclosed reasons, according to agent Mike Boyer.

"The only thing I can say is that it wasn't for football reasons or off-field issues," said Boyer, who indicated that the timing, more than anything, just wasn't right. "We were still talking with [the Eagles], but then the Raiders entered the picture and it looked more and more like we would have to go with them," Boyer said.

Reid confirmed the team's course of action on Tuesday. Reid and general manager Howie Roseman were speaking as part of their appearance at the final practice for Thursday's Philadelphia Eagles City High School All-Star Classic, which will be played at Lincoln Financial Field. Reid gave a motivational speech to the players before their final walk-through, which was conducted at the NovaCare Complex's indoor facility because of rain.

Kroboth has shaken off the initial disappointment. "It obviously would have been nice to play here at home," he said. "But I have a chance to go to a new city with a new atmosphere. I'm pretty excited. We were basically a day away from making the deal [with the Eagles] but then Oakland called and we thought we should take their deal."

Kroboth actually will be heading out to Oakland on Thursday as a non-contract invitee. "The farthest west I've ever been before is Arizona," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."

Finally, the Eagles have begun the process of signing their draft picks, agreeing to terms on Tuesday with second-round pick Mychal Kendricks, linebacker out of California, on a four-year deal.

The 2011 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Kendricks played in all 51 games (29 starts) during his four-year career at California, amassing 258 tackles, including 36.5 for a loss, 13.5 sacks, seven fumble recoveries, four interceptions, one touchdown return, and a blocked punt. Kendricks was recognized as an All-America selection by several outlets as a senior in 2011 after leading the team with 106 total tackles while collecting three sacks and two interceptions.