PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles running back LeSean McCoy said Wednesday he doesn't care if some people don't see him as the same player as he was last year when he was the NFL's leading rusher.
McCoy bristled at a line of questioning asking if he was the same player that he was in 2013 when he gained 1,607 yards, a franchise record. He has 729 yards after 10 games this season. He had 932 after 10 games last year.
"I'm not even going to address 'am I the same player?'" McCoy said. "That's for you all to figure out."
Then he answered the question anyway.
"Are you crazy?" he said. "I am the same player. I'm not going to sit here and play that game, like, 'Am I the same player?'"
McCoy's down season is coming after he declared himself the NFL's best running back in an interview with ESPN's "First Take" in May.
The Eagles' running game hasn't been as productive for several reasons.
With the lack of a serious deep threat, defenses have been keeping a safety up more than they did a year ago -- and more than they do against other opponents.
"We see what teams do on tape," McCoy said. "Then we see them, and they're doing things completely different against us."
McCoy struggled early in the season. Then, after a solid three-game stretch, he put up 19 yards against Carolina in Week 10.
"Statistically there is [a drop-off], but I think we're a different team," Eagles coach Chip Kelly said.
Different in that, last season, all five starting linemen played all 16 games and a playoff game. This season, only left tackle Jason Peters has started all 10 games.
"We had some situations where there were some holes blocked pretty well and then a guy would fall off late," Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. "The safety would come down and maybe make a play where we had 5- or a 6-yard run, where at times we might get a little bit less."
Shurmur says one thing is certain: The Eagles will never abandon the run.
"Different season, different opponents, different team," he said this week. "We are going to stick with it regardless of the score because we feel like we can run the ball, gain yards and score points doing it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.