Would you be surprised if I told you that Darren Sproles is participating in his first Pro Bowl tonight? The 10-year NFL veteran will join his Eagles teammates in Arizona tonight at 8PM as the annual NFL All-Star Game airs on ESPN. Though many view this game as a waste of time, Sproles tells the Inquirer that he views it as his hard work finally paying off.
"It feels great to be recognized at 31 years old," Sproles said. "I've really been soaking it in."
The Eagles got Sproles for quite a bargain. A fifth-round draft pick. He had previously asked for his release from the Saints, but instead he ended up being one of the many weapons on the Eagles offense and special teams this season. Sproles rushed for 329 yards and six touchdowns this season, the most since 2011, and he also caught 40 passes for 387 yards, his lowest since 2008.
By far the most impressive place that Sproles shined was on returns. In 39 attempts, Sproles gained 506 yards on punt returns and brought two of them back for touchdowns. The yards he picked up on punt returns was 212 yards higher than he previous career high in 2011 with the Saints. Not even close. Sproles also has the most all-purpose yards in the NFL since 2007.
Now, there has been some talk about whether or not LeSean McCoy would return to the team bext year, but Sproles tells NJ.com that he'd like to do more with Shady on the field and he expects him to be back.
"Have us on the field the same time more," Sproles said of what he would like to see next season. "Have me do more routes out of the backfield."
As for any speculation that his dream of doing more on the field with McCoy might be squashed by the Eagles trading their starting running back, Sproles didn't seem worried.
"He's going to be back," Sproles said.
With Sproles just hours away from his first Pro Bowl experience, some of his former Saints teammates along with other NFL superstars shed light on Sproles and his first Pro Bowl.
But the question that other players have wondered is: What took so long?
"I have no idea, but I knew I was going to pick him," said Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, one of the captains this week.
"He should have been in five, six Pro Bowls," said Saints running back Mark Ingram, a teammate of Sproles' in New Orleans and this week.
One of Sproles' most notable former teammates in New Orleans was of course, quarterback Drew Brees. The Saints signal caller said that if another position had been added to Pro Bowl voting, the short, speedy veteran would've particiapted in more than just one at this point.
"I think they should add a position in the Pro Bowl and just call it the 'all-purpose player,' " Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. ". . . Yes, they're labeled as a certain position, but they do so much more. He's one of those guys. If there was an all-purpose-player position, and had been over the last 10 years, he probably would have made eight or nine out of 10 of those."
Other players agreed with Brees' suggestion, but Sproles does not see it as much of a consolation.
"They'll probably put that in when I'm done playing," he said. "They need to put it in, though."
Though the Eagles season ended in disappointment, a McCoy/Sproles backfield for next season could still cause plenty of issues for opposing defenses, especially with Chip Kelly's offensive mindset.
