By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley knows a thing or two about being in running back rooms crowded with talent. He was part of the three-headed monster that the Eagles had in 2003 with Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter. He also was teammates with Willie Parker, Verron Haynes and future Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis on the 2005 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. His experiences as a player appear to have prepared him well for coaching the team's crowded running back unit this year.
The Eagles, who appeared to lack a good enough running back to be an elite team at the beginning of the year, have one of the five best rated rushing attacks in the league this year. LeGarrette Blount is averaging 4.8 yards-per-carry, his highest total since 2013. Undrafted rookie Corey Clement has seen his role increase in recent weeks and has made the best of it, including a three-touchdown performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 9. Kenjon Barner and Wendell Smallwood have primarily been used on special teams, but they've occasionally gotten carries. And, of course, Jay Ajayi is averaging a modest 9.7 yards-per-carry in his first 20 carries with the Eagles.
During the telecast of yesterday's Eagles win over the Chicago Bears on FOX, Kevin Burkhardt and Charles Davis told a funny story of how Staley keeps the Eagles running backs motivated:
Burkhardt: We were talking to him [Staley] the other day and he had some funny stuff about these running backs – trying to keep them all in line. So he said, "sometimes, I don't even have to be the one with criticism. All these young guys, they are all on social media." So what did he tell us?
Davis: They'll [the running backs] walk into the room and he'll have tweets up from people telling the guys how bad they are. He said, "so you guys live on social media, here's everyone judging you. This is what they are saying about you."
Burkhardt: That is beautiful.
There, perhaps, is some risk in doing this, as it could be taken wrong by some players. However, Staley seems to have created a competitive environment in the running backs room, one where players feel comfortable roasting each other, with the understanding that it is in fun and they are focused on a larger goal.
For example, after Ajayi got tackled on a 71-yard run against the Dallas Cowboys, he returned to the sideline, where Barner was glad to make fun of him:
“Unhook the trailer!” #JayTrain @JayTrain @Eagles
Watch more @NFLFilms highlights on #InsideTheNFL TONIGHT 9PM ET/PT. pic.twitter.com/INhoVV64hy
— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) November 21, 2017
Whatever Staley is doing, there seems to be a great sense of camaraderie between the running backs, even if there are only so many carries to go around. The best example of this is how excited Blount has acted when other running backs have scored:
LeGarrette Blount ran from the sideline to the end zone to celebrate Jay Ajayi’s first TD. He was super hype. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/jPqLDW5nqQ
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 6, 2017
#VictoryMonday pic.twitter.com/kSWSurVkiy
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 6, 2017
Staley, 42, is the longest continuously tenured coach on the Eagles staff. He was a special teams quality control coach during Andy Reid's final two seasons with the Eagles, was Chip Kelly's running backs coach for his three seasons and now works under Pederson. Pederson was once a quality control coach, worked his way up to position coach, then offensive coordinator and now head coach. If Staley, who did interview for Eagles head coach after Kelly was fired, continues to do such a good job with the Eagles running backs, it may not be long before he gets a chance to be a head coach in the NFL.
