Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper was thrust back into the news cycle Thursday after brawling with teammate Cary Williams at practice.
A handful of players told Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com that the scuffle was unrelated to Cooper's racially insensitive comment at a Kenny Chesney concert in June. Still, it raises questions about Cooper's reincorporation into the locker room, something Eagles running back LeSean McCoy addressed with McManus on Thursday.
"In the beginning when the whole situation happened, guys were different to him and didn't really speak to him," McCoy said. "They really didn't know how to take it. But now, it seems like normal again. He's interacting with every guy -- the offense, the defense, myself. ... There is no difference between me and him and other guys."
Asked if life has returned to normal inside team walls, McCoy said: "It's been great. Everything's been great. Everything is completely, 100 percent normal, talking to everybody, everybody talking to me. We're all real close -- everybody, Cary included."
Shady spoke at length with McManus and NFL Media's Randy Moss on Thursday. Here's what else we learned:
» On Cooper's treatment from opponents: "I think for sure a lot of guys are going to try and do dirty things to him," McCoy told McManus. "Obviously they are going to say things to get under his skin. For one, they are opponents, so they are going to try and do anything to get the advantage. And two, I think maybe some of the words that he did say offended a lot of guys. We definitely have his back."
» On Chip Kelly's run-heavy offense: "I'm excited. The last couple of years, we haven't run the ball enough," Shady told Moss. "I think this year, Coach Kelly is going to bring a balanced attack. On third-and-1 and third-and-2s, I think we'll run first. Not only myself, but we've got tons of backs who are going to get it done. So I think having that has a different effect on running the ball, keeping a team off balance."
» On what to expect from Monday night's showdown with the Washington Redskins: "The first thing is a win, for sure," McCoy told Moss. "But we've got so many different weapons, Coach Kelly is a master of finding ways of getting his playmakers the ball in open space, and he does it at a fast tempo. The biggest thing people know is we're a fast-paced offense, but they really don't know. So I think Monday night, tune in, and you'll really get a grasp of how this offense looks."
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