Eagles running back Darren Sproles is 33 years old, an age at which most running backs are in retirement, and those who are still in the league are hanging on by a thread. And yet Sproles is getting the heaviest workload as a pure running back of his career and is on pace to top 100 carries for the first time.
Sproles said he’s thrilled with that, appreciating coach Doug Pederson for using him as a featured running back, whereas his previous coaches have used him more as a runner/receiver/returner jack of all trades.
“Just the way teams used me,” Sproles said, via Philly.com. “They’re going to bring me in in spurts. Bring me in in third downs. But for me to get this much work now? It kind of has me feeling good.”
Sproles scoffs at people who think his age or his size (5-foot-6 and 190 pounds) will prevent him from sustaining such a workload. Sproles has long been known for a strong offseason work ethic, and he said he has no doubt that he can withstand a featured back role.
“I laugh at stuff like that,” Sproles said. “Because the work I put in in the offseason, that’s what’s going to help me last. So when people say that, I just laugh.”
Sproles is in his 12th NFL season of laughing at the people who doubt him, and he’s not done yet.
