Why he tells Kelly on this day, "I want to be the best."
"I want to be the best coach ever," Kelly replies. McCoy considers it not a proclamation but a rationale for the coach's challenging so many assumptions. "All I want to do is help you," Kelly says.
Then why, McCoy asks, does Kelly badger him every day about sleep? Kelly pulls up video of practice after McCoy had registered a substandard night. "You look slow, less explosive."
It all clicks. McCoy becomes "crazy about sleeping." He notices how much quicker he feels at 208 pounds than he did at the 218 he was in 2012, thanks to Kelly's nutrition program of personalized protein shakes. He feels fresher when hydrated. He even likes getting to know guys on the rides to the stadium. "When he tells me to do something, I just do it," McCoy says now.
As the Eagles win seven of their last eight games, McCoy realizes that Kelly's offense fits him perfectly. The cumulative effect of all of Kelly's tenets -- from the misdirection to the hurry-up to the science -- is creating more daylight for him than ever. On Dec. 8 against the Lions, in 8 inches of snow, McCoy carries on a zone run left -- one of the Eagles' league-leading 304 zone-read runs in 2013 -- and breaks through the line, where safety Louis Delmas is waiting. McCoy tiptoes out, then in. Delmas dives into the snow as if he's trying to hide as McCoy accelerates for a 40-yard touchdown. In all, he rushes for 217 yards, a franchise record.