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Sproles sees Pro Bowl appearance as validation

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Darren Sproles started practice Friday with a video camera strapped to his chest. Midway through the session, the Eagles running back wanted to take it off.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) at Team Irvin practice at Scottsdale Community College in advance of the 2015 Pro Bowl. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) at Team Irvin practice at Scottsdale Community College in advance of the 2015 Pro Bowl. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)Read more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Darren Sproles started practice Friday with a video camera strapped to his chest. Midway through the session, the Eagles running back wanted to take it off.

Never mind that he was practicing for the Pro Bowl, an exhibition in which the only football activity less intense than the game is the practice leading up to it.

Sproles wanted to be at his best. To approach practice any other way would go against what made Sproles a Pro Bowler in the first place. Sproles said on Saturday that he has only "one speed," and Eagles coach Chip Kelly has called Sproles the "best training or practice player I've ever been around."

Around the NFL, Sproles commands respect. Opposing coaches gushed about him before almost every Eagles game this past season. Yet that respect had never produced an appearance in the NFL's all-star game - until Sunday, when Sproles will play in his first Pro Bowl at age 31 after his 10th NFL season.

"It feels great to be recognized at 31 years old," Sproles said. "I've really been soaking it in."

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.

Sproles made the Pro Bowl as a returner after leading the NFL with 13 yards per punt return and two punt-return touchdowns this season, his first in Philadelphia. He also had 57 carries for 329 rushing yards and six touchdowns, along with 40 receptions for 387 yards.

Those numbers were limited by double teams that Sproles drew later in the season. Kelly said that Sproles was the only Eagle who consistently drew double teams.

Since 2007, Sproles has the most all-purpose yards of any player in the NFL. All the other players in the top five have been to at least two Pro Bowls. The problem for Sproles when it comes time to vote for the Pro Bowl is that he's difficult to classify. He is a running back who has averaged only 3.6 carries per game during his career. He's a receiver who averages only 9 yards per catch. He's a returner who has focused almost entirely on punts in recent seasons. When Sproles is compared to other players at those positions, his numbers often pale.

"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."

Most players Sproles' age begin to fade, but he is determined to squeeze more years out of his career. His father, Larry Sproles, saw his son rejuvenated in Philadelphia. Sproles fits into Kelly's scheme and culture. He is admired in the locker room the way he was in New Orleans, where Brees realized that Sproles is "pound-for-pound [the] strongest, toughest, hardest worker."

"When I retire - and I've been around a lot of great players - he's going to be one of the ones that I mention where I say, 'It was really cool to play with Darren Sproles,' " Eagles long- snapper Jon Dorenbos said.

Linebacker Connor Barwin called Sproles the "ultimate pro," and guard Evan Mathis said Sproles is "one of the most committed, relentless human beings on the planet."

Sproles viewed this past week as a form of validation. He has established himself as a top player, made millions of dollars, and etched his name into record books. There remains one distinction he wants for a fulfilled career.

"Super Bowl," Sproles said. "And we're real close in Philly."

@ZBerm