Bills' McCoy using age as motivation for bounceback season

LeSean McCoy will turn 31 years old in July, a time when most running backs are either in the twilight of their NFL careers or have already been forced to hang up their cleats.

But the Buffalo Bills star, who recorded the lowest rushing yards total of his career in 2018, is using the doubters as motivation to buck conventional wisdom about his position's shelf life.

"I use age and that type of thing to motivate me," McCoy told PennLive's Aaron Carr on Saturday at his mini football camp. "My whole life I've kind of been the underdog. Is he big enough? Is he tough enough? Can he play in the pros? I feel like guys like myself come around every once in a while and I want to stick to that. I'm up for it."

McCoy only needs to look at his backfield partner, Frank Gore, for extra inspiration. The Bills signed the 36-year-old after a season in which he rushed for over 700 yards for the Miami Dolphins, recording his highest yards per carry average (4.6) since the 2012 season.

"Every day I see (Gore) playing hard," McCoy said. "I see his growth, his smarts, his ability. That shows me that anything is possible."

Buffalo also brought in T.J. Yeldon in free agency, signaling that it intends to ease McCoy's workload with a committee-like approach to its rushing attack. But McCoy, who's just two years removed from a 1,138-yard, six-touchdown campaign, isn't ready to give up on being a featured back just yet.

"It's hard to replace a guy like me," he said.