In a pinch, Scott shows he’s worth the search
PHILADELPHIA >> Jordan Howard was having his arm checked. Miles Sanders was in the locker room getting a shoulder Xrayed. Darren Sproles was scratched. That left assistant head coach Duce Staley looking straight into the eyes of Boston Scott Sunday.
“I was the only one left,” Scott said.
Scott barely got into the huddle on first-and-goal at the 4-yard line of the Buffalo Bills when Carson Wentz handed him the ball. Scott knifed into the end zone so quickly and forcefully he didn’t think to keep the ball from his first NFL touchdown. Talk about a team guy.
“I just celebrated with my teammates,” Scott said. “The line did an incredible job all throughout the game. They were blowing guys off the ball. They made it really easy for us. That goal line run was one of many plays where they absolutely dominated the defensive line. So, kudos to them. Like we’ve always said, they’re one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. It’s only getting better from here.”
Howard returned to the game and finished with 96 rushing yards. Sanders busted the game open with a 65-yard scoring run. The Eagles netted 218 rushing yards, their most in 84 games. Scott proved he belonged.
“Boston is a guy that ever since he’s been here, he’s been a man on a mission,” Eagles center Jason Kelce said. “You’ve seen it throughout the preseason. You’ve seen it every time he touches the ball. He really seems like somebody who wants to make something happen. He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s strong. A lot stronger than people probably realize because of how short he is because he’s pretty thick. I think everybody respects Boston and the way he goes about his business, the way he plays. He’s going to give it everything he has. He hit that run hard.”
The Scott story is about perseverance. The New Orleans Saints took the Louisiana Tech product off the board in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. Just watching practice film could be intimidating with talents Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram and Taysom Hill, the wildcat quarterback, getting together.
Scott spent much of the season on the Saints’ practice squad, the Eagles claiming him late in the year when they needed a kick returner. Scott averaged 24 yards on four kickoff returns in the Birds’ last two games. In the playoffs, he returned three kickoffs for 48 yards, including one for 19 yards in the divisional round loss to the Saints.
No one worked harder than Scott this past offseason, one in which he found himself buried on a depth chart topped by Howard, Sanders, Sproles and Corey Clement, the latter on injured reserve.
“I hoped throughout training camp that I was able to show them that I can get in there and lower my pads and get some dirty runs in there,” Scott said. “A lot of time it was tough, it was frustrating because I wanted to be out there and I wanted to play. Even when I was on the practice squad with the Saints and the practice squad here. But Duce made a good point. He was like, ‘Don’t let the opportunity come and you’re not prepared.’ I just focused on what I could control.”
Scott made himself take notes at every meeting. He studied film every chance he got. Not just the running backs film, but special teams.
Speaking of which, Scott isn’t proud of the punt he fumbled away to the Bills at the 43-yard line of the Eagles in the third quarter. His touchdown had given his team a 24-13 lead. The Eagles got a stop, Ronald Darby batting away a Josh Allen pass on fourth down.
Scott caught the ball on the run despite a wicked wind that made it drop like a split-fingered fastball. He stumbled, then took a hard hit.
“The wind conditions were crazy and it was wet, too,” Scott said. “I’ve never been in wind like that in my life. In pre-game it was insane. Looking back at it on film, there were some throws that Carson made where the ball would go to the left, go back to the right and then come back to the left. It was crazy.”
The next time Scott faces a similar situation, he’ll get out of the way and communicate the same to his teammates. That won’t be easy because Scott doesn’t back down from trying to make plays with the skills-set he has. Being short, by the way, isn’t the worst thing when you’re running behind an offensive line that averages close to 6-4, 300-pounds.
“I know defenders have complained about it for years with Darren,” Kelce said. “Obviously not being able to see the back, getting lost behind offensive linemen, that can be frustrating for a defense. I think being really tall has its advantages and being really short has its advantages. But I think that (Scott) utilizes what he has really well and a lot of that comes down to the effort and the energy that he runs the ball with. He’s a good player.”