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Head coach Chip Kelly has made that point.
Running backs coach Duce Staley reiterated it as well.
All this, as ESPN.com's Andy Jasner reminded readers, comes after Darren Sproles was on the field late in Sunday's 34-28 victory over the St. Louis Rams. LeSean McCoy, who has struggled throughout this season, was on the sideline.
But McCoy's season-long struggles weren't the issue.
"What you've got to understand is it's all about being fresh at running back," Staley told CSNPhilly.com. "So when you study what we do, we're a tempo team, we're a tempo offense, and to go fast, you've got to have players out there who aren't breathing hard, that aren't tired, so you've got to have players out there that you can rotate and have with energy."
Sproles has been a spark at running back and on special teams in every game. He provided some big plays late in the victory over the Rams.
"What people have to understand about our offense is we're not looking to see who's in the game. We're looking to see, do we need to get another guy out there who's fresh, do we need to get the guy who's out there a blow, and that's what happened," Staley told CSNPhilly.com. "So when I said, 'Sproles, go,' it was no problem. Twenty-five (McCoy) came straight to the sideline."
McCoy is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. Sproles is averaging four more yards per carry - 6.9.
At the end of the Rams' game, the Eagles made a substitution. McCoy wasn't benched, according to Staley.
"There's a difference between being pulled and being rotated," Staley told CSNPhilly.com. "Quarterbacks, when you pull a quarterback, he's not going back. That's it. You guys are looking at it; it's the end of the game, how come this is going on? But the time on the clock, none of that matters. I don't care if it's half a second, timeout, game on the line. If Sproles is fresh, he's going in there."
In the meantime, McCoy's recent efforts leave him sitting at RB28 on the current Player Performance Rankings. That leaves fantasy owners to consider alternatives. At some point, we'd like to think talent wins out and McCoy re-emerges as a front-line performer. But he's not that right now.