The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles made a rare blockbuster trade swapping Kiko Alonso and LeSean McCoy. Which team will benefit more from the trade…
Trevor Baruh: Welcome to Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Trevor Baruh and Tommy Morris with you. Yesterday, a big trade goes down in the NFL, Tommy, Kiko Alonso from the Bills headed to the Eagles for star running back, LeSean McCoy. Tommy, what are your initial thoughts in this trade? Do you think that either team will come to regret this or do you think it’s a good move for both teams?
Tommy Morris: Yeah, I think the Bills will definitely come to regret this. I think this is a genius move here by Chip Kelly. Look Running Backs don’t have long shelf life, they use – I hate to say they kind of used up all the good years of McCoy already, so I might say, okay get rid of him now, that’s kind of a mean thing to say, but that’s kind of what happened. They get Kiko Alonso, yes he is coming up injury, but linebackers can play into their 30s, running backs can’t, so I’d like to move by the Eagles, what do you think Trev?
Trevor Baruh: Yeah, I agree with you, and even though LeSean McCoy is 27, I think a big indictment of the value of running backs in this League in today’s era, is that – it really all depends on the offensive line, I mean, if you look at McCoy, he averaged about 40 yards this year, whereas he averaged 5.9, the year before when the Eagles line was healthy. I think the bigger issue here and the reason why I don’t like the trade that much for the Bills and I do like it for the Eagles is the Bills still have absolutely nothing at quarterback, they probably have the most dire situation in the League at quarterback.
Their offensive line is so-so they just had to sign Richie Incognito, trying to patch together an offensive line. So between not having a quarterback and having a so-so offensive line, teams will just be able to stack the box, again someone like McCoy and we’ve seen in the past is no running back is going to succeed the way – the way someone like DeMarco Murray did this year, when they don’t have a good offensive line and the box is stacked against them. So I think this is a great move by the Eagles, you also look at the salary implications, I mean they saved – I think collectively between – they’re going to be able to cut DeMeco Ryans at line back here with this addition of Kiko Alonso and the amount they save on LeSean McCoy, I think they’re going to save somewhere around the range of $10 million to $14 million this year. They could go out and get someone like DeMarco Murray, get someone like – there is just so many running backs in Bills right now, we talk about Adrian Peterson…
Tommy Morris: Right, and the big elephant in the room literally giant, Ndamukong Suh is a free agent, they got a lot of cap space now. I want to think about bringing him in, draft a running back maybe, running backs are so easy to find in the draft, you don’t necessarily need to get a big name.
Trevor Baruh: And Tommy, we’ve talked about this before you know with the devaluation of running backs in today’s League. You look at someone like Justin Forsett, the Ravens lose their supposed star running back Ray Rice last year and Forsett has a career year when he has really been nothing in the League before in. So I think that kind of shows the direction the League is going with running backs. Another thing that’s kind of interesting with this trade is I think you have two coaches, who kind of think they can do whatever they want on that side of the ball with Chip Kelly in offense and Rex Ryan in defense. Both kind of saying, I don’t need my star player on this side of the ball because I can plug any player I wanted to the system and make it work. Would you think that’s kind of along those lines?
Tommy Morris: Yeah, I think that’s true too, and I think part of it yet to go back, so there is a little bit animosity between the LeSean McCoy and the team, he wasn’t doing so hard, some stretches through the year. I think that might have something to do with it, maybe he wasn’t as happy there as we’re all lead to believe. So I think, even we saw DeSean Jackson, given the papers to walk. So, I think it’s kind of like that too, if you don’t buy in to the system, you’re not going to be in Eagle.
Trevor Baruh: It will be interesting to see you know, well I do think it’s a good move on the Eagles part, the pressure is really on Chip Kelly now, you know it’s definitely a hit show in Philadelphia after the front office changes in the All Season. He has pretty much gutted the entire offense. The only thing I would say that I have an issue with the trade is, with the way some owners and some GMs value that sexy player, that sexy name get fans in the stands, i.e., the Cleveland Browns, with Johnny Manziel. I am thinking that the Eagles might have been able to get more than Kiko Alonso, and maybe not, maybe teams weren’t that’s just that big on the running back, but it seems like you might have been able to get some of the bite for more, than a guy coming off in ACL…
Tommy Morris: Yeah Kiko Alonso was basically a legend, I mean he was – they were treating him like he was a god in Buffalo, and this is not – this is not some normal guy, this is a fan favorite and a guy who has barely been in the League. So I think that is a pretty high price tag. I would take that over pretty much anyone in this draft, I mean you got a guy who was one of the more dominant Rookies, when he was a Rookie couple years ago, I mean this could be the best lineup…
Trevor Baruh: I’m just saying coming off in ACL, and you’re not completely sure of everyday, I mean obviously he has got a past physical, but Chip Kelly loves his Ducks now, this would be the ninth Oregon Duck on the roster. Most of them are special teams players. But do you think that’s an issue Tommy, the amount of Oregon Ducks or do you like that Chip Kelly is going…
Tommy Morris: I don’t know – can they get a [indiscernible] to, I mean, I don’t know what is going through the situation with the…
Trevor Baruh: We’ll see, I guess well, we’ll have to wait and see is that Philadelphia is done making news, because Marcus Mariota is getting me on the board and to the Eagles trying to move up and make a move like the Redskins did for Robert Griffin a few years ago or do they stay and pat, so we’ll just have to see if the Eagles are done or not with their moves.
