By Peter Cordi
The Buffalo Bills have acquired superstar running back, LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for third-year linebacker, Kiko Alonso in a surprise-blockbuster trade. Just before the Bills pulled the trigger, C.J. Spiller rejected a contract worth $4.5 million per year- deciding to test free agency. He said he wants to go to a team that wants him. Obviously, he feels that the Bills don’t think he is worth big money.
C.J. Spiller has had a decent career in his five years in the NFL. While he only managed to surpass 1,000 yards just once, he has been a dangerous weapon in the Bills backfield for the last few years. Not much of a touchdown scorer, he has only managed 18 in the last five years. Spiller’s best assets are his quickness and his versatility. He can simply make any defender miss, no matter who it is. Plus, he can both run and catch the ball. One third of his career touchdowns were catches, and about one quarter of his career yards from scrimmage were through the air. The only problem with Spiller is that he can’t seem to stay healthy enough to have another elite season. If he can play 16 games, he has a chance to make the Pro Bowl.
LeSean McCoy, on the other hand, has had a great career in his six years in the NFL. He has surpassed 1,000 yards four times, leading the league in rushing once. In the 2011 season, he has 20 all-purpose touchdowns- 17 of which came on the ground. McCoy is one of, if not the, most dangerous running backs in the NFL. He has missed little playing time due to injury. Like Spiller, McCoy is quick and versatile. The difference between the two is that “Shady” McCoy is the more complete back. He can shed tackles, make defenders miss, and be used in a variety of ways that make defensive coordinators want to rip out their hair. Spiller can be stopped easier, as he simply lacks the talent that McCoy has.
Kiko Alonso is coming off a season-ending ACL tear. Two years ago, in his rookie season, he was already one of the better linebackers in the game. He racked up four interceptions, two sacks, five pass deflections, a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries, and 87 solo tackles. For a seasoned veteran, that could be a career year. For Alonso, he was just getting started. Unfortunately, nobody got to see him play in 2014 due to his ACL tear, so that makes this trade a little bit of a risk for the Eagles. Some players never fully recover from ACL tears, while some come back better than ever. Robert Griffin III has become completely inept at the quarterback position following his ACL tear, while Adrian Peterson surpassed 2,000 rushing yards the year after his ACL tear.
By trading away LeSean McCoy, the Eagles’ backfield presently consists of Darren Sproles and Chris Polk- a running back tandem that should scare nobody. Sproles is an aged receiving back, while Polk is more of a touchdown vulture than anything- not a lead back. The Eagles will either sign a top running back, maybe even C.J. Spiller, or acquire one via the draft. It makes more sense for them to sign a proven running back if they want to make a playoff run this year.
By acquiring LeSean McCoy, the Bills’ backfield has immediately become one of the best in the league so head coach Rex Ryan will be able to run his ground and pound offense with success. Under Rex Ryan, the New York Jets went to the AFC Conference Championship in 2010 with a rookie quarterback because of Ryan’s stellar defense and the ground and pound offense. The Bills have recently acquired Matt Cassel, giving E.J. Manuel competition for the starting quarterback position. With a couple of seasons under his belt, it is time for Manuel to step up and prove to the NFL why he was the first quarterback selected in the 2013 NFL draft. If the Bills continue to make great improvements to their roster, they might challenge the New England Patriots for the AFC East throne.
By acquiring Kiko Alonso, Chip Kelly reunites with his star linebacker from when he was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks. Kelly does his best to acquire as many ex-Ducks as he can, and is even predicted to trade up for Marcus Mariota, out of Oregon, in the draft this year. The Eagles’ defense will get something it desperately needed- a star- to help dig itself out of the hole it made itself last season by finishing as the fifth-worst defense in the NFL. Even after acquiring Alonso, there is much more work to be done, but it is a giant leap in the right direction.
By trading Alonso away, the Bills can’t be any worse off than they were last season on defense, because he didn’t even play. The Bills had the fourth-best defense in the league last year. They don’t need to work on their defense as much as they need to work on their 26th ranked offense. Their defense will only improve with more experience, while it will take several offseason moves to fix their offense. Acquiring LeSean McCoy was one huge step in the right direction, as he can single-handedly put the team on his back and carry them to a top-15 offense. If Matt Cassel brings out the best in E.J. Manuel, it will spark the Bills’ offense to the top ten in the league.
People are already criticizing the trade and claiming that one team got the better end of it, but nobody knows for sure until the future unfolds. For all anyone knows, Alonso could have been a one-year wonder and never return to form from his ACL tear, or LeSean McCoy could suffer a season-ending injury. The NFL is unpredictable, and just as one might think that not to be true, crazy things happen proving that there is no method to the NFL’s madness.
The Buffalo Bills have acquired superstar running back, LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for third-year linebacker, Kiko Alonso in a surprise-blockbuster trade. Just before the Bills pulled the trigger, C.J. Spiller rejected a contract worth $4.5 million per year- deciding to test free agency. He said he wants to go to a team that wants him. Obviously, he feels that the Bills don’t think he is worth big money.
C.J. Spiller has had a decent career in his five years in the NFL. While he only managed to surpass 1,000 yards just once, he has been a dangerous weapon in the Bills backfield for the last few years. Not much of a touchdown scorer, he has only managed 18 in the last five years. Spiller’s best assets are his quickness and his versatility. He can simply make any defender miss, no matter who it is. Plus, he can both run and catch the ball. One third of his career touchdowns were catches, and about one quarter of his career yards from scrimmage were through the air. The only problem with Spiller is that he can’t seem to stay healthy enough to have another elite season. If he can play 16 games, he has a chance to make the Pro Bowl.
LeSean McCoy, on the other hand, has had a great career in his six years in the NFL. He has surpassed 1,000 yards four times, leading the league in rushing once. In the 2011 season, he has 20 all-purpose touchdowns- 17 of which came on the ground. McCoy is one of, if not the, most dangerous running backs in the NFL. He has missed little playing time due to injury. Like Spiller, McCoy is quick and versatile. The difference between the two is that “Shady” McCoy is the more complete back. He can shed tackles, make defenders miss, and be used in a variety of ways that make defensive coordinators want to rip out their hair. Spiller can be stopped easier, as he simply lacks the talent that McCoy has.
Kiko Alonso is coming off a season-ending ACL tear. Two years ago, in his rookie season, he was already one of the better linebackers in the game. He racked up four interceptions, two sacks, five pass deflections, a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries, and 87 solo tackles. For a seasoned veteran, that could be a career year. For Alonso, he was just getting started. Unfortunately, nobody got to see him play in 2014 due to his ACL tear, so that makes this trade a little bit of a risk for the Eagles. Some players never fully recover from ACL tears, while some come back better than ever. Robert Griffin III has become completely inept at the quarterback position following his ACL tear, while Adrian Peterson surpassed 2,000 rushing yards the year after his ACL tear.
By trading away LeSean McCoy, the Eagles’ backfield presently consists of Darren Sproles and Chris Polk- a running back tandem that should scare nobody. Sproles is an aged receiving back, while Polk is more of a touchdown vulture than anything- not a lead back. The Eagles will either sign a top running back, maybe even C.J. Spiller, or acquire one via the draft. It makes more sense for them to sign a proven running back if they want to make a playoff run this year.
By acquiring LeSean McCoy, the Bills’ backfield has immediately become one of the best in the league so head coach Rex Ryan will be able to run his ground and pound offense with success. Under Rex Ryan, the New York Jets went to the AFC Conference Championship in 2010 with a rookie quarterback because of Ryan’s stellar defense and the ground and pound offense. The Bills have recently acquired Matt Cassel, giving E.J. Manuel competition for the starting quarterback position. With a couple of seasons under his belt, it is time for Manuel to step up and prove to the NFL why he was the first quarterback selected in the 2013 NFL draft. If the Bills continue to make great improvements to their roster, they might challenge the New England Patriots for the AFC East throne.
By acquiring Kiko Alonso, Chip Kelly reunites with his star linebacker from when he was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks. Kelly does his best to acquire as many ex-Ducks as he can, and is even predicted to trade up for Marcus Mariota, out of Oregon, in the draft this year. The Eagles’ defense will get something it desperately needed- a star- to help dig itself out of the hole it made itself last season by finishing as the fifth-worst defense in the NFL. Even after acquiring Alonso, there is much more work to be done, but it is a giant leap in the right direction.
By trading Alonso away, the Bills can’t be any worse off than they were last season on defense, because he didn’t even play. The Bills had the fourth-best defense in the league last year. They don’t need to work on their defense as much as they need to work on their 26th ranked offense. Their defense will only improve with more experience, while it will take several offseason moves to fix their offense. Acquiring LeSean McCoy was one huge step in the right direction, as he can single-handedly put the team on his back and carry them to a top-15 offense. If Matt Cassel brings out the best in E.J. Manuel, it will spark the Bills’ offense to the top ten in the league.
People are already criticizing the trade and claiming that one team got the better end of it, but nobody knows for sure until the future unfolds. For all anyone knows, Alonso could have been a one-year wonder and never return to form from his ACL tear, or LeSean McCoy could suffer a season-ending injury. The NFL is unpredictable, and just as one might think that not to be true, crazy things happen proving that there is no method to the NFL’s madness.