Philadelphia Eagles Win McCoy-Alonso Trade

USA Today Sports

            In a blockbuster move, the Philadelphia Eagles will trade star running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso.

            There are rarely player-for-player deals of this magnitude executed in the NFL. This deal is particularly intriguing because two well-known players were swapped by two high-profile coaches—the Bills’ Rex Ryan and the Eagles’ Chip Kelly.

            McCoy instantly becomes the face of the Bills’ offense, which ranked 25^th in rushing in 2014. In his six seasons with the Eagles, McCoy posted four 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, including a career-best 1,607 yards in 2013. Over the past five years, McCoy has rushed for more yards (6,155) than any other running back in the NFL. Overall, the former second-round draft pick rushed 1,461 times for 6,792 yards and 44 touchdowns in his tenure in Philadelphia. He also hauled in 300 receptions for 2,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.

            Alonso—the former Oregon Duck who played his senior season under the tutelage of Kelly—joins a strong linebacker crew in Philadelphia. Alongside Mychal Kendricks, Alonso can help form one of the fastest interior linebacker duos in the NFL. Alonso finished as the runner-up to New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2013. In his rookie season, Alonso led the Bills with 159 tackles and was tied for the team lead with four interceptions. He had two fumble recoveries and appeared in all 16 games. However, the 24-year-old sat out the entire 2014 season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in a July workout at Oregon.

Who Won the Trade?

            The stunning trade leaves the Eagles thin at running back with just Darren Sproles and Chris Polk on the depth chart. Kelly, though, can address this in the upcoming draft—one that features plenty of talent at tailback. The Eagles could wait until the second or third-round and still land an explosive halfback. University of Miami’s Duke Johnson, Indiana’s Tevin Coleman and Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne all possess the necessities to fit in with Kelly’s unique offense—that is line up out of the shotgun often, run inside and outside the tackles and be a reliable threat in the passing game.

            The Eagles moved on from McCoy at the right time. He turns 27 in July and has a $10.25 million cap hit for 2015. His current contract runs through the 2017 season, earning base salaries of $6.9 million in '16, and $7.6 million in '17. McCoy had no interest in restructuring his deal—signed in May 2012—so the Bills must pay a hefty price for their running back over the next three seasons. Alonso, meanwhile, is still on his rookie contract, which pays him just under $1 million next season.

            Alonso will fit well in the Eagles 3-4 defense. Alonso and his soon-to-be-teammate Kendricks are both quick with great coverage skills. Reuniting with his college coach should help further develop Alonso, who will likely improve Philadelphia’s struggles against the run (15^th) and pass (31^st) from last year.

            McCoy is still a top-flight halfback with the potential to 
thrive in a ground-and-pound offense that the Bills are expected to utilize next season. But the career lifespan of running backs in the NFL is not long. Come next season McCoy will be 27—the cliff age of running backs, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. And as good as McCoy has been for the Eagles, he is not irreplaceable. 

            Acquiring a rising star in Alonso—who has shown flashes of Luke Kuechly—puts the Eagles in great shape for the future. Shedding immense salary cap is an added bonus in a fantastic trade for Philadelphia. The Bills may win the trade in 2015—but in five years we are more likely to be raving about Alonso, the stud linebacker who reformed Kelly's defense for several seasons. 

NFL 2013 Coach of the Year Honors: Carolina's Ron Rivera Stands Above Stacked Crowd of Worthy Candidates

The NFL will celebrate its third annual “NFL Honors” event on the stage of Radio City Music Hall in New York tonight at 8 P.M. on FOX. The Associated Press will present many of the accolades for the 2013 NFL season on the eve of Super Bowl XLVII. Of all the awards that will be handed out tonight, the Coach of the Year Honors offers the most intrigue.

            There are a bevy of coaches that merit praise for their work in the 2013 season. Chip Kelly adapted to the professional game commendably in his inaugural season, leading the Eagles to a 10-6 record and the NFC East title. Kelly inherited a 4-12 club that finished in last-place in the division a season ago. He successfully changed the culture of the team, overseeing a potent offense (2^nd in total yards per game) and a defensive revival as the Eagles won seven of their final eight contests to secure a playoff berth for the first time in three seasons.

            Speaking of head coaches that thrived in their first year at the helm, the work of San Diego’s Mike McCoy cannot go unnoticed. McCoy steered the Chargers to their first playoff appearance since 2009. San Diego finished with a 9-7 mark, earning the second wild-card spot in the AFC playoffs. The Chargers were the hottest team in the NFL down the tail-end of the season, winning four straight to reach the postseason, including a crucial victory over the Broncos at Mile High Stadium on a “Thursday Night Football” contest. The Chargers won their first playoff game in five years, stomping the Bengals in Cincinnati in the AFC Wild Card round. Of the eight new head coaches hired in 2013, McCoy was the only one to lead his team to the Divisional round of the playoffs.

            Two NFC West head coaches must be applauded for their 2013 season. Let’s start with Pete Carroll, who led the Seahawks to a 13-3 record and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Not only has Carroll has established the NFL’s top defensive unit, he also has crafted the “Seahawk Way”, which his players endorsed on Super Bowl Media Day. With a victory tomorrow night, Carroll will become just the third coach to win a NCAAF National Championship and a Super Bowl.

Pete Carroll has the Seahawks on the verge of their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

            Bruce Arians, another rookie head coach that flourished in his first opportunity at the helm, guided the Arizona Cardinals to a 10-6 record in 2013. The Cardinals featured a five-game improvement from 2012 to 2013 and stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot, despite playing in the ultra-competitive NFC West. The Cardinals recorded impressive blowout victories over the Panthers and Colts and defeated the Seahawks in Seattle, handing Russell Wilson his only career loss at CenturyLink Field. Arians was unable to get his team to the postseason, but he was able to form an elite defense that will likely be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

            Kelly, McCoy, Carroll and Arians have all earned consideration for the nod as the NFL’s best coach of 2013. However, in my opinion it is a three-man race for this year’s NFL Coach of the Year Award.

3. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

            Andy Reid transformed the Chiefs into a winner in his first season in Kansas City, leading the team to 11 wins and a postseason appearance, a year after the team finished with the worst record in the NFL. Reid took over a Chiefs club that desperately needed a fresh start after winning just two games in 2012. Under the wing of Reid, the Chiefs stormed out of the gates to a 9-0 start. Kansas City came down to earth in the following weeks, losing three in a row en route to a 2-5 finish to the season. Even so, Reid directed a 9-win improvement from last year, helping the Chiefs make their first postseason since 2010.

 Reid revitalized a Chiefs’ offense that had not taken advantage of its immense talent. Jamaal Charles, who is up for the Offensive Player of the Year Award, had a career year in Reid’s offensive system. Charles rushed for a NFL-best 12 touchdowns in 2013, racking up 1,286 rushing yards in the process. Alex Smith also had his finest season as a QB, tossing 27 touchdowns passes versus just 13 interceptions.

The knock on Reid will be that the Chiefs posted a 10-0 record against non-playoff teams this season, but a 1-5 mark against teams that qualified for the postseason. Nonetheless, Reid engineered a major turnaround for the Chiefs in 2013 and now the future looks suddenly very bright for the franchise.

2. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

Bill Belichick had the burden of dealing with the Aaron Hernandez debacle this offseason. Distractions were at all-time high in New England after Hernandez was charged with murder. Belichick, however, refused to let the team get buried by off-the-field diversions. Belichick mandated that his players not discuss the Hernandez investigation with reporters, instead demanding they focus on just football and the task at hand.

No team in the NFL lost more impact players to season-ending injuries than New England. Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo and Tommy Kelly were all placed on injured reserve, testing the depth of the maligned Patriots’ defense. The Patriots also lost Sebastian Vollmer and Rob Gronkowski to season-ending injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Yet, the Patriots were able win 12 games and capture another AFC East title in 2013, seizing a first-round bye for the fourth straight season.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft believes this might be Belichick’s best coaching job in New England. Think about the magnitude of that statement. Belichick led the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory in 2001 with then-backup quarterback Tom Brady. He guided the Patriots to a perfect 16-0 season in 2007. A season later, he led the Patriots to 11 wins, even with Brady sidelined for the entire season after tearing his ACL in Week 1. Kraft gave Belichick the ultimate praise by stating that this may be his best season yet, given the track record of his Hall-of-Fame head coach.

1. Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers

No coach is more meritorious of the Coach of the Year Honors than Ron Rivera

Ron Rivera deserves the nod for Coach of the Year for turning around a Panthers’ squad that had experienced immense losing in the past half-decade. After the Panthers started the season off with two ugly losses, many were calling for the dismissal of Rivera. A report surfaced that the Panthers had begun looking for potential replacements to supersede Rivera. The league-wide perception was that Rivera would be fired if his club were to lose to the lowly Giants in Week 3. The Panthers, though, played an inspired game against the Giants that day, pummeling the visitors 38-0 as they handed Tom Coughlin his most lopsided loss since taking over the head coaching duties in New York.

The Panthers were unable to sustain their success after their bye-week and got crushed on the road in Arizona. Rivera’s job again appeared on the line as the club fell to 1-3 on the year. That is when Rivera acknowledged he needed to take more risks, including keeping the offense on the field in fourth-and-short scenarios. He stayed true to his word in the first game following these remarks, going for it twice on the same drive on fourth-and-1 situations, rather than kick a field goal. The Panthers converted both plays, with the second resulting in a touchdown in the team’s 35-10 victory over the Vikings. This was the first victory for the Panthers in a stretch of 11 wins in their final 12 contests. Rivera consequently received the nickname "Riverboat Ron" after showing a recurrent willingness for gambles. Rivera’s risks paid off for the Panthers, who reached the postseason for the first time since 2008 as they won the NFC South and seized a first-round bye in the playoffs.