In NFL history there have been a number of trades that left a monumental impact (positive or negative) on both franchises. A few examples come to mind. The “Great Trade Robbery” of Hershal Walker, the Eli Manning for Philip Rivers fiasco, the Redskins paying a king’s ransom for Robert Griffin, and most recently the unexpected departure of Lesean McCoy from Philadelphia to Buffalo. As seen in the past, trades of this magnitude have an everlasting effect on a franchise, an effect the Eagles are already feeling the brunt of.
March 10th 2015 was the day Philly lost a piece of itself. The day McCoy was shipped up north to Buffalo. Coming off a season that the Bills go 10-6 and dwindle down the stretch, new General Manager Chip Kelly began deconstructing the roster, most notably McCoy. A trade that surprised many and sent shockwaves throughout the league, the Eagles acquired Kiko Alonso a linebacker coming off an injury plagued season. After only one season in the books the trade’s effects are obvious, especially to those in Philly. Signing the division rival Demarco Murray to replace McCoy immediately backfired as Murray quickly dropped further and further down the depth chart. Anytime Murray ran for more than ten yards there was a collective sigh of relief, and perhaps the feeling he was on his way to getting back into 2014 form.
The loss of McCoy instantly impacted the Eagles statistical column as they dropped from 5th all the way down to 12th twelfth in the league in yards from the ‘14 -’15 season. The stability McCoy brought to the position had vanished, as the trade had raised more questions than answers in their offense. Skip forward a year, the Eagles have themselves a new head coach, new personnel in the backfield, and their sights set on a productive season.
Before Shady’s arrival the Bill’s running game was barren. Their 2014 leading rusher was an aging Fred Jackson, followed by C.J. Spiller, and Bryce Brown. These three combined for 1,257 yards and four touchdowns while alone in 2014 McCoy ran for 1,319 yards and five touchdowns. The Bills have a less than stellar ‘up the middle’ ground and pound game, McCoy added the much needed East to West running and elusiveness playmaking ability that made him a star in Philly. Ultimately the LeSean McCoy trade changed the style of offense the Bill’s ran, which led to a much improved 2015 Bills.
While numbers can sometimes be misleading, in the Bills’ case they can’t be ignored. In the season prior to Shady’s arrival the team ranked twenty-fifth in the league in rushing, while in his lone season there the team jumped all the way up to first in the league. McCoy had become the answer to the Bills’ calls as he had given them an identity. The Bills’ now find themselves in an unfamiliar, but welcomed situation as they are on the cusp of breaking their long awaited playoff drought with the very real possibility of becoming perennial playoff contenders.
As one franchise is on the edge of becoming a playoff team and the other beginning its rebuilding process the impact of this trade cannot be overlooked. It may not have had the quantity of pl
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