What They’re Saying About the Eagles

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Photo by: Jeff Fusco.

Photo by: Jeff Fusco.

Here’s a roundup of what the local and national media are saying about the Eagles and their blockbuster trade.

Rich Hofmann of the Daily News wonders whether Chip Kelly has decided to try and build a championship defense:

And what if he has decided that Mariota isn’t realistically available, and that he can make his offense good enough with Foles and a running back to be named later, and that the spectacular pile of cap money will best be spent on adding a big-time corner (Byron Maxwell?) and a big-time safety (Devin McCourty?) and a big-time pass rusher (provided he doesn’t have Alonso in mind for that).

What if he looked at the numbers and realized that the Eagles allowed 400 points last season, and that only six teams in the whole entire history of the NFL have allowed 400 points and still made the playoffs.

What if Chip Kelly really wants to build a defense more than he wants Marcus Mariota? This question now has to be considered.

Les Bowen of the Daily News offers his take:

The second obvious observation is that Kelly is going to do exactly what he wants, and he doesn’t care what I think or you think. If you thought he wouldn’t trade, say, the next four No. 1 draft picks to get Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, well, clearly, it’s time to think again. The man just agreed to trade LeSean McCoy for a former Oregon linebacker coming off ACL surgery. Alonso will become the ninth former Duck on the Eagles’ roster. Kelly knows what he likes, and he will do what he has to do in order to obtain it.

Somebody who got an up-close view of the roster churn over the past week told me yesterday that he thinks the goal is to eradicate every trace of the Andy Reid-Howie Roseman era, to totally remake the team in Chip’s image. It was hard to argue his point.

Peter King of The MMQB weighs in:

But I’m told Kelly had soured on McCoy, feeling he ran too much east-west and not enough north-south. Kelly also is a believer in the quarterback being the most important player on the offense (no surprise there), followed by the five-man offensive line. Not that Kelly thinks the running back can plug and play in his offense, but he certainly feels he can win games without a franchise back. He proved that by making this bold and stunning trade.

Jeff McLane of the Inquirer writes that LeSean McCoy found out about the trade from his agent:

McCoy, who will turn 27 in July, had not talked to Kelly when the news of the trade was first reported, a source close to the running back said. He was in Miami training and learned of the deal from Rosenhaus.

The trade didn’t come as a complete surprise. Those close to McCoy believed that he was on the block but that he would be involved in Kelly’s attempt to move up in the draft for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Instead, the running back will end up being part of a swap for another Duck.

Rumblings that the Eagles coach will do whatever it takes to get Mariota persist, and some sources around the league believe a trade with one of the teams with a high draft pick could be on the horizon.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com writes that “The Chip Kelly Way” is one of the winners in this trade:

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that McCoy told some friends he didn’t always see “eye to eye” with Kelly, including working out extremely hard the Saturday before games. He complained several times that his legs did not have the burst that he wanted.

McCoy told NFL Media’s LaDainian Tomlinson weeks ago that he didn’t expect to be back with the Eagles, in part because his relationship with Kelly had soured. For the second consecutive year, Kelly is getting rid of a player who might not quite “fit” his program. Kelly surely feels like he can replace McCoy’s production with another running back.

The view from Buffalo, via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak:

If there was any position at which the Bills could afford to lose a player such as Alonso, it was linebacker. And truth be told, the Bills got by just fine without Alonso last season. With strong performances from Brown and Nigel Bradham at linebacker, they were considerably better in run defense, jumping from 28th in yards allowed per game in 2013 to 11th last season.

Unless McCoy gives the Bills headaches all summer about coming to Buffalo, or if he drops off a cliff after posting four 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his first six years in the league, there is little reason to fret about this trade.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com offers his take:

Blockbuster trades don’t happen often in the NFL, so when they do we react with total surprise.

Then again, is this really a blockbuster trade or just the sign of two things we already knew to be true:

Mommas, don’t let your sons grow up to be running backs and Chip Kelly doesn’t give a damn about loyalty, you, me or anybody else in his quest to be a champion.

After finding out about the trade, C.J. Spiller apparently did some lobbying to join the Eagles, via NFL.com:

“I’m pretty sure that Chip (Kelly) has my agent’s phone number so I’m pretty sure we might have to make a call over there,” he said.

“I’ve never been in that type of system before,” referring to the Eagles’ hyped offensive attack, “but I don’t think I’d have any problem adjusting to it.”

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com is not a fan of the move:

Agent Mike McCartney sees it differently:

There’s some buzz that the Eagles could be interested in Mark Ingram:

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