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The value of LeSean McCoy, running backs, and the trades that follow

Roar Rookie
5th March, 2015
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Roar Rookie
5th March, 2015
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Tuesday’s blockbuster trade, sending the Philadelphia Eagles’ LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in a straight switch for Kiko Alonso, almost broke sports media.

Scepticism over why the Eagles would do such a thing brings football back to the history of the running back position and how its value has depreciated over the past decade.

How many teams still use a ground-and-pound scheme on offense? How many of those teams have proven to be successful?

Just one really – Seattle.

A quick look into teams that have winning records over the past five years point toward a lopsided passing game with a bruising running back to punch their way to a short distance first down/touchdown.

The last Super Bowl that featured a balance of passing and rushing was in 2007.

The running back position is more of a short use, dump, then move on period in comparison to what it was in the late 1900s. At that point quarterbacks were almost nothing without establishing the run first.

However, the athleticism is now falling on the shoulders of the quarterback to extend plays and get that big, deep ball into the hands of a wide receiver capable of fighting for the jump ball.

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So where does the devalue stand for these unfortunate athletes?

Back in 2012, Trent Richardson was drafted third overall by the Browns. He established himself early, rushing for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games.

Surely he was to stay a Brown for a long time? Wrong.

By the end of week 2 the very next year, the Browns snagged a late first-round pick from the Colts for Richardson. Although the story unfolded the way the Browns hoped, they were heavily scrutinised for trading away their best offensive player (other than Joe Thomas) in order to tank the season after a bad start.

Now it is on Chip Kelly and his agreement to send his best offensive talent to a running-back needy team. Scrutiny is coming over a number of issues, including a trade for an Oregon product, salary cap clearing, and talk that ‘Shady’ didn’t buy into the system.

But could it be simply that McCoy’s best years are behind him?

He is only 26, and is yet to suffer a serious injury to his lower body. He also ran his best in areas of colder climates (set Eagles rushing record in heavy snow storm).

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Instead of just McCoy’s statistics, how about Buffalo being a failure for him from the start? Under the Eagles, Shady ran behind the blocking of pro bowl linemen, who excelled in the run. The Bills simply do not have the up-field blockers Philadelphia have.

Also, head coach Rex Ryan is more of a power-rushing guy in comparison to Shady’s elusive cuts, which are aimed toward making defenders miss.

At this point, it is a win-win trade, but how long until McCoy’s decline spells the end of his tenure with the Bills? Will it be a repeat of every running back that was sent away after a few years of stardom, or will he turn out to be what Washington got for Clinton Portis in 2004?

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