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In case you haven't heard already, the mad scientist known as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Chip Kelly, today traded star running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills straight up for linebacker Kiko Alonso, a budding star in his own right who missed the 2014 season with a torn ACL. The trade, incidentally, won't be official until after the league season begins next week.
What the heck is Kelly doing here? And, how does any of this impact the New York Giants or the NFC East in general?
Kelly, the former Oregon coach, appears to be trying to put the Ducks band back together to see if it can beat the big boys. The 25-year-old Alonso played for Kelly at Oregon. The Eagles are also rumored to be willing to trade as far up in the 2015 NFL Draft as No. 2 overall to try to get Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Heisman Trophy winner and another former Kelly player.
At this point, who knows what the Eagles' roster will look like in 2015. We have no idea who the primary running back will be (Demarco Murray, anyone?). We have no idea who the quarterback will be, though it's pretty obvious Kelly would like it to be Mariota.
The only "direct" impact on the Giants is that they only have to face McCoy, 27 next season, once in 2015. He's out of the NFC East, but the Giants do travel to Western New York to face the Bills next season.
One thing to keep in mind, though. McCoy's presence in Buffalo could mean the Bills won't try to retain free-agent-to-be C.J. Spiller, a running back who could interest the Giants. Spiller, 28 next season, has averaged 5.0 yards per carry during his career and has caught 204 passes in 70 career games.
Just for giggles, I should also mention that the Eagles are releasing defensive end Trent Cole.
Your thoughts on all of this, Giants fans?