The NFL offseason is a time of major movements of players, money, hiring and firings. Watching big time stars move around the country is always entertaining. Frank Gore going from San Francisco to Philly...wait sorry he changed his mind make that Indy. Jimmy Graham going from the “Big Easy" in Louisiana to Seattle were among some of the major highlights we've seen so far. Though those are trumped by the insanity that is going on in Philadelphia.
Last year as the head coach, Chip Kelly led the Eagles to a 10-6 record. After starting out strong through the first half of the season the team took a turn for the worse. Running back LeSean McCoy looked very strong until he was overshadowed by Cowboys RB and eventual NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray. This season Chip Kelly has shown the league and the nation that he wants full control of this team. Through free agency he has departed with big time names such as LeSean McCoy, Nick Foles, and Trent Cole. Just in the month of March the Eagles have released 3 major players. The most confusing of the trades was the trade of QB Nick Foles to the St Louis Rams for QB Sam Bradford and a fifth round draft pick. Nick Foles suffered a injury early last season and was forced to sit the bench while backup Mark Sanchez took over. Foles, a 4 year vet in the NFL has played in 28 games, thrown for 6,753 yards, and 46 touchdowns. In comparison the former number one overall pick Sam Bradford has played in 49 games, thrown for 11,065 yards and 59 Touchdowns in his 6 seasons. In Bradford's career he has struggled with injury and consistency playing in 10 or less games twice in the past 4 seasons, including 2013 where he played in just 7 games.
Overall Foles has shown glimpses of a great NFL QB. His tall frame and strong arm provide a much larger upside then Bradford. Bradford is still a decent QB, though I've never seen him as much more then a below average starter. This trade will stump us until we hear the reasoning from Chip Kelly himself.
LeSean McCoy's departure from Philly to Buffalo came as a shock to everyone. No one could guess why Kelly would want to just give away one of the best backs in the NFL right now. In the end Buffalo only had to depart with LB Kiko Alonso, a player who didn't play at all last season after suffering a torn ACL. In 2013, his rookie season, Alonso put up solid numbers, registering 4 interceptions, and 159 total tackles.
In the end, I really hope that we will get some explanation as to what Kelly is thinking up there. We shall also see how these trades effect the teams chemistry, and total wins and losses. My prediction: The eagles are gonna have rough year ahead.