Archives for December 2015

'"I know he was pissed, and he should be pissed, rightly so," Kelly said. "He was an all-time leading running back here, felt like he was disrespected, and it was wrong. Because I was part of it, it's on me. . . . I would apologize for that, because it didn't happen the right way. . . . I understand where he's coming from, and if he doesn't want to shake my hand, I understand that. But I will always shake his hand."'

'McCoy initially didn't want to go to the Bills. He found out about the trade from his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, by phone. McCoy was training in Miami at the time and after breaking down in tears, he resumed running a series of sprints, each one faster than the next.'

'"I tried to lay back and maybe be more of a 'head coach' than being true to myself," he said in January 2012, just when his tenure with the Jets was beginning its downturn. "I need to be in the locker room. I need to be around more, be involved more right there in the meeting rooms and everything else, and that's what I plan on doing. I got away from doing that, thinking maybe a head coach was supposed to act a little differently, and it hurt me. I need to be myself and stay true to that."'

'"He's a high level of concern for us," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "He's somebody that jumps off the tape immediately. His speed is probably the biggest threat. And their willingness to (often) throw it to him in coverage down the field . . . is something that we got to be ready to defend."'

'Buffalo’s running game is fourth-best in the NFL, averaging 165 yards per game. The Eagles’ run defense, after a strong start with rookie Jordan Hicks in the lineup, has plummeted to 27th in the league with Hicks gone for the season.'

'The Eagles were 20-3 when McCoy rushed for 100 or more yards. The Bills are 3-0 when he hits the century mark.'

'McCoy can put the bitterness away with one gesture Sunday. It’s called a handshake.'

'Worse yet, the player the Eagles received for McCoy, inside linebacker Kiko Alonso, has been injured and ineffective. He has just 21 tackles and one interception. The ledger reads zero on all other defensive statistics.'

'But Taylor won the job in training camp and has been one of the NFL's biggest surprises. Taylor has a passer rating of 104.3, which is fourth in the NFL, and he's passed for 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Taylor's season is that a QB who hardly played in four years is the NFL's leading passer in the fourth quarter.'

'"We never had a money issue," McCoy said Wednesday. "That was never brought up — ever. Restructure, nothing. That never was brought up."'

'McCoy also didn't fit in with Kelly's culture. For all his talent, McCoy also was viewed by some as immature. He engaged in an ugly Twitter feud with the mother of his child during the 2013 season. He left a waiter a 20-cent tip on a $61 restaurant bill last season.'

'The Eagles have been one of the most interesting teams in football over the past three years, but it’s really incredible how mediocre their roster has become. The Bills are the superiorly talented team, and it’s really not even close. The Bills have an advantage on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but the Eagles punt return unit can flip the game around on the Bills. If they let McCoy, Tyrod Taylor, and Sammy Watkins go to work on offense, they shouldn’t have a problem with picking up the victory they so desperately need. The two X-factors for the Eagles: Jordan Matthews and Darren Sproles. If the Bills can limit their overall effectiveness, they’ll get back to a winning record — something they haven’t had since November 23.'

'And speaking of the weather, it’s projected to be 71 degrees at gametime in the City of Brotherly Love. Typical December football weather, eh?'

'You see the Jimmy Johnsons, Dick Vermeils and Bill Walshes who made highly successful transitions from college to pro football, are the exceptions. There are way more Nick Sabans, Steve Spurriers and Bobby Petrinios who fail in the NFL and go back to college coaching with nary a hint of being humbled.'

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