It's been an up-and-down ride for many Philadelphia Eagles fans over the years. Though there have been various high points — the Super Bowl run in 2017, the Miracle at the New Meadowlands, the 59-28 Monday night victory over the Washington Football Team — it's hard to think that the 2013 Snow Bowl against the Detroit Lions ranks right up there with the rest as one of the most fun games in franchise history.
The hero of this game, if you remember, was running back LeSean McCoy. He rumbled for 217 yards on 29 carries, finding the end zone twice in the fourth quarter on separate 40-plus-yard runs.
Moments like these are why many Eagles fans recall McCoy's days with the Eagles so fondly, and why they get so angry to think about the fact that then-head coach Chip Kelly traded away McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso in the offseason prior to the 2015 campaign. Alonso played in 11 games for Philadelphia and was largely a non-factor. McCoy was a Pro Bowl running back for the next three seasons for the Bills.
McCoy, too, remembers his days in Philly fondly and was equally hurt by the trade, as he revealed in a Bleacher Report AMA session on Monday. When a fan asked him what it was like playing for the Eagles and Andy Reid, he responded with the following:
"Those were some of my best years. Just from the city, the team. I live an hour away from Philadelphia so that was always like home to me. Lot of my most memorable moments and great times are from the Philadelphia area. I played with so many great players there like Mike Vick, [Brian] Westbrook, [DeSean Jackson], [Jeremy] Maclin, I could name guys forever. Philadelphia was always a special, special place. When I got traded, it hurt me a little bit deep. Andy Reid has always been great to me and my family. He took a shot on me in the second round and it worked out. Very thankful and grateful for that."
In McCoy's initial response, he also mentioned that Jason Peters was probably the best player he had ever played with, a testament to the offensive lineman's greatness considering McCoy has also lined up alongside Patrick Mahomes and, this year, Tom Brady.
After the trade went down, sources told ESPN's Josina Anderson that McCoy, a Pennsylvania local, was "not happy" and "frustrated" by the move. However, the Buffalo atmosphere and their playoff success has McCoy remembering those days fondly, as well.
"That was nice. Buffalo has a great fan base, they go crazy man. Philly fans are more emotional, but the Buffalo fans are a bigger crowd I think. We ended that drought, and there were thousands of fans outside when we landed from the game, and it had to be like 1 a.m. when we got back. So many fans out there in the cold. I know you see videos of them breaking tables and things like that. Thursday night games they would be waiting since Sunday in their RVs camping out. So that's a different atmosphere up there with the fans."
McCoy, now 32-years-old, has played a small role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, the 12th season of his NFL career.
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