There was a mixture of anger and excitement when the Eagles traded LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso. Shady was a great RB for the Eagles, but you can find good RBs all over. The defense needed help and Alonso was the kind of playmaking LB the Eagles could use.

Alonso was recovering from a torn ACL so that affected his ability to practice in the offseason. Like Sam Bradford, he was focused more on rehab than football. Alonso played in a 3-4 defense for Chip Kelly at Oregon so the hope was that he would adjust to the Eagles scheme quickly. He would just need to shake the rust off.

In the season opener, Alonso had one of the best INTs of the year. He made a spectacular play, picking Matt Ryan off in the end zone. That got everyone excited for what he might do. Unfortunately, Alonso hurt his knee in Week 2 and then missed quite a bit of action. He’s been working his way back into the lineup since early November. Things have not gone according to plan.

Alonso played pretty well in the Buffalo game. Beyond that, he’s been highly erratic. Sometimes he’s just been flat out bad. What happened to the guy who was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013?

I think there are a combination of factors at work. First, injuries. A torn ACL can ruin a career. Even if it heals right, the player has to get over the mental hurdle. Stewart Bradley tore his ACL in college and then in the NFL. He recovered from the college injury, but was never the same after the NFL injury. As much as anything, he just never looked as confident and comfortable on the field as he had been in the past.

Alonso isn’t playing scared. He does look comfortable from a physical standpoint. His timing is off and he does seem to wear down. Those are the kind of issues that can go away with a time. He could be a completely different player in 2016.

I think Alonso is desperate to make big plays. I think he feels the pressure of the trade and wants to do well. LBs can’t force things. When that happens, you overrun plays, miss tackles and struggle with basics. Alonso has been overrunning plays this year. He goes so hard in pursuit that he leaves big cutback lanes. The one really bad play in the Buffalo game is when he overran a run play and Mike Gillislee cut back up the middle for a TD.

The final issue for Alonso is fitting in. He is in a new scheme and he’s part of a rotation. Alonso is learning the Eagles defense and trying to figure out his role. That’s tough. The coaches have to rotate him. He’s not meant to be on the field for 70 snaps right now. Even when the plan makes sense and everyone is on board with it, being part of a rotation can be tough on guys. They just aren’t used to it. I think coming in and out of the game also feeds into Alonso wanting to make things happen when he is on the field.

If you re-watch the 1st half of the Cardinals game, Alonso actually looked solid up until the 5 minute mark. That’s when David Johnson had his long run. The defense seemed to fall apart after that. Prior to the run, Alonso did some good things. There was a run play where he went after an OL and held his ground. The ball came that way and Alonso helped stuff the run. There was a play where he blanketed a TE out in coverage. There was a run play away from him. Alonso hit the RB as he came through the trash.

Kiko Alonso is a very talented LB. He runs very well and has great range. He can be very good in coverage. He is willing to take on blockers on inside runs. He is physical. His talent and athleticism are still there. Right now he’s not playing well with any consistency. I think he can get back to form next year. A full offseason should do him wonders.

That said, there are no guarantees. Some players never come all the way back from injuries. I think Alonso was hurt by the combination of having to rehab and learn a new scheme and new role. That’s a tough combination for a young player. He has been a huge disappointment this year, but I think his future remains bright.

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Someone asked me the other day about the Eagles WRs as route runners. Tough subject. First, Chip Kelly’s offense doesn’t seem as much of a route-running scheme as others where timing is critical. There are so many play-action passes and crossing routes in this scheme that you are running more in an area than an exact spot.

Josh Huff ran a great route on 3rd/long on Sunday night to get open and move the chains. Nelson Agholor was a terrific route runner at USC. Jordan Matthews is solid. I have never thought of Riley Cooper as someone who runs crisp routes. I haven’t seen enough of Seyi Ajirotutu or Jonathan Krasue to have an informed opinion.

I’ll write up a post on the WR position in the offseason, but one key point for me is trying to figure out if the Eagles WRs aren’t that good or if Sam Bradford’s slow start and the OL issues made the WRs look worse than they are. And nagging injuries have hurt Huff and Agholor. The Eagles need help at WR, but I do think Huff and Agholor are better than what we saw for most of the year.

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