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Tra Thomas On McCoy Trade: 'I Don't Understand It'

By Andrew Porter

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Tra Thomas is in the minority. He doesn't like the reported LeSean McCoy trade.

While two Audio Roadshow polls constructed for the 94WIP Morning Show and the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show on Wednesday showed a slight majority of fans agreed with the McCoy deal, Thomas offers a unique perspective.

"I think I was like everybody else, like, 'Woah, how does this happen?'" Thomas said Thursday on the 94WIP Morning Show. "Just because, I mean, he was the type of running back that he was and like everything he was doing for the team. I don't understand it."

Thomas played 11 seasons and made three Pro Bowls with the Eagles from 1998-2008 as a left tackle, blocking for the running back. More recently, Thomas was a coaching intern with the Eagles, let go after the 2014 season.

What made McCoy so great?

"His vision and his ability to stop and cut and make moves, and how he could make guys miss," Thomas explained. "Now, that also hurt him sometimes also because there were times when he was cutting when he didn't need to, but I mean he was just such a great back and someone that could just make people miss and every time it could be some type of highlight."

What was Thomas' favorite 'Shady' run?

"When we played San Diego," Thomas reflected. "We were in the end zone, in our end zone and it could of been a safety, but he made five guys miss like right there in the hole. It was like maybe a five-yard run, but it was probably the best five-yard run I've ever seen from a running back. The moves that he made right then to make guys miss and get out of trouble."

McCoy was often criticized for "dancing" around, rather than hitting the holes hard. Thomas admits that probably played a factor in Chip Kelly trading the star running back.

"Well, it looked like it now for him to get rid of the top rushers," Thomas said of Kelly trading McCoy. "For him [Kelly] to get rid of him [McCoy], I guess that was one of the situations that he had was his dancing, but I mean that was part of his game and that's what made him what he was."

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