Will Witherspoon saved the Eagles' defense in '09.


In one of the more surprising moves of the day, the Eagles have decided to part ways with linebacker Will Witherspoon only one season after trading for him from the St. Louis Rams.

Witherspoon came in as Stewart Bradley's replacement in the middle after Omar Gaither didn't work out, but was moved to WILL after Akeem Jordan was injured. He kept Jordan on the bench all year long while the middle was a revolving door.

While I thought Witherspoon played fairly well, the Eagles apparently did not believe he was worth the $5 million he was due in 2010. His play doesn't warrant such a high number, but his versatility, to me, would have been enough to keep him around.

This isn't the first time the Birds have done this, however. They cut ties with Takeo Spikes only one season after trading for him back in 2007. A move that, like this one, leaves fans scratching their heads.

Linebacker is a position in which the Eagles are lacking, so either way you slice it this doesn't make much sense -- at least not from where I'm sitting.

I understand the money and that they really only traded for him because they had no other options once their 'backers started dropping like flies, but he was the only reason this defense didn't completely fall apart last season and, overall, was the best linebacker they had.

The Birds must figure that he becomes expendable with the return of Gaither -- a guy who is just as versatile and a whole lot cheaper.

Witherspoon certainly wasn't a superstar, but he was a guy who did whatever Sean McDermott asked of him and did it well, so it's shocking and a bit disheartening to see him leave. However, he should warrant some good attention as a free agent, and might even have a shot at returning to Philly at a reduced rate.
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Would Stewart Bradley be more useful elsewhere?


I don't mean I want Stewart Bradley moved to wide receiver or have him take over at corner when Sheldon Brown moves to safety, but should the Eagles consider moving Bradley out of the MIKE position and slide him over to SAM?

Strong-side linebacker has been a problem for this team ever since Carlos Emmons left and headed to New York earlier this decade. The Chris Gocong experiment did not work the way they thought it would, and now the Birds are once again left with no answers at SAM.

However, Bradley is a guy who fits perfectly. He's got a rare combination of size (6'4, 254) and athleticism that would allow him to not only play the run on the strong side, but able to cover even the upper echelon of tight ends.

Let's also not forget that SAM is not uncharted territory for Bradley. In fact, he played SAM linebacker at Nebraska, and it was the move to MIKE that was actually the gamble for Bradley.

But as is usually the case, a solution to one problem only brings up more problems. The obvious one being, who would then move into the middle?

It's not ideal, but if the Birds were to draft Navorro Bowman with their first round pick, they could play him immediately at WILL and move Witherspoon into the MIKE spot again. It's not ideal because Witherspoon isn't quite big enough (6'1, 235) to play middle linebacker, but he's smart and quick enough to make up for it.

Not only that, but even in a down year Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are still very good at eating up blocks and not allowing the guards to get to the second level.

I would rather see the Birds pick up a guy who can play SAM, or perhaps see Moise Fokou flourish and be able to cover the tight ends, but I just don't see it happening. For next year, the Birds could do very well with a trio of Bowman, Witherspoon, and Bradley.

Even Akeem Jordan at WILL (if the Birds don't draft Bowman) would work out just fine.

I'm drawing the line. I'm personally sick and tired of seeing tight ends gouge this defense and if it means moving Bradley to SAM to make it stop, then I'm all for it.

Will he be able to run as well as he did before the knee injury? I'm not sure, no one is, but it's a risk I would certainly be happy to see them take in an effort to stop the tight ends.
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A strong showing by Mays would be cause for optimism.


After starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley went down for the season with a torn ACL, most fans thought it would come down to a battle between Omar Gaither and Joe Mays to see who would be the team's starter for 2009.

It began that way, but when it became obvious that Mays was in over his head and that Gaither could not stand up to the beating that a middle linebacker must take, the job went to Jeremiah Trotter.

Then after Trotter came in and made it evident that his age and injuries had caught up to him, the Eagles decided it was time to swing a trade for Will Witherspoon. Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick later, we have the Eagles third starting middle linebacker.

Then, last week, we were forced to suffer through the fourth as Chris Gocong, while his effort was a valiant one, fell on his face in the MIKE position.

He looked out of place, confused, and clearly out of his comfort zone -- as well as his coverage zone.

So with Akeem Jordan still out with a knee injury, the Eagles are looking for other solutions to their middle linebacker troubles. As is the case with most chronic problems, the Eagles went back to square one and started over -- right back at Joe Mays.

Mays has taken the majority of the first-team snaps at MIKE, with Witherspoon and Gocong at WILL and SAM respectively. There have been other sets of linebackers -- most likely with Witherspoon in the middle and Moise Fokou also in the mix -- but the most prevelant has been Witherspoon, Mays, and Gocong.

It could either be a sign that Mays is finally getting acquainted with the defense, or just a sign of desperation from a team trying to deal with a depleted defense thanks in large part to unfortunate injuries.

Mays is from the windy city, so it would be fitting for him to get his first career start back where it all happened.
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Gocong has never played MIKE in the NFL or college.


This Sunday, we could see some new faces in different places in the linebacking corps given that Akeem Jordan will most likely not play.

Sean McDermott has openly said that if Jordan can not play that Will Witherspoon will line up as the WILL linebacker, Chris Gocong at MIKE, and Moise Fokou will get his second consecutive start at the SAM linebacker position.

So what does this say about Jeremiah Trotter? Apparently McDermott trusts Gocong more to start at a position he's never played over Trotter who's played the position for his entire career.

It appears as though the Eagles feel they made a mistake by bringing Trott back.

Either way, it will certainly be eventful to watch how this actually works out. Witherspoon has been a successful WILL before, so that's not a big deal. Fokou, while he didn't exactly impress last week, will get better and is a natural SAM. But Gocong has never played the MIKE position and may have some troubles.

He's the smartest guy in the linebacking corps, as well as the biggest (6'3 263), so it makes him the perfect candidate to give it a go. However, it's not quite as easy as all that, and everyone knows it.

Playing the MIKE is a difficult position and takes a superior mind and a superior athlete to play the position, especially in McDermott's defense.

Tossing Gocong into the middle could be for the fear of playing against Antonio Gates, who will probably need to be double-covered. Fokou, Gocong, and Witherspoon are the best coverage linebackers the Eagles have, which isn't exactly saying much, but having the three of them on the field at the same time may not be a bad idea.

Gocong and Witherspoon would be the duo on the field for the nickel package as well, which may not matter considering the cornerbacks situation and the depleted secondary.

Either way, buckle up Philly, because it's certainly going to be a trip.

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Witherspoon makes his presence felt early in D.C.


When the Eagles traded for Will Witherspoon before the trade deadline last week, many thought that it was nothing more than a desperation move.

Their starting linebacker, Stewart Bradley, was out for the year with a torn ACL in training camp, and Omar Gaither had just gone down with a foot injury, requiring surgery and most likely putting him out for the entire season.

So the Eagles pulled a trade for a guy who has played in the middle and on the weakside over his career, and has played both positions very well. He seemed to be a natural fit for Sean McDermott's defense, and he came relatively cheap.

A rookie wide receiver in Brandon Gibson, who was a sixth-round pick just this past April, and a fifth-round pick was all it took for the Rams to part ways with perhaps their best defensive player. In essence, the Eagles offered the starving man a hot dog in exchange for the cadillac he couldn't afford to keep.

Okay, maybe not that drastic, but you get the point. The Rams got fleeced.

So now in his debut game in Philly, he walks away with eight total tackles, an interception returned for a touchdown, and a strip-sack. Barring a complete meltdown for the rest of the season, he's won over the hearts of Philly fans and is now a welcome member of this city, and more importantly, of this team.

His presence also allowed Jeremiah Trotter to stay on the sideline and play spot duty, while helping Witherspoon pick up the subtle nuances of the defense on the sideline. I didn't count after halftime, but I only noticed him on the field four times in the first half.

That's right, four times.

If Witherspoon can continue playing three downs for this defense, it's an enormous help and can allow McDermott to worry about something other than what he's doing with the MIKE linebacker.
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If the Eagles can't stop Cooley, they will lose in D.C.


There's no doubt that a win over a division opponent after the putrid game against the Raiders would certainly help this team to rebound. It would put them at 4-2, a 1-0 record in the division, and only one loss against an NFC opponent heading into a streak of divisional games.

The next three weeks will either make or break the Eagles' season. They must win at least two of these next three games in order to stay competitive, and if they come away with less than that it will be extremely difficult to make a playoff push with all of the good teams in the NFC this year.

The Saints, Giants, Vikings, and 49ers are looking to win their respective divisions, with the Falcons most likely earning a wildcard spot. The Eagles could find themselves fighting for that sixth and final playoff spot at the end of the year if they're unable to produce in these next three weeks.

They're already reeling, and a loss could completely destroy the season.

So how do they make sure they pull of the win against the 'Skins at FedEx field? Well, that's what we're hear to examine, so let's get to it.


Run the Ball, Run the Ball, Then Run Some More

Last week, Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy had a combined total of 11 rushing attempts. Eleven attempts for two very talented and explosive running backs is just unacceptable. What makes it worse it that the passing game was not working, yet they stuck with it.

If Reid would stick with the run when it's not working the same way he'll stick with the pass, the Eagles could be a very good running team. However, when you only do it every once in a while, no one is in a rhythm. The linemen are so used to dropping back that the mentality needed for running the ball just isn't there.

It's especially important for a back like McCoy who looks like he needs to get into a rhythm running the football.

And why did they even sign Weaver? He's rarely on the field, and when he is they're not running the ball anyway. If you're going to bring in a fullback and pass the ball, why not just keep him on the sideline and use another receiver, or another tight end?

He was brought in to make the running game more effective, and McCoy was drafted because he had great running ability and could really make a difference for this offense. They were brought in for a reason, so use them for that reason rather than just trying to throw them the ball.

Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, then play-action. Not the other way around.


Use the Screen Pass to Back Up the Corners

The Redskins corners, Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall, play the Eagles receivers very tight. They use that bump and run coverage on the Eagles undersized-but-speedy receivers in an effort to throw them off their patterns, which causes McNabb to hold the ball longer than usual, which creates more sacks, hits, and throws the entire passing game out of rhythm.

It wouldn't be such a problem if Reid would just stick to the run, but as we all know, that doesn't happen and most likely never will happen.

While I'm just about sick of the passing game, and at this point would welcome a game where the Eagles just ran the ball every single play, the screen is invaluable to this team. I hate the term "extended handoff," but if Reid wants to run a screen play instead of a draw or just a simple run, I'm all for it.

Hopefully by doing this it will keep the Eagles out of third and 10+ yards situations. In that situation this year, the Eagles are 0 for 15. That's incredibly disturbing not only because they don't have a single first down in that situation, but just the fact that they've been in that situation 15 times. That's three times a game, which is far too many times to be in third and 10 or more.

Todd Herremans' return should help the screen game immensely, so there's no reason not to run it anymore.


Find a Way to Stop Chris Cooley

Will Witherspoon was brought in not only because of the injury to Omar Gaither that possibly could sideline him the year, but because of his skill in pass coverage, particularly on the tight end. It's an area in which the Eagles have struggled ever since Jim Johnson took over the defense.

His blitzing defense just didn't plan for the tight end, and now with McDermott's defense being essentially the same thing, the tight end is still an area of concern. With the all-star tight ends in this division, that's just not an option any longer.

The defense can no longer afford to give up 100 yards and two touchdowns to the tight end every week and expect to win. It killed them last week against the Raiders, so it can definitely come back to bite them against the likes of Chris Cooley and the Redskins, and Jason Witten and the Cowboys.

They may have to employ a bracket coverage of Cooley to stop him, but if that's what it takes, then they have to do it. The Redskins' receivers, Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El, should be no match for Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown, so putting a safety over top to watch the tight end should not hurt them on the outside.

I don't know if that's their plan, but there needs to be some sort of plan or Cooley will exploit the defense and could single-handedly win this game for the 'Skins.
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Losing Gaither is a huge blow to this Eagles 'D'.


We all knew that Omar Gaither's foot injury was more serious than what was being let on once the Eagles swung a trade for the Rams' Will Witherspoon. However I'm not sure anyone thought the prognosis would be a Lis Franc sprain and season-ending surgery.

But that's where the Eagles stand now. It's another starting linebacker down for the year, forcing the Eagles to give up a fifth-round pick and a promising young rookie receiver just to patch up a linebacking corps decimated by injury all year long.

First it was Stewart Bradley going down for the season, then Joe Mays began suffering from several different injuries, hampering his progression as a player and even having him inactive for most of the games played this season.

Now with Gaither down for the season, the depth is about as impressive as a kiddie pool. Jeremiah Trotter and Tracy White are both veteran guys who have spent their careers on the opposite end of the spectrum as far as success goes, but both are about equal at this point in their careers. White doesn't have the skill of Trotter, but is younger and much quicker.

Joe Mays is someone Eagles fans are familiar with as a kid with a lot of raw talent that he just can't seem to turn into playing time. He seems lost in the system, and at this point is only a special teams player.

Then Moise Fokou is a surprise seventh-round pick who is really making leaps and strides in this defense, but is still not where he needs to be to make an impact even as a backup.

So it seems that right now Trotter and White are the most likely candidates to step in were one of the starters (Akeem Jordan at WILL, the newly-acquired Will Witherspoon at MIKE, and Chris Gocong at SAM) were to go down or just need a breather.

Another option is using guys like Juqua Parker, Trent Cole, and Darren Howard in a Joker role as stand-up pass rushers, but that would be a worst-case scenario and only in certain situations.

Witherspoon is an upgrade over Gaither as a starter in the middle, but having a starting-caliber backup at two positions would have been invaluable to an Eagles defense that's been suffering for quality depth at linebacker for a few years now.

Either way, Gaither is out for year and coach McDermott will have to find a way to adjust and create opportunites for the guys he has.
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Welcome Brand New Eagles Linebacker, Will Witherspoon.


News just coming in that the Philadelphia Eagles have acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams.

To clear the roster spot for Witherspoon, the Eagles have shipped Wide Receiver Brandon Gibson, along with a 5th round pick in the draft to St. Louis.

Witherspoon, an 8 year veteran from the University of Georgia, will add much needed depth to the Eagles weak linebacking corps. The same linebacking corps that all but cost the Eagles the game this past Sunday.

Witherspoon can play all threee linebacking positions. We know how much Andy Reid loves his versatile linebackers, and Witherspoon fits that mold to a T.

The linebacking group has been lacking since the loss of starter, Stewart Bradley, early in the pre-season at a charity event, and his absence has been painfully obvious.

The Eagles attempted to fill the hole with former Eagle and fan favorite, Jeremiah Trotter, but that experiment didn't quite work out. He should still be safe on the roster, but no longer get the quality minutes that he has been since signing.

Witherspoon has 33 tackles, 29 solo, 2 safeties, and a forced fumble for the hapless Rams.

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