Eagles Snag LB Witherspoon
October 20, 2009
| Last Updated: 10/20/09 4:55 PM ET
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Comments (18)
The Eagles have swung an important trade deadline deal for versatile linebacker Will Witherspoon. Witherspoon, 6-1, 239 pounds, was acquired by the St. Louis Rams in exchange for rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a 2010 fifth-round draft pick.
During his career, Witherspoon has played both weakside linebacker, his starting position with the Rams, and middle linebacker. Drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third-round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia, Witherspoon has recorded over 100 tackles in a season three times, including in 2007 when he was named the Rams' team MVP.
This season, the 29-year-old Witherspoon has recorded 36 tackles, third-best on the team, and a forced fumble. One of the most durable players in the league, Witherspoon has only missed two games in his eight-year career.
Gibson was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth-round of the 2009 NFL draft and made the team out of training camp after an impressive preseason. He has been inactive for all six games this season.
| 2002 |
Car. |
15/8 |
88 |
49 |
39 |
1.5 |
17.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 2003 |
Car. |
16/16 |
114 |
76 |
38 |
1.0 |
9.0 |
1 |
10 |
10 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 |
Car. |
16/16 |
110 |
82 |
28 |
3.0 |
21.0 |
4 |
48 |
25 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
| 2005 |
Car. |
15/15 |
109 |
78 |
31 |
2.5 |
13.0 |
2 |
35 |
35 |
1 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2006 |
StL. |
16/16 |
136 |
104 |
32 |
3.0 |
8.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 2007 |
StL. |
16/16 |
132 |
103 |
29 |
7.0 |
54.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
| 2008 |
StL. |
12/12 |
88 |
61 |
27 |
1.0 |
10.0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2009 |
StL. |
6/6 |
36 |
24 |
12 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Totals |
116/105 |
813 |
577 |
236 |
19.0 |
132.0 |
8 |
95 |
35 |
1 |
48 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 4:17 p.m., October 20
karag11@comcast
10/21/09
4:59 pm ET |
smart thinking getting a good cover Lb who is also a sure tackler. I checked his stats a lot of solo tackles witherspoon has. If we keep patterson and bunkley healthy he should be able to scrape up the left overs. His speed on the field will transfer nicely to our D.
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Moe_Green
10/21/09
10:45 am ET |
utang and e36, you two have to be the dumbest people alive. how on god's green earth is this a bad move? the guy palyed very well at MLB when he was with the panthers,, he's a great addition to this tam. were you happy watching trotter get burned? becasue that's aht would have happened all season if they left him at MLB. that was the dumb move. We weren't bad agaisnt the run to begin with, so bringing trotter back was the dumb move, not signing witherspoon. get your brains checked. sheesh!
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p_ware428@...
10/21/09
7:47 am ET |
Hey IamNOTEagle, you're an idiot...Reid is the coach whether you like it or not, shut the F up and leave this website forever.
As far as Gibson, pshhh! He's not the future, Maclin is. Witherspoon has been a consistantly awesome linebacker for years. Trotter was the worst FO move, he's old, slow, and we should just throw the #54 up in the air and retire it.
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jamie17
10/21/09
12:24 am ET |
Against Washington, we need to at least establish the threat of a running game so that they will respect it. We can't have them calling all their best pass blitzes and zone coverages on every play while we try to pass into the strength of their coverages.
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jamie17
10/21/09
12:22 am ET |
I've always liked what Reid and Heckert do with the personnel on this team.(Aside from a few exceptions like Greg Lewis and Michael Vick) I just wish this offense had a decent play-caller and maybe a more accurate QB. That's not a knock on Donovan, but if you're gonna pass 50+ times a game, you're gonna do it against the defenses best coverages and McNabb might not be the right fit in an offense that throws the ball so much. I like him, but seriously call better plays or he'll continue to struggle and so will the line against all the stunts and blitzes they throw at us on first down because they know that we're always passing!!!!
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bilal3311@...
10/20/09
10:40 pm ET |
our linebackers are lookin pretty sick now #56 Akeem Jordan out of JMU is the truth.
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IamEagle
10/20/09
6:34 pm ET |
Goodbye Andy Reid...Hello Bill Cowher
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jamie17
10/20/09
6:01 pm ET |
What I find interesting is that Witherspoon is already listed as the starter and Gaither has been bumped to number four.
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andrew_short69@...
10/20/09
5:52 pm ET |
im glad the eagles picked up witherspoon ive liked him since he was drafted by carolina he also is a solid tackler aswell as being able to cover TE's plus if our Defense couldnt cover winslow, or zack miller, what would happen when we played the teams in our division ie boss,witten, cooley, the eagles dont want to give those guys the kind of games winslow and miller had, i was high on gibson to but realisticly with maclin and jackson, where does he really sit in future plans, 3 solid recievers including avant, and add celek plus mccoy and WEST the BEST. P.S weve gettin beat alot on RB screens aswell. Good pick up FO.
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ksherm88@...
10/20/09
5:23 pm ET |
If Gibson is some godsend then why has he been inactive for each game this season? The preseason is exactly that, and is really indicative of nothing. (see: Joe Mays). It's a deal that brings in a speedy linebacker who CAN COVER TEs, while only giving up an inactive player with "potential" and a 5th round pick. It's a solid move. With his versatility, you could move him outside and even bring Gocong to the middle if size is such a concern. Quit cryin'.
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eagles105
10/20/09
5:09 pm ET |
you guys are nuts Witherspoon can do one thing are mlb can't do cover TE'S and he has speed
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lissette_n_tavo@...
10/20/09
5:09 pm ET |
If Trotter is the problem they should had traded him instead, not the best WR in preseason. Well, it is what it is. I think is a bad move, given Gibson away, sad.
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e36agles@...
10/20/09
4:48 pm ET |
i hope once stew bradly is back witherspoon takes outside linebacker because its not jus mlb thats not to good its the olb to
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amuniz17
10/20/09
4:46 pm ET |
I dunno where this trade came from .. i had high hopes for Brandon Gibson...why Will Witherspoon???is it cuz J.Trotter couldn't cover the Raiders Tight ends??
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PDS-PHeat
10/20/09
4:43 pm ET |
Bo man you gotta post these articles before you post the link! Took at least 10 minutes for this article to be available! You know we Eagles fans aren't known for our patience! Another 5 seconds and I would have boo'ed you.
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lissette_n_tavo@...
10/20/09
4:42 pm ET |
I don't know, Gibson was preaty good, they never gave him a chance.
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e36agles@...
10/20/09
4:39 pm ET |
this fo is so stupid worst trade ive ever seen with all the big name players on the block we get a scrub the FO is stupid shawn merriman would of been beter than this guy hes to small its just flat out pathetic i lost all respect for this FO
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utang1602@...
10/20/09
4:36 pm ET |
I'm beginning to think the Eagles FO collectively lacks brain cells. If Gaither is "too small" for the position and people question whether he can "hold up through the season," why do you trade for a high-dollar player who weighs a whopping 4 pounds more than Omar and is shorter (or at the most, the same height)?
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