SB Nation - Will Witherspoon

The Linc - Vick tops a list, Umenyoria gets demoted, & Georgia Eagles

JasonB — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:00:22 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

19 days ago: Bernard Hopkins, left, of Philadelphia, poses with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick after Hopkins' non-title light heavyweight boxing match against Enrique Ornelas, of Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009, in Philadelphia. Hopkins won in 12 rounds with a unanimous decision. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

View full size photo »

Homecoming For Five UGA Eagles - Philadelphia Eagles
Michael Vick isn't the only Eagles' player with a homecoming of sorts on tap this Sunday when the team travel south to play the Atlanta Falcons. For Will Witherspoon, Chris Clemons, Sean Jones, Reggie Brown and Max Jean-Gilles, the trip to the Georgia dome will be a return to the state where they played their college football. All five players went to the University of Georgia - the biggest collection of players from one college on the Eagles' roster.

KSMU - Nixa Schools Changing Logo Due To Trademark Concerns
The Nixa Public School district is taking a proactive step to avoid a possible trademark infringement lawsuit. The school’s current eagle athletic logo is identical to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles logo, with just the colors changed.

Eagles Notes: An opportunity for Reggie Brown
"He's a good player," Avant said, "and I heard one guy say if Reggie Brown is your third or fourth receiver on the team, that group is pretty good. But he's a No. 1 guy no matter where he goes, and he has the opportunity to prove it again."

It appears that Osi's been demoted - NFC East Blog - ESPN
Greetings from Manhattan, where folks are abuzz about the news that Giants Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora may have been demoted for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Eagles' penalties; Giants demoting Osi? | Philly | 12/05/2009
Before the season, if I would have predicted that Winston Justice would play well and get a four-year extension, and Umenyiora would get demoted, well, you likely would have stopped reading MTC. Crazy how things play out in this league.

ESPN The Mag: In Vick's own words - NFC East Blog - ESPN
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick showed up at No. 13 on ESPN The Magazine's list of the top 100 stories of the year. In a story from the Dec. 14 issue, Vick opens up about what it's like to have transitioned from prison to the NFL.

Rams going with a QB, DE and OLB in early mock draft

VanRam — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:20:41 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

"Oh, can I feel them?" USC defensive end Everson Griffen

Browse more photos »

Who's ready for a mock draft? I thought so. With the St. Louis Rams sitting at 1-10, it's a great time to take a look at some of the mock drafts out there and start getting some fodder for discussion.

Browsing around Walter Football this morning looking at prospect rankings, I checked out their mock draft, which was last updated today. Their mock has the Rams addressing three key needs through the first three rounds. Given the success of the first three round picks in 2009, it's an encouraging sight to see. (Of course Bradley Fletcher, er, I mean Fletcher Bradley has had an injury derail his season). Alright, here are the Rams first three picks from Walter Football:

Round 1, #3: Jake Locker, QB, Washington

Marc Bulger suffers a season-ending injury the week after Peter Petrelli loses his healing abilities... coincidence? Probably.

It'll be shocking if Bulger is back in 2010, and Kyle Boller certainly isn't the answer. The Rams need a franchise quarterback. The question is which guy they'll select.

If Jimmy Clausen is off the board, Jake Locker will be the guy; he has moved ahead of Sam Bradford in the wake of Bradford's multiple shoulder injuries.

Round 2, #34: Everson Griffen, DE, USC

Aside from Chris Long, all of the Rams defensive ends will be free agents in March. St. Louis needs to get more than 18 sacks on opposing quarterbacks anyhow.

Round 3, #65: Roddrick Muckelroy, OLB, Texas

The Rams traded Will Witherspoon to the Eagles, so their current starting weakside linebacker is Paris Lenon. It doesn't get much worse than that.

Full disclosure, I don't know much about Muckelroy at all. Aside from that tiny little detail, I like this draft. The one thing you could make a case for is throwing a WR in the mix, maybe Brandon LaFell from LSU, who they have going in the second round. Of course, in a year deep with DL talent, getting Griffen in the second round is hardly a bad deal. This approach would necessitate some important moves in free agency, most notably signing a DT and a WR.

What do you think about these picks? Is this a reasonable route to pursue for the Rams? If it shook out like this in April, would you be disappointed?

Could Akeem Jordan return this Sunday?

JasonB — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

Browse more photos »

The absence of Akeem Jordan has thrown the Eagles LB corps into a bit of disarray. At different times his absence has forced the Eagles to move Will Witherspoon & Chris Gocong around, start guys like Joe Mays & Moises Fokou... His return would not only add a good LB to the unit, it would also bring a return to some normalcy.

After missing 3 straight games, Jordan was listed as a full participant in today's practice. He was asked if this meant he'd play this weekend.

"That's always the plan, to get back on the field as soon as you can. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and go from there."

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:03:21 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

25 days ago: Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) has his hand examined during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Browse more photos »

Happy Wednesday, and welcome to a day-late, dollar-short version of ST&NO. First of all, big up TJ for working hard to bring in his outstanding The Dude Abides... Stats That Don't Lie in a day early. I am a bit healthier on Tuesday as I write this, and I am going to see what I can get cranked out in one day, with moderate sneezing, and a heavy Day 1 of close workload in that pesky day job. I didn't take notes, and I didn't remember to record the Broncos game, so I am without a lot of detail this week, and will need to speak more generally than usual. No time to waste, so let's not waste any time. Ready..... BEGIN!!!

1. So I mentioned that I would be in the Constitution State, and that I'd be playing in a football game with my friend Tony, a diehard Giants fan. The morning game was fun, but I ended up pretty sore, for those who asked. It's tough playing once a year at the most.

As for the night game, well, my mom is not what you'd call a high-tech person. Every time I visit, without fail, there's some junk Coby brand DVD player she wants me to plug into some junk/old TV set without RCA inputs. (You have to drop like $40 on an RF modulator to run through coax, which is about 2.5 times the price of the DVD player.) The "how" of plugging in a DVD player is too daunting for my mom to even give it a try for herself. In her main TV-watching area, she has a 21ish-inch Symphonic brand LCD flat screen that I am sure came from Wal-Mart. Her equipment is garbage, but it works for her I guess. Law & Order SVU looks fine on it. (I don't mean to make fun of my mother; she just doesn't share my priorities, or general attitude toward spending a few extra bucks for quality gear.) It turned out to be moot anyway, because NFL Network is on a premium tier she doesn't subscribe to.

So, what to do? Well, Tony was still around. I asked if he wanted to go to a bar for the game, but he ended up inviting me to his parents' house to watch, which was cool. His dad, also Tony, is also a big Giants fan. I usually watch football alone, because I don't consider it to be a social activity. It's really kind of become my job, and I do best when I can take notes, and pause and rewind, and focus on being analytical. I will talk to my brother Chris sometimes during games, but that's annoying, because my DirecTV feed is always 2-3 seconds behind his, so he knows what happened before I do.

Last Thursday, I sat in the living room with Tony and Tony. Tony Version 2.0's mother, and his girlfriend Ana, were there for most of the first half. I like them both very much, but having women around for a Broncos game was a whole other level of different for me. Like, I don't think it has happened since I was married, and that ended Halloween 2007.

But I digest. (I just had a sandwich from Tomayydo Tomahhdo for lunch. It was excellent, as always.) Back to the lecture at hand. I'm watching this game with two Giants fans and their women, and I got it in my mind that I was going to be really respectful of the Giants one way or the other. It turned out I had to do so in the one way, and not the other, which made me happy. For me, it's easier to be gracious in victory than in defeat.

The Broncos dominated the Giants, and in my opinion, played their best all-around game of the season. Kyle Orton threw one bad ball that he'd like to have back. The Giants got one receiver wide open on a well-conceived rub play where Alphonso Smith and Andre' Goodman ran into each other. The line had those 3 stupid scoring-area false starts, and gave up one sack, on the opening play of the game, and it came from the free rusher on a blitz (which puts it on coverage and Orton). Other than those few plays, and a sense that Correll Buckhalter went down a little too easily a couple of times, I wouldn't change much of anything.

McGeorge asked after the San Diego game if I still stood by my 11-5 prediction. I wanted to see how the Broncos did against New York, but after that, I sure do. The Giants game showed the exact formula that the Broncos can use to beat just about anybody. On defense, it was coverage, pressure, and gap control. On offense, it was sharp routes, great catches and good throws, combined with hard running and excellent run blocking. If the Broncos play like that, they will crush the Raiders and Chiefs, and end up with a minimum of 10 wins. They match up pretty well with both the Colts and the Eagles, too, and I think they can win 1 out of those 2 games. Here is my rationale for saying they match up well.

Indianapolis - The Colts are not a complete team, but nobody really is in the salary cap era. What the Colts are is a team which is constructed around the idea that their QB is going to give them leads, and that their defense will therefore need to protect leads. What does that mean? Well, they value zone coverage and pressure from their DEs. If you make them defend both the pass and the run on any given snap, you can score on them without a lot of trouble. Because the Colts can't stop even an average running game with 7 men, their SS Melvin Bullitt runs down into the box very frequently, and the Colts are therefore susceptible to being beaten over the top on play action, if you can run against them. It was no accident how the Texans got out to a big lead Sunday. They ran and threw, and had the Colts defense off balance early. The Colts rookie CBs couldn't handle Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter, and I'm here to tell you, they have nothing for Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal either. The Texans can't handle Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and the Broncos can, assuming Ryan Harris is fully back by then. The Broncos can block the Colts DEs, beat their CBs, and move their front seven in the running game.

Remember this point. Just because the Colts are 3^rd in scoring defense (just behind Cincinnati and Dallas, and just ahead of Denver) doesn't mean they have a good defense. They really don't. They have a defense which is equipped to take care of leads by making teams gain yards in smallish chunks, and by sacking QBs with edge pressure. That, combined with Peyton Manning's constant use of the whole play clock leads to low-scoring days by opposing offenses

The trick, of course, is defending the Colts, and that's where the Broncos have historically struggled. This Broncos team, however, is better equipped than any in recent memory to have some success. The Colts do best when they can run the ball, and I like the Broncos' chances to stop their running game with 7 ½ men (meaning Brian Dawkins is starting in a cover-2 shell, but keying run first). By stopping the Colts run, you take away their play action stuff, which makes Peyton Manning beat you with perfect throws, and his receivers beat you with perfect routes. Which, of course, they can do, but it's a harder go than the other way. I like the secondary matchups pretty well for the Broncos, from Champ Bailey against Reggie Wayne, Andre' Goodman against Pierre Garcon, Ty Law or Alphonso Smith against Austin Collie, and either Law or Josh Barrett against Dallas Clark. The Clark matchup is key against the Colts, and I like Law and Barrett, depending on down and distance, better than anybody else's sub-package guys in the NFL for covering a big-time TE.

I'm not saying the game will be a runaway Broncos win, just that I can easily make a case for them TO win, and that I think they CAN win. What do you think?

Philadelphia - This is a game the Broncos SHOULD win. The Eagles are a lot like the Giants, from both schematic and personnel perspectives. From the angle of attacking Philly's defense, you can outside zone them to death, like the Broncos did so well against the Giants. That's because their LBs tend to be bigger, slower guys who struggle a bit to cover the lateral width of the field. Will Witherspoon is an exception to that archetype, but Chris Gocong, Joe Mays, and Moise Fokou are vertical players.

You have to block the Eagles' blitz packages, and it really helps to stay on schedule against them. That's a bit easier than it is against a Baltimore or Pittsburgh, because you can run the ball. (They're currently ranked 8^th against the run, but trust me, you can gash them if you try a little.) In the passing game, you'd like to exploit Asante Samuel, who bites on a ton of double moves. Yes, he's a ball-hawk, but he doesn't shut anybody down. He can catch extremely well, and he's an excellent tackler, but he's just an okay coverage player. Sheldon Brown is kind of the opposite; better in coverage, but lesser as a ball-hawk and tackler. Where you can kill the Eagles is from the slot, and with TEs, especially if you block their blitz packages.

Offensively, the Eagles are a big-play offense, and the Broncos have been as good as anybody in the NFL at limiting big plays. Brent Celek got paid Tuesday, and he deserved it. He's a very good receiving TE. The Eagles don't have a big, physical #1 type WR, but they have two speedsters outside with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. The guy I think is dangerous is Jason Avant, who is much stronger and more physical than the average slot receiver, and he's a tough matchup for the average thin/quick nickel CB. Of course, Alphonso Smith and Ty Law are both thicker/stronger players, so it's less of an issue. I don't fear the Eagles running game, because if you stop it early, they quit going to it.

This game can go either way, obviously, but the Broncos are well-equipped to get a good road win in Philadelphia. I feel pretty good about both games, actually. So, yeah. I still like the 11-5 prediction.

2. Information From My Eyes - Other Games:

a. Richard Seymour is still playing at a high level in Oakland, despite his fairly modest statistics this season. I watched him defeat the left side of the Cowboys offensive line several times on Thanksgiving Day. Seymour's contract is up after this season, and you have to think he'd rather not re-up with the Raiders. Of course, given the price Al Davis paid, he probably gets franchised. If he somehow isn't, I'd sure like to see him in Denver. Forget all this nonsense about building exclusively through the draft; as we've all hopefully realized this season, a team should take any approach available to it, in order to acquire the most good players possible.

b. Anthony Spencer had the best game I have ever seen him have for the Cowboys. Some Dallas fans took exception with my calling Spencer "just a guy" in Week 3, and if he keeps playing like he did last Thursday, I'll have to rethink my evaluation.

c. I have been a fan of the Cowboys' passing scheme for several years now, going back to the end of the Parcells regime. In 2007, when I started to make it my business to watch teams other than the Broncos closely, Jason Garrett was the young, hot name as the Offensive Coordinator, and Jerry Jones paid him a lot of money not to leave for jobs in Baltimore and Atlanta after the 2007 season.

When Tony Sparano left to become the Dolphins Head Coach last season, it came to light that Garrett hadn't been the primary playcaller in 2007, and that he'd be doing it for the first time in 2008 with Sparano's departure. The Cowboys took a noticeable step back last season, and some of the bloom came off the Garrett rose, even as he interviewed for Head Coaching jobs with the Broncos, Lions, and Rams, and seemed to initially be the favorite for the Rams job. There was speculation that Jones would love to be out from under Garrett's $3-million contract.

Well, the point of the history lesson is that the scheme and execution look much better in Dallas lately than they have since Sparano left. I don't know if this makes Garrett a Head Coach, but it makes him a guy who appears to have grown into his job. The Cowboys' passing scheme is very vertical, and it does a good job of getting the ball in the hands of its playmakers. Some will say they don't get Roy Williams involved enough, but those people believe more in Williams than I do. I think he is what he looks like; a lazy player, who has below average hands, lacks quickness out of his breaks, and rounds off his routes. If there's no salary cap for the Cowboys to take a prorated hit against, I guarantee that he gets released in the offseason, and has to beg for a 1 year, $1-million contract to compete for a backup role somewhere.

d. Charles Woodson is playing the best football of his career right now, which I have mentioned several times this season. He had a big stat game Thursday on national TV, and now everybody is on the bandwagon with me. I actually thought it may have only been the 3rd- or 4th-best game I have seen him play this season. To me, he's the no-question Defensive Player of the Year so far.

e. The Packers defense has really gotten their act together lately, and are a big key to the push they seem to be making. I am pretty comfortable projecting that the Packers will be in the postseason as a Wild Card at this point.

f. Jim Leonhard of the Jets is a tremendously underrated player, and I left him out of my Good AFC Safeties list last week, kind of by accident. He is always around the football, and I've been a big fan of his game going all the way back to his days at Wisconsin. The Broncos offered him more money than the Jets this offseason, but he chose to follow Rex Ryan. It seems like it was a good decision for him, anyway.

g. I watched the Short Cut of the Jets-Panthers game, and I agree with Doug Lee that Mark Sanchez's 13-of-17 stat line was very misleading. He had happy feet, and he looked really confused a lot of the time.

h. I've seen a few people starting to use the line which goes "If Alex Smith plays like he did Sunday, the Niners might not replace him in the draft." Really, he has played pretty well for six games, better than ever before in his career. I think the decision would already be made, if it was up to me. You have a guy who is proving he can play, and he's improving even as teams get some film on him. That rollout and throw to Frank Gore for the second TD was a thing of beauty, as Smith waited till the last possible second, and threw the ball to the only spot he could put it. I'd be looking to improve the offensive line, and counting on having a Top-10 offense next season, with Smith, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, and Vernon Davis. Joe Staley is a solid LT when he's healthy, but General Manager Scot McCloughan really would do well to replace the other 4 starters up front. Sunday's game was the first time in 18 games that the 49ers didn't give up a single sack.

i. I tend to like a lot of University of Florida guys, but Ray McDonald is really coming into his own in a specialist role for the 49ers. He looked unblockable at times Sunday. McDonald usually plays in passing situations at DE. According to ESPN, he didn't record a tackle, but he did recover a fumble. I'm telling you, though, he was defeating some blocks Sunday, and bringing a lot of pressure.

3. There are two kinds of name-droppers, and I am the second kind. It's not like I am extremely famous (yet) with my writing for this site, but when you think about it, I'm known by more people than probably 98% of the population. I'm definitely more famous than any of my friends and family, and in the course of telling my stories, I find it adds rhetorical flourish to mention them sometimes, and it's also fun to share my little bit of light with them. I tell people, if they want to make ST&NO, they should do something interesting with me.

The first kind of name-dropper is the one who tries to stand in other people's light. Our dear friend Jay Glazer is the quintessential example of this kind. Check this douchebaggery, from Tuesday night:

First of all, it's Too $hort, not two-short. And, you know what? That's all I have on that topic. I like making fun of Glazer, but whatever, you know? Fish in a barrel.

I am now going to name-drop a person who is as famous as I am. I met Doug Lee for lunch in Manhattan on Saturday. Yes, THE Doug Lee. Friggin Horse Tracks Doug Lee, people! Doug is a cool guy, and he suggested a great burger spot on the Upper East Side.

The lunch conversation was very interesting, the food was terrific, and it was great to meet Doug, but the hijinks ensued when I left to get back on the road back to Cleveland. I had parked on E 71st Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue (for 14 bucks for 2 1/2 hours.) I came out heading south on 2nd Ave, thinking my GPS would send me back to the FDR, and the Triboro bridge, back up to catch the George Washington Bridge.

Well, it took about 2 minutes for my boy Tom Tom to reacquire a signal, and by then I had gone south 10-15 blocks on 2nd. Tom Tom then wanted me to go to the Lincoln Tunnel, the entrance for which is in the 30s, off 9th Avenue, so significantly south and west of where I started out. It's an unquestionably stupid way to go, driving over the river and through the woods in Manhattan, even on a Saturday afternoon, especially considering the Lincoln Tunnel spits you out on the New Jersey Turnpike, heading toward the world-renowned hell-hole of Newark.. (Home of wred-mann.)

Where's the payoff pitch? Here it goes. I was sitting at a traffic light at E 43rd St and 2nd Avenue, and this Puerto Rican guy (with a flag on his shirt, incidentally), knocked on my window. I looked at him like, WTF? But I lowered the window, and he told my right rear tire area looked like it was on fire, and was smoking like crazy. A woman walking behind him told me the same thing, so I pulled over on 43rd and troubleshot it with my dad on the phone for awhile, before deducing that the emergency brake had probably stayed clamped to the rotor, and was causing sparks and smoke. I watched it, with my mirror pointed down, but eventually I was comfortable enough to go through the tunnel, and eventually through Newark, and back to I-80. The moral of the story is if somebody knocks on your window, he may be trying to be helpful, so you shouldn't look cross-eyed at him, as a matter of instinct. Also, sometimes, Tom Tom messing up is a blessing in disguise. If I had gone FDR to the Triboro, to the GW, It would have been all highway, with nobody walking down the sidewalk to knock.

4. One of the hazards of relying on "insiders" for information is that it comes with agendas and spin. Pro Football Weekly is a (Bill Williamson Memorial) decent site, but they rely tremendously on anonymous insider commentary. They've been talking to somebody who seems incentivized to cast Raheem Morris as woefully inept. Check this out:

Talk of the Buccaneers giving head coach Raheem Morris another offseason to turn the team around is fading fast, as his latest bold decision was another admission of failure in a season marked with disappointment. Morris seized defensive coordinator duties from Jim Bates on Nov. 24 and demoted Bates to what is being described as an advisory role, although it's not clear just what kind of involvement or authority, if any, Bates will have for the rest of his time with the organization.

Morris made a couple of mistakes in hiring his staff, but they were the kind of mistakes a first-timer can make, especially one who gets a Head Coaching job a month after most of the movement was over. There's this persistent meme that relieving Jeff Jagodzinski and Jim Bates of their duties somehow shows Morris to be weak. I say it's the other way around. He realized that he had made mistakes, and he let sunk costs be sunk costs, and made the moves that he felt gave his team the best chance to win.

Morris's team is 1-10, but the Bucs have improved as the season has gone on, and it would be asinine to fire him after a season which was a declared rebuilding year, where a coach who they knew was probably hired a year too early learned the ropes.

There are a lot of haters in the world, and I relate pretty closely to Morris. I have always been an overachiever, who has consistently beaten out older, more experienced professional competition for promotions and recognition. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I have a pretty good deal of talent, and a strong work ethic. The majority of my critics have only been moderately talented people, with medium work ethics. Let's face it, there are a lot of people in the center of the bell curve. I am in the center of the bell curve in certain ways, and so is everybody. I am not, though, as an accountant, and Raheem Morris is not as a football coach.

So, some 25-year career assistant who has been hired and fired 15 times is jealous of Morris and his early success. He spouts off to Dan Parr at PFW, and Parr writes that article above. The same thing was going on with Josh McDaniels, with the questioning of his ability, and Josh only got clear of it by winning. Morris will, too.

Even a guy like Marshall Faulk was hating on Morris on Sunday morning, intimating that all the young coach knew how to call was Tampa-2. Well, for 7 end-of-game goal-to-go plays, he called press man-to-man, and his guys covered well. On 4th down, Roddy White made a great play, and won the game for the Falcons. Really, if Connor Barth had hit the 51-yard field goal he attempted, they would have only been playing for a tie. I saw somewhere Morris was criticized for kicking the field goal rather than punting. Really? The point is don't listen to these idiots. I'd be very surprised if the Glazer family is.

5. I have a couple of quick college thoughts.

a. The Head Coaching job at Notre Dame is not a good one. I could usually take or leave SI.com's Stewart Mandel, but he has it exactly right. The expectations there are entirely unreasonable, given the constraints they face. If I were Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, there is no way in hell I'd take that job. At Cincinnati, he has a program whose credibility is on the rise, and who will soon be taken more seriously in the National Championship picture. At Notre Dame, there's just faded mystique.

b. I am a Florida fan, and I think it is unlikely that Tim Tebow wins the Heisman Trophy. I am actually pretty excited for the prospect of the lesser Colt McCoy winning, because history will be repeating itself. I am projecting a win against Alabama, and a Texas win against Nebraska, neither of which is a foregone conclusion, but let's say it happens like that. Tebow will lead Florida into a National Championship game against a guy he lost the Heisman to. I would be really bullish for Florida's 3rd title in 4 years, even more than I already am.

c. Speaking of the Heisman, I think it's ridiculous how it's turned into nothing more than a tool for media conjecture. Frankly, it follows along the same line of thinking that dominates professional football writing, that all of the best players are QBs and RBs, joined by the occasional WR. It's a total farce.

That's all I have this week. I will be back next Tuesday for more of a full-figured ST&NO. Have a great week, and Go Broncos!

Rams run defense missing Will Witherspoon?

VanRam — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:13:30 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

Browse more photos »

The St. Louis Rams run defense is taking a beating this week on the field and in the media. Today's Post-Dispatch features an article discussing the run defense, or lack thereof, in the Rams most recent loss. In that piece Spagnuolo says it's not the scheme, but stops short of pointing to a specific issue. Yesterday, PD columnist Bernie Miklasz had another change of heart about the Rams and asked, "is there any acceptable rationalization for the Rams' pitiful run defense?"

Well, actually, there is an explanation, but it's not one the head coach can publicly pronounce without incurring a locker room mutiny and it's not related to the effort of the team as Bernie suggests. The explanation: the Rams lack talent at outside linebacker and defensive tackle. It's as simple as that. For this post, I want to get into the OLB issue, specifically, the loss of Will Witherspoon, something I think has had a pretty substantial impact on the Rams ability to stop opposing rushers.

The Rams traded Witherspoon after week six, and have now played five games without him at OLB. When the move was made, lots of people, myself included, saw the long-term benefits of the move and thought that the Spoon had been relatively quiet. In those five games without Witherspoon, it's looking more and more like the Rams miss his services. Check out these stats:

	Total rush yards	YPG	YPC
Weeks 1-6	795	132.5	4.28
Weeks 7-12	839	167.8	5.68

First of all, it's worth noting that the Rams run defense was hardly elite in the six games before the Witherspoon trade. However, they had shown some real progress limiting San Francisco and Minnesota to less than 100 yards on the ground in weeks 4 and 5. In week 6, Jones-Drew gouged them for 133 yards of Jacksonville's total rushing output of 166 yards. Since week seven, the Rams run defense has, well, gone down hill. Even the lowly Lions ran for a total of 127 yards in the Rams only win of the season.

I think what's happening to the run defense, in part, is due to teams making an effort to take Laurinaitis out of plays and not have to worry about the backups playing OLB. Witherspoon may not have had the tackles that Laurinaitis had to that point in the season, but opponents had to account for both players, especially the known commodity in Witherspoon. Nothing personal Paris Lenon, but it's just not the same.

Of course, that's not the only factor at play here. The defensive line still stinks, etc. But I don't think you can discount the impact of losing Witherspoon. The numbers certainly lend some credibility to that notion.

Thinking long term, the decision to trade Witherspoon isn't necessarily a bad one. Spagnuolo has a documented approach for making good linebackers out of guys who aren't among the top tier at their position, i.e. the kind of guys that would command the big free agent contracts. Right now, though, the Rams are trying to make it work with role players, deferring the acquisition of "their guys" for next season. Good decision or bad, that remains to be seen. Right now it means some suffering on Sundays, and that's really driving the criticism and making it tough for even the true believers to see something positive on the horizon.

Philadelphia Eagles Opponents previews - Washington Redskins

JasonB — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:49:58 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

Browse more photos »

This is the next part in our series of previews of the Eagles 2009 opponents. Joining us for this feature is Dave Schwab, who writes about the Eagles at his site Eagles Lincs.

Another week and another "must win" game. In what will likely be a close fight for a division title or playoff spot, every in conference win is important and that goes double for division games. The Redskins stand i the way of the Eagles going to 7-4 with a very strong in conference record which would put them in the driver's seat for a playoff berth.

Dave's full analysis of the game is after the jump.

After a big 24-20 win over Chicago on Sunday night the 6-4 Eagles return home this Sunday, November 30th to host the Washington Redskins in 1:00 P.M. start at Lincoln Financial Field. The Redskins fell to 3-7 on the year after a tough 7-6 loss to Dallas last week in a game that they had numerous opportunities to put the Cowboys away, but costly mistakes including two missed field goals by Shaun Suisham proved to be the difference. The loss basically ended any hope for Washington to turn their season around as they are now left to play out the string of their remaining six games. Head coach Jim Zorn will most likely be fired at the end of the season as owner Dan Snyder will once again look to hire someone who can come in and change the fortunes of a franchise that has fallen on hard times.

In their first meeting back in week seven, the Eagles used big plays and solid defense to pound out a 27-17 win. The Redskins turned the ball over four times including a Jason Campbell interception that was returned nine yards for a touchdown by LB Will Witherspoon. On offense, WR DeSean Jackson scored on a 67 yard run and a 57 yard pass play to give the Eagles an early lead that they never relinquished. The ability to jump on Washington early and often was the key to this first win. In this Sunday’s game, the Eagles will need to concentrate on once again getting to Campbell and causing him to make some bad decisions with the ball. With the status of RB Clinton Portis still uncertain and Ladell Betts out for the season with a knee injury, Washington’s running attack will be severely limited so Campbell may be forced to try and beat the Eagles with his arm which should play into the strength of the Bird’s defense.

Through eleven games the Redskins rank 29^th in points per game, 25^th in total yards, 21^st in passing offense and 19^th in rushing offense. While those numbers paint a pretty ugly picture for their offense, defensively they are much better. They rank 6^th in points allowed, 4^th in total yards allowed, and 1^st against the pass. Their only weakness is against the run where they rank 25^th. If the Eagles can incorporate the same offensive mix they used last week against the Bears, effectively using the run to set up the pass they should be able to move the ball against this team. The availability of DT Albert Haynesworth, who sat out last week’s game against Dallas with a sprained left ankle, could make a difference how well Philadelphia will be able to run against this team.

The Redskins are still a dangerous team, but I think last week’s loss to the Cowboys took whatever motivation they had left and pretty much crushed it. We all remember the game toward the end of last year when the Eagles were faced with a must win situation to make the playoffs and Washington shut them down 10-3. I’m sure Andy Reid will make his team painfully aware of this as to keep them from looking past this game. Washington on the other hand has nothing to look forward to but the future as I’m sure it will include a new head coach and possibly a whole bunch of new faces in the lineup.

Heavy Drafting at Other Positions Leaves Panthers Thin at Linebacker

Ryan Basen — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:51:53 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

By drafting so many defensive backs such as safety Sherrod Martin (23) in the first four rounds of the John Fox era, the Panthers have left themselves thin at linebacker -- where Jon Beason, here recovering a fumble in New Orleans Nov. 8, is the only starter still healthy. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Browse more photos »

With Nail Diggs injured and questionable to play, it's possible the Panthers could start a trio of Job Beason, James Anderson and Dan Connor at linebacker Sunday against the Jets. That would be one regular starter -- Beason in the middle -- and two players who have made a combined two starts on the outside when the Panthers face the NFL's No. 2 rushing offense.

Carolina is in this predicament in large part because of injuries to Thomas Davis and Landon Johnson, who are both out for the season. But the Panthers could also blame a history of not building depth at linebacker.

The club's strategy in eight years under general manager Marty Hurney and coach John Fox has been to build through the draft, re-sign its own players and patch holes through free agency. But while the Panthers have used numerous high- and mid-round picks on defensive backs, and have used two first-round picks on linebackers, they have neglected to build good linebacker depth.

First-year defensive coordinator Ron Meeks employs a scheme that asks linebackers to be playmakers. It's no surprise then that Carolina has been run over since Davis suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Saints Nov. 8. Carolina has given up 330 yards on 60 carries (5.5 yards per carry) in two full games without Davis. Johnson stepped in but was then injured for the season himself in a loss to Miami Nov. 19.

Two injuries to the same position is unlucky, but it happens all the time in the NFL. As the adage goes, injuries are not an excuse -- they are part of the NFL game. The best teams are prepared with genuine depth. Connor and Anderson could prove me wrong, but it appears the Panthers were not well-prepared for this rash of linebacker injuries. Here's how:

In the eight drafts under Hurney and Fox dating to 2002, the Panthers have selected 65 players -- 30 on defense. Carolina drafted 12 defensive backs, 10 defensive linemen and eight linebackers. That dispersal actually makes sense because Carolina runs a 4-3 defense, meaning the Panthers on most plays use four linemen, four defensive backs and only three linebackers.

Hurney and Fox deserve credit for rebuilding a defense on the fly. The Panthers have only one defensive starter remaining from the 2003 Super Bowl team (defensive end Julius Peppers) and just two from the 2005 team that reached the NFC Championship game (Peppers and corner Chris Gamble). Six of the 11 projected starters on the first day of training camp this season were Panthers draftees who had six or less years of experience.

The problem is that Carolina has missed on many of its linebacker picks, scrambled to replace a good player who left in free agency and watched a standout retire unexpectedly at age 28. In addition, since 2002 the Panthers have used only five picks in the first four rounds on linebackers -- compared to eight on defensive backs.

Starting in 2002, the Panthers have drafted the following linebackers: Will Witherspoon (Third round, 2002), Sean Tufts (Sixth, 2004), Davis (First, 2005), Adam Seward (Fifth, 2005), Anderson (Third, 2006), Beason (First, 2007), Tim Shaw (Fifth, 2007) and Connor (Third, 2008).

That's two first-round picks, three third-rounders, two fifth-rounders and one sixth-rounder. Only four of those players are still on the team: Beason, Davis, Anderson and Connor.

Tufts has been out of the NFL since 2006, Seward played in 40 games -- starting two -- for the Panthers between 2005-2008. He played briefly for Jacksonville this season but the Jaguars cut him Tuesday. Shaw played in 14 games for Carolina in 2007, spent last season with the Jaguars and has played in nine games as a backup for the Bears this year.

Witherspoon started 47 of 48 regular season games between 2003-2005 for Carolina, but signed a big free-agent deal with the Rams in 2006. He was recently traded to Philadelphia and now starts for the Eagles. He has missed only two games to injury in his eight-year career.

Dan Morgan, a 2001 first-round pick, retired in 2007 after sustaining multiple concussions. He was 28.

The Panthers hit on Davis and Beason, but have not drafted enough linebackers in rounds two-four to complement them. You can't expect every mid- and late-round pick to work out, so it's hard to blame them for Shaw, Seward and Tufts. But you can blame management for relying too much on free agency and not enough on the draft to acquire good linebacker depth.

Look at the other linebackers on the roster now: Connor, Anderson, Diggs, Johnson, Kelvin Smith and Jordan Senn. We know how they acquired Connor and Anderson.

Diggs is a 10-year veteran whom the Packers decided they no longer wanted after the 2005 season. He is a 31-year-old former fourth-round draft pick. Johnson is only 28 and a former third-round pick of Cincinnati, but he has been a backup since signing a three-year, $10 million deal with Carolina last year. Senn was picked up by the Colts after not being drafted last year. He played in two games this season before the Colts cut him in October; the Panthers signed him Tuesday. Smith played in four games after Miami drafted him in the seventh round in 2007. He was cut after last season, before the Panthers signed him in August.

This is what the Panthers are left with at a key position. Even if Davis returns next season, they will not have much quality depth (based on what we have seen so far). They have plenty of depth, meanwhile, at defensive back. That is one reason why Carolina is No. 4 in the NFL in pass defense but only No. 26 against the run.

This column is not meant as an indictment of Carolina's front office. The Panthers have largely stuck to their strategy of building through the draft and have had above average success since 2002. But one mistake, failing to draft enough skilled linebackers, could haunt the team Sunday and perhaps the rest of the season.

Eagles shuffle linebackers again

JasonB — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:14:56 -0000

Last week, due to even more injuries at the already injury plagued LB positions, the Eagles; fielded a corps of rookie Moise Fokou at SAM, Chris Gocong at MIKE, & Will WItherspoon at WILL.

That didn't exactly work out...

So this week they'll shuffle the deck once again with Akeem Jordan still out. Chris Gocong moves back to SAM, Joe Mays mans the middle, and Will Witherspoon stays at WILL. At least in this setup, each guy is in the position he's most familiar with.

St. Louis Rams fantasy report, week 11, Rams vs. Arizona

VanRam — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:20:49 -0000

by Michael Conroy - AP

Can Donnie Avery give fantasy owners something to dance about?

View full size photo »

One win and a near upset of the undefeated New Orleans Saints and all of the sudden the St. Louis Rams aren't so easy for fantasy players to ignore. The team still lacks reliable, every week fantasy players outside of RB Steven Jackson. At this point, guys like Donnie Avery, Brandon Gibson and Daniel Fells offer respectable, sneaky bye week options. This week's game against the Arizona Cardinals will go a long way toward answering whether or not those players could move beyond bye week fill-ins to guys worthy of keeping on your roster. The first question we need to ask is whether or not we are seeing real progress from the Rams offense? Three things indicate that the answer is yes.

The offensive line is playing well. Signing C Jason Brown and drafting Jason Smith represented a major investment for the team and provided the basis for the rebuilding project as Spagnuolo builds from the foundation up. Smith is anchoring the right side of the line, overcoming any preseason questions about his adjustment to the three-point stance. The Rams favor the middle and right side for their running game, and Jackson continues to rack up more and more yards thanks to the entire offensive line functioning well as a unit.
Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is finally opening the play book. Besides a stellar job in run blocking, the OL is giving Marc Bulger time in the pocket, and the passing game is now throwing the ball downfield to Donnie Avery, forcing defenses to respect his speed and ability to get behind safeties.
The WR situation may be resolved. Maybe. Last week, Bradon Gibson, acquired from Philly in the Will Witherspoon trade, made a real impression, pressed into service for the injured Keenan Burton. One week wonder or not? It's hard to say, but against the Saints Gibson showed great hands and the athleticism to get yards after the catch, exactly what the Rams have been missing from the wide receivers this season. If he's the real deal, the Rams might have an effective enough passing game to score some points.

Obviously, Steven Jackson is a must start this week or any week. The Cardinals gave up 123 yards to Justin Forsett against the Seahawks last week. In week 8, DeAngelo Williams picked up 158 yards.

Donnie Avery looks like a good player to start this week too. The Cardinals allow 253.4 yards passing on average, and have allowed the fourth most, 32, passing plays of 20 yards or more.

Brandon Gibson is a risky start because he's still relatively unknown. If he has another good week, definitely grab him off the waiver wire.

Comcast/NFL Red Zone stat of the week

JasonB — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:52:28 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Browse more photos »

The Eagles "stat of the week" is brought to you by Comcast and the new NFL Red Zone channel

So far this year, I've been using this post to talk about the Eagles performance in the red zone from week to week. And week after week, they barely if ever get to the red zone. Whether they score from all big plays on a good day or can't get inside the 20 on a bad day, It's left me with little to write about.

So we're shifting gears. From here on out we'll be doing the "stat of the week" This week's stat comes from Andy Schwartz of CSN.com

(This week) Gocong becomes the seventh player to practice at middle linebacker for the Eagles, a domino effect that started in camp with the season-ending injury to Stewart Bradley.

He's referring to the fact that Chris Gocong will play middle linebacker this week against the Chargers. With Akeem Jordan out injured, Will Witherspoon will slide over to the WILL and Gocong will assume the middle linebacker role. Moises Fokou will start his second straight game at the strong side backer position.

So far this year Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaither, Joe Mays, Jeremiah Trotter, Moise Fokou, Will Witherspoon, and now Gocong will have taken practice reps at middle linebacker. It's a pretty damning representation of what injuries + your depth not being as good as you thought + the solutions you tried to bring in via FA not working + a trade + injuries at other positions can do to a team.

Comcast is carrying the new NFL Red Zone channel! NFL Red Zone lets you follow all the red zone action on NFL Sunday as it happens. When a team gets inside the twenty, the network cuts to that game. Not only is this cool for any big NFL fan, it would be awesome for out of market Eagles fans that can't watch the games. You're essentially getting the best parts of every Eagles game live for only a couple bucks a month as opposed to having to shell out the several hundred bucks for the NFL ticket.

They don't ever break for commercials and the action literally never stops. They don't just limit it to red zone trips either... I was watching last weekend and they would show any game live if no team happened to be in the red zone. This is probably the best thing ever invented for an NFL fan that's looking for something to flip to when the Eagles game goes to commercials...