Eagles' new linebacker will not be Spoon-fed

October 23, 3:20 AMPhiladelphia Eagles ExaminerGordie Jones

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There was one of those penny-for-your-thoughts moments Thursday afternoon in the locker room of the Eagles’ practice facility, when Jeremiah Trotter, en route to one of the players-only areas, took a long look at the pack of reporters crowded around Will Witherspoon at his stall.

It was impossible to read the expression on Trotter’s face, but he knows the score: Witherspoon, acquired in a trade Monday with the Rams, is here to play middle linebacker, the same spot Trotter plays. The one he has filled, off and on, the last two games. And the one he had played with distinction in two earlier stints with the team.

Witherspoon was brought in because Omar Gaither, who was sharing the spot with Trotter, has a Lisfranc sprain of his left foot and is likely done for the year. That’s the latest development at a position that has been a trouble spot since Stewart Bradley, a budding star, tore up a knee in early August.

Second-year man Joe Mays had first crack, but didn’t appear to be ready. Then it was Gaither. Then Gaither and Trotter, after Trotter was signed on Sept. 29.

Trotter last played in 2007 and last played for the Eagles the year before that. The idea was that he would play on running downs, since he goes 260, 25 pounds more than Gaither, and that Gaither would be out there in passing situations.

Then the Raiders exploited Trotter in pass coverage last week, notably on JaMarcus Russell’s 86-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Miller in the first quarter, keying Oakland’s 13-9 upset. So the plan changed again.

While Andy Reid said Thursday that Trotter will continue to see time in the middle, it is clear Witherspoon has to play right away, beginning with Monday night’s game in Washington. And it seems clear he will have to play a lot.

“We can put him in there, in the same position that Omar was in,” Reid said.

Witherspoon, who has played on the weak side and in the middle in the course of his eight NFL seasons, goes 6-1, 239. He is 29, meaning he is three years younger than Trotter. (His knees are likely 20 years younger.)

Reid believes Witherspoon can adjust quickly to the Eagles’ scheme, since it is similar to the system played by the Rams, who are coached by former Birds assistant Steve Spagnuolo. And Witherspoon did not disagree.

“All of it really felt pretty comfortable,” he said after his first full practice.

But there is a lot to learn, and not much time in which to do it.

“I know there’s a lot of responsibility in my hands,” he said. “I know I have a lot to digest in the next couple days, and that’s my first priority. I don’t want to be a hindrance to any of the guys out there. I don’t want to be a guy who’s holding us down from anything.”

Asked if he expected to be on the field for running downs, he said, “I expect to be out there for every-down situations. That’s the way I look at it. I’ve got to be prepared for it all.”

Trotter has to be prepared, too. Prepared for a reduced role, it would appear. So when he took that long look in Witherspoon’s direction Thursday, maybe he saw something else. Maybe he saw the handwriting on the wall.