Witherspoon Gets Fresh Start In Philly

Sports Editor LANDOVER, Md. - Will Witherspoon played like a man feeling a big-time adrenaline rush. Not just for the game, but for his NFL career. Which is exactly what he was, and is - at just about the perfect time for the Eagles . "For me, it's like starting the season over again, getting refreshed and saying, 'What are we going to do?' '' said the Eagles' newest middle linebacker, after his starring role in Monday night's 27-17 victory over the Redskins at FedEx Field. If Witherspoon's debut is any indication, he will help his new team do plenty of good things on defense. Six days after arriving from St. Louis in a trade-deadline deal borne of desperation, all he did was return an interception for his second career touchdown, force a fumble that the Birds recovered to set up a field goal and share the team lead with eight tackles. Aside from the big plays, the eighth-year veteran made his share of the more routine variety - but plays the Eagles have struggled to make since Stewart Bradley was lost for the season in training camp. Particularly in covering short-range receivers that get a lot of attention when the Birds' pass rush is asserting itself. "He did a nice job,'' head coach Andy Reid said. "Without looking at the film, I think he played well. ... It's a tribute to him, being able to step in there and play like that.'' Reid felt the need for another linebacker when Omar Gaither was lost for the year with a Lisfranc foot sprain in last week's debacle at Oakland. But the middle spot has been an ongoing problem since Bradley's loss. Joe Mays, undersized but willing, got the first crack at Bradley's job and couldn't hold it. Reid then turned to Gaither, who already had been displaced by Bradley after starting throughout 2007. More recently, Big Red was concerned enough to re-sign Jeremiah Trotter, a man out of Football for nearly two years. But Trotter, even in his heyday, wasn't known for covering receivers. And the Eagles have been gouged by tight ends on a weekly basis. Enter Witherspoon, who came at the cost of promising receiver Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round draft pick. "Man, he exceeded all expectations,'' said Quintin Mikell, who tipped the Jason Campbell pass that Witherspoon returned nine yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead over Washington Monday night. "I knew he was going to do a great job tonight, but I was happily surprised with all his great plays.'' Reid said he felt Witherspoon could be pressed into service because in St. Louis, where he played for ex- Eagles defensive assistant Steve Spagnuolo, the system was very similar to that employed by the Birds. Monday night, Mikell helped by relaying calls from the sideline to Witherspoon, who then delivered them to the defensive unit. "I think it helped me this week, having a little familiarity with the Washington offense,'' added Witherspoon, who played for the Rams in a Week Two loss at FedEx Field. "It took a little of the study pressure off of me, so I could kind of focus on this ( Eagles ) defense. But again, getting back out (on the field) is only going to make it that much better.'' Getting back on the field for a winning team is just a bonus after three-plus seasons in St. Louis, where the Greatest Show on Turf is becoming a distant memory. The Rams, who have won just five games in the last two seasons, are one of just three winless teams this year at 0-7. So Witherspoon has every reason to be as excited about his new work address as the Eagles are to have him. And if the job comes with higher expectations and more pressure, that's just fine with him. "It's a lot of pressure, but it's pressure you have to accept,'' he said. "Especially in this game, you have to pride yourself in doing your job. And if that's part of my job, then I'm going to get it done.'' That's what the Eagles have in mind.