Oct 25, 2009

NFL's Eagles Continue To Hurt At Middle Linebacker Spot

Philadelphia Loses Gaither For Rest of Season Due to Foot Injury

The NFL's Philadelphia Eagles announced Thursday that starting middle linebacker Omar Gaither will have to have surgery on his left foot, and as a result, he will miss the entire remaining portion of the 2009-2010 NFL season. Gaither apparently suffered the injury in last Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders. The exact specifics of the nature of the foot injury were not disclosed, but coach Andy Reid said that Gaither would definitely miss the rest of the season.

The Eagle are known to win games primarily due to the strength of their defense. This has been their philosophy for the last several seasons, and was certain to be the case for this season as well. However, the loss of Gaither certainly decreases the sportsbooks' betting line odds of the Eagles being able to play at the same level defensively during his absence. The middle linebacker position is the focal point of any defense and the key to keeping the defensive calls and adjustments from the sidelines accurate and affective. Unfortunately for the Eagles, this is the second middle linebacker that they have lost for the entire season. Linebacker Stewert Bradley was placed on injured reserve after tearing an ACL during a preseason scrimmage, and he will be out for the rest of the season as well. Although the Eagles acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon from the St.Louis Rams on Tuesday in order to start against the Washington Redskins on Monday night, the betting odds of him being able to fit in so quickly and have any positive impact on the defense are extremely low. Under the current circumstances, the Eagles will be hard pressed to continue to be a dominant force defensively for quite some time.

By Bryan Jackson
Staff Writer
Betsportsweb.com
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