NFC East: Donnie Avery

Exclusive Beast chat transcript

February, 23, 2010
2/23/10
2:40
PM ET
For those of you who were unable to plan your lunch around our weekly Tuesday chat, here's the entire transcript. And here's a glimpse of some of the dialogue that took place:
Phillip in Dallas: Aside from what all the Beast teams are gonna be doing, which players are YOU excited about seeing at the combine, and where do you think they will go in the draft? Thanks Mosley!

Mosley: I'm looking forward to Colt McCoy's throwing session -- especially when you consider how his season ended. Anxious to see how [Taylor] Mays and [Nate] Allen look at safety. And I'm told [Eric] Berry is a physical freak, so that will be enjoyable to watch. I'll also be looking for some of the under-the-radar guys. I've always enjoyed getting to know the Donnie Avery's of the world at the combine. No one thought that much of the University of Houston product a couple years ago, but then he was the first wide receiver taken in the draft. Pretty cool. I really like the combine. You'll hear other reporters grumbling about the cattle call, but I think it's an excellent opportunity to gather information for the offseason.
Programming note: The Beast chat begins "promptly" at noon ET every Tuesday -- unless I'm on vacation. And one more note: I just finished watching some '07 highlights of Nate Allen against West Virginia. I'd take him based on that one game alone. And now you know why I'm not an NFL scout.

The Rams' perspective on the Witherspoon trade

October, 21, 2009
10/21/09
3:00
PM ET
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

I don't think you'll find anyone in St. Louis who will speak poorly of new Eagles linebacker Will Witherspoon, but the folks who cover the Rams for a living seem generally pleased with Tuesday's trade for wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick in 2010.

Longtime columnist Bryan Burwell took Tuesday's trade as a sign the Rams weren't giving up on the '09 season despite their 0-6 record. He thinks it will weaken the defense in the short term, but he absolutely thinks that Gibson can help a struggling receiving corps that features the talented Donnie Avery and a bunch of other guys who can't get any separation. Gibson couldn't get on the field for the Eagles because of their depth at the position, but he was quite impressive during training camp. In fact, he was better than first-rounder Jeremy Maclin throughout much of training camp. Of course, that had a lot to do with Maclin's holdout. Here's what Reid told reporters in Philly about Gibson on Tuesday:

"Listen, I normally don't keep that many wide receivers," Reid said, referring to the fact that he kept seven wideouts entering the season. "But I kept him here. So that I think speaks for itself. I think he's going to have a great career in the National Football League, and that doesn't make it an easy situation."



If Gibson goes on to become a nice player in the league, I'm sure Reid will be second-guessed, but it's hard to blame them for going after a pretty solid linebacker in Witherspoon. Here's what St. Louis Post-Dispatch beat writer Jim Thomas had to say about the Eagles' new linebacker:

"He was a popular, high-character player," writes Thomas. "But his play declined last season, and he had a quiet season despite a switch back to his natural weak-side position. He had no interceptions, no sacks, no forced fumbles (or recoveries), no pass breakups and one quarterback pressure."



Not exactly a ringing endorsement -- but it probably beats what the Eagles have been going with. Regarding Gibson, I hate to see the guy go. He was one of the biggest surprises during training camp and I was curious to see if he can turn into something for the Eagles. But it's not like it was going to happen this season. Barring an injury or two (sorry), Gibson wasn't going to see the field much -- if at all.

Sounds like a win-win to me. The good folks (Jimmy Shapiro) at sportsradiointerviews.com provided a link to the interview Witherspoon did with 101 ESPN in St. Louis.
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