The Eagles acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon from the Rams at the trade deadline on Tuesday. In exchange for Witherspoon, St. Louis acquired wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a 2010 fifth round pick.

Witherspoon had been playing the weak side linebacker position for the Rams, but he has experience in the middle, which has been a weakness for the Eagles since Stewart Bradley was lost for the season in training camp. Stewart’s replacements, Jeremiah Trotter and Omar Gaither, are fine against the run but have been a liability in coverage.

Gibson was a sixth round pick of the Eagles’ in April. He impressed Philadelphia’s coaching staff in training camp, but was never going to see the field with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and others in front of him. St. Louis has had a major need at receiver, especially since Laurent Robinson was lost for the year with a knee injury.

As expected, the trade deadline came and went without any big names being dealt. Rumors circulated last week that Brady Quinn, Joshua Cribbs and/or Terrell Owens might be traded, but nothing came to fruition.

Well, you knew Rush Limbaugh wasn’t going to go quietly into the night after St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts dropped him from the group bidding to become the next owner of the Rams.

From FOXSports.com:

He also said Checketts assured him his involvement as a minority investor had been vetted by the National Football League.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Colts owner Jim Irsay both expressed misgivings this week about Limbaugh’s involvement. Late Wednesday, Checketts said Limbaugh had been dropped from the bid.

Limbaugh says he believes he has been made an example by a players’ union seeking leverage in talks over a new collective bargaining agreement. And he says he believes what happened to him was an illustration of “Obama’s America on full display.”

People can put a racial spin on this situation if they want, but the bottom line is that Limbaugh was dropped because he is a controversial figure. Whether it’s far to Limbaugh or not, the NFL ultimately didn’t want to open Pandora’s box by allowing Rush to become an owner.

But Limbaugh’s comments regarding the players’ union are interesting. The NFL is heading into an uncapped 2010, but would like to renew with the union at some point so that football doesn’t become like baseball where the teams with the most money sign the best players. It’s not impossible to think that the NFL made this decision based on being able to sign a new collective bargaining agreement.

Another interesting debate that is developing is whether or not the NFL is being hypocritical by not allowing Limbaugh to become an owner. After all, Michael Vick, Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, Leonard Little and a host of other players have gotten into controversial situations off the field and have still been allowed to participate in the league. But Limbaugh can’t because of his controversial political views?

I get that allowing Limbaugh into the league is a deicer situation than suspending a player and then allowing him to return, but the debate is interesting nonetheless.

According to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Rush Limbaugh is expected to be dropped from a group bidding to buy the St. Louis Rams.

Dave Checketts, chairman of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and the point man in the Limbaugh group attempting to buy the Rams, realizes he must remove the controversial conservative radio host from his potential role as a minority member in the group in order to get approval from other NFL owners, the sources said.

Three-quarters of the league’s 32 owners would have to approve any sale to Limbaugh and his group. Earlier this week, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay predicted that Limbaugh’s potential bid would be met by significant opposition. Several players have also voiced their displeasure with Limbaugh’s potential ownership position, and NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith, who is black, urged players to speak out against Limbaugh’s bid.

Ultimately, the sources said, Checketts must reconfigure his group and find another investor to make his bid more viable.
Exactly when Limbaugh will be dropped is uncertain, though some familiar with the situation said it could be within the next week. It is unclear if the two sides even have spoken.

Checketts and his group would have to find a financial substitute if they do drop Limbaugh, but one shouldn’t be too hard to find. The NFL is widely popular and I’m sure a sound financial risk for a potential owner, even in a bad economy.

While I’m sure he’s upset that he didn’t have the opportunity to own a stake in the Rams, Limbaugh has gotten plenty of publicity for his radio show. But in the end, he was too controversial of a figure for the league to inherit. If there are plenty of financial suitors available, why take a risk on someone like Rush Limbaugh if you’re the NFL?

Here’s a look at what local NFL beat writers and columnists have to say following their teams’ performance on Sunday.

- Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that the Vikings got their first glimpse of Brett Favre’s legend in Minnesota’s last-second win over San Francisco.

- After 19 straight losses, Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press says that there’s finally relief for the lowly Lions.

- After getting a taste of action in a win over the Chiefs on Sunday, Ashley Fox of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Michael Vick is fine with his role with the Eagles, for now.

- Steve Serby of the New York Post says that Jets’ rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez uses his head to make history.

- Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe notes that the 2-1 Patriots are still a work in progress despite their 26-10 win over the Falcons at Foxboro.

- David Climer of the Tennessean says that the 0-3 Titans buried their playoff hopes with a loss to the Jets on Sunday.

- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes that the Redskins’ focused disappeared long ago.

- Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ably points out that the brutal Rams are now the new Lions.

- David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes that Johnny Knox and the Bears’ wideouts are making quarterback Jay Cutler look good.

- Will Leitch of the New York Magazine says that the contract extension Eli Manning signed in the offseason might be a bargain with how well he’s playing so far this season.

Have you noticed people on the streets lately with more spring in their step, exchanging high-fives with one another, or smiling in your direction? No, they’re not trying to flirt with you. They’re probably a fan of an AFC team that doesn’t play in New England.

A story came out this week that George Lampman was taking advantage of the season-ending injury suffered by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to earn some money. He owns a silk-screening printing company in Pittsburgh and decided to unveil a t-shirt lauding Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard’s hit on Brady that knocked him out for the year. For $19.99, you can become an honorary member of the Pollard fan club with a commemorative t-shirt.

Not so fast football fans. Do not plan a traditional Irish funeral just yet for the Patriots. No need to sprinkle dirt over the casket and raise your glass in honor to of the end of their legacy. It’s too early to count the Pats out of the hunt for the Super Bowl.

We have talked ad nauseam about the impact of Brady’s injury on the balance of power in the AFC, but I can give three reasons not to give up on the Patriots just yet: Bill Belichick, the offense, and their schedule.

Coach Belichick is masterful in managing games on both sides of the ball and should be able to create a game plan to minimize Matt Cassel’s inexperience at the quarterback position. He will shorten the game by using the Patriots’ depth in the backfield (Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan) to run the football. The Patriots coaching staff will never ask Cassel to try to win the game on his own. Instead, they will ask him not to lose games by making costly mistakes.

In-game adjustments are critical for any team to have success in the NFL, and Belichick has a knack for devising schemes to either fix problems on the field immediately or attack weaknesses he has noticed in the first few series of a game. No NFL coach can adjust better to the flow of a game than Belichick.

And let’s not forget Cassel is taking over the reins of one of the top offenses in NFL history. They gave the impression last season that they could score points at will without breaking a sweat. The passing game will be revised to exploit Cassel’s strengths, and it doesn’t hurt to have Randy Moss and Wes Welker lining up at the wideout positions.

Plus, on paper, the Patriots have one of the easiest schedules in the league. The Pats will face the Niners, Rams, Raiders, and meet the Dolphins twice during the course of the season. Ten wins and a playoff berth are still within reach.

By Sunday night, we should have a better idea about the state of the AFC. We will see how the Patriots react to life in A.B. (After Brady) and also have a better understanding of how Cassel will adjust to his new reality. If they can get good play from their new quarterback, the Patriots will still be a factor in the AFC.