Stewart Bradley Tears ACL
Well, this sucks. Per PFT (via Howard Eskin of 610 WIP), Eagles Flight Night! proved costly. Starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley heard a “pop.” That pop was a torn ACL. He’s done for the 2009 season.
I hope Omar Gaither is ready to fill the void. You had to know the train of positivity would be derailed at some point. Such is life for an Iggles fan. Per usual, the Birds have yet to confirm the report.
Update: As of 4:15pm, still no word from the Birds on Stew. In fact, according to PE.com’s “Bloghead,” Reid was perturbed with reporters for going behind his back to ask players/personnel about the injury. He referred to it as a “breach of trust.” Hmm… If the reports are untrue, why not just deny them?
This seems to be more of a control issue with Reid. He wants everything, including season-ending injuries, kept in-house until he’s good and ready to divulge them. Sorry pal, this is the age of Twitter. As least address the story. Don’t just ignore its existence. If you’re performing another MRI or getting a second opinion on the severity, just let us know. Is that asking too much? Fans care too, Andy.
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The worst possible news we could get coming out of training camp, in my honest opinion. Stewart Bradley was, in my opinion, the make-or-break player of the Eagles’ defense this coming season. He was also a man I had pegged as the new emotional leader for the defensive unit.
With Stew out, I’m hoping for Quintin Mikell to step up emotionally and Omar Gaither to step up physically. Let us not forget how much potential Gaither showed when he first took the starting spot.
August 4th, 2009 at 4:33 amMatt – Gaither really wants his starting job back. Guy has been chirping all camp, in a good way. He’s one intense dude. He played well at MIKE in 2007. I think he, not Joe Mays, should get the nod.
Obviously, this is a major setback, but I think they might be okay, especially if Mays can contribute on run downs. This is why preseason rankings and predictions don’t mean squat. Injuries are always the great equalizer.
Mikell will pickup the slack, and I think Trent Cole, at least on the field, can supply an emotional push.
August 4th, 2009 at 5:40 amHail to the redskins. Looking forward to playing you all this year.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:44 pm