Sports

Brian West-Broke: Philadelphia Eagles

At the risk of being called to negative…. I know, too late, the Philadelphia Eagles are toast. News that Brian Westbrook will undergo surgery today to remove bone spurs from his right ankle leaves me with no hope that the Eagles will have a winning year in 2009.

A team source said that they are unsure of the recovery time.  Well, it better be quick because training camp starts on July 26th and the season opener is on September 13th. If Westbrook isn’t completely healthy by the regular season, the Eagles have no chance at a winning season let alone a run at the playoffs.

Of course, this might not be the most depressing news to Eagles head coach Andy Reid.  Oh sure, Andy knows Westbrook is a great running back, but that’s the thing.  Westbrook has that dirty word in his job title, “running”.  We all know that Andy Reid likes a running play about as much as he likes a salad bar.  If Westbrook is out, or even at less than 100%, Reid will have his excuse to throw the football on every single play of every single game.  Hey Andy, stop drooling over there.

Seriously, if Westbrook is not 100% healthy, or close to it, the Eagles probably won’t even be a .500 team. McNabb can jump up and down and make stupid, silly faces all he wants.  He’s still not the motor that drives the Eagles offensive engine.  That would be Westbrook.  Just ask any defensive coordinator in the NFL who they game-plan for when they face the Eagles.   Hell, you can ask any fan and they would know Westbrook is the man for the Eagles offense.

Westbrook suffered a high ankle sprain in week 3 of last season and then had problems with his left knee most of the season as well.  He had surgery on the knee in February and participated in the May mini-camp. Only now has news of a new ankle injury come to light. “It’s just some bone spurs,” Westbrook’s agent Todd France said, according to ESPN.com.

The injuries last year hurt Westbrook’s production.  Although he scored 14 TDs, his numbers were way down from his stellar 2007 season.  In 2007 Westbrook broke the franchise record for receptions (90) and yards from scrimmage (2,104).  The 2,104 yards from scrimmage also led the entire NFL in 2007. He also ranks 2nd in the NFL with 8,106 total yards from scrimmage since becoming a full-time starter in the 2004 season.

Those numbers are impossible to replace. And when you consider that the backups to Westbrook on the Eagles roster are a rookie, LeSean McCoy, and a guy who simply sucks, Lorenzo Booker, it looks even worse.   Ex-Eagle and current Philadelphia media member, Hugh Douglas questions Booker’s ability because “he always goes down on the first hit.” No wonder he only played in 10-games in 2008 with only 20-carries and 6-receptions.   He’s a wasted roster spot.  No matter how good McCoy was in college or projects to be as a pro, he’s still a rookie.  It’s the rare rookie who makes an impact in the NFL.  It’s even more rare to find one who makes an impact in Andy Reid’s version of the West Coast offense.   I believe that DeSean Jackson is the only example of an impact rookie for Reid’s Eagles.  Who knows, maybe it’s the whole “eSean” thing and LeSean will produce in his rookie year just like DeSean did. I doubt it, though.

The real problem is that this might be the beginning of the end for Westbrook. While he has never played a full 16-games in a season, he disputes the injury-prone label.   Oh sure, he’s always been healthy.   Well, unless you count Pop Warner, High school, College (where he missed an entire season with a knee injury) and Pro football. He’s now 30 years old and is coming into the season (hopefully) after two off-season surgeries on his legs.  Uh, last time I checked a guy who makes his living as a “running” back might just need to have healthy legs.   Left knee surgery and right ankle surgery do not fill me with confidence.

Now, the Eagles might be going into the 2009 season without their most important piece on defense, Defensive Coordinator, Jim Johnson, and their most important piece on offense, Brian Westbrook. If you people thought I was negative before, just wait until the losses start piling up next year. I fear it’s going to be a long season.

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