Not that long ago, you knew if No. 36 touched the ball, good things would happen. Brian Westbrook was the cog in the Eagles offense that nobody else could duplicate. And, few could stop him.
Many referred to BWest as a poor man’s Marshall Faulk early in his career. However, the back drafted in the third round out of Villanova became the guy others were compared to.
This year was different. He hit the magical age of 30, which is graveyard material for a running back’s career. Injuries to his knee and arthritis in his ankle caught up with him early in the season. Then, there were the two concussions midway through the season.
Brian Westbrook may have donned Eagles green for the final time.
Westbrook managed to come back late in the season, but judging by the way Andy Reid used his one time Pro Bowl back since his return makes you wonder if he has a future in an Eagles uniform.
After leading the Eagles with five carries for 17 yards in Week 17 against Dallas, No. 36 was barely on the field for the playoff game on Saturday. In fact, he had one 27-yard reception. He didn’t tote the rock one time out of the backfield.
If Westbrook was capable of producing, don’t you think he would have been on the field more? With his blocking ability, wouldn’t he have at least been in the game more as McNabb was running for his life all night?
Instead, we saw rookie LeSean “Shady” McCoy carry five times for 24 yards. While McCoy is clearly the future, the fact is Westbrook was deemed healthy but didn’t see the field in the most meaningful game of the year. That has to tell us something.
Reid said today he’d like to have Westbrook back. And while we believe that’s what Reid says wants, we doubt it’ll happen.
First, Westbrook has to decide if he wants to continue playing. He clearly doesn’t have the burst of speed that made him among the most elusive in the NFL. Besides that, he now has the concussion situation to deal with. He may feel fine, but that doesn’t mean long term effects won’t hinder him should he suffer another blow to the head.
Shady McCoy will likely be the main back going forward.
Assuming Westbrook wants to continue his career, his future in an Eagles uniform may very well be tied to the collective bargaining agreement or the lack thereof.
With a new CBA in place, it’s hard to see the Eagles keeping Westbrook at $7.5 million next year. He’d have to take a substaintial pay cut. Will he? He may like Philly enough to do so. However, some team would surely take a shot on Westbrook and pay him more than the eagles would feel he was worth.
If a new CBA is not reached — and all signs point in that direction as of now — 2010 will be an uncapped year. With no cap, the Eagles could more easily keep Westbrook. However, paying $7.5 million for a back who is on a major decline doesn’t seem wise. They’d probably still want Westbrook to take a pay cut — although maybe not as steep of one. That could keep him in Philly.
If we had to put odds on it right now, based on the emergence of McCoy and the decline in Westbrook’s game, we’d say there is a 70-30 shot that he has played his last game in an eagles uniform.
