Westbrook, always a presence, to return to Eagles' lineup Sunday

November 4, 8:57 PMPhiladelphia Eagles ExaminerGordie Jones

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Philadelphia Eagles Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Brian Westbrook has been a presence among the Eagles, even in his absence.

Now he would like to be a presence, period.

The veteran running back is expected to return Sunday night, when the Birds host the Cowboys, after missing last week’s victory over the Giants (and the last three and a half quarters of a victory in Washington the week before) with a concussion. He also missed the Sept. 27 victory over Kansas City with an ankle sprain.

Rookie LeSean McCoy has started in Westbrook’s place when he has been out, and has alternated with him when he has been available. As a result McCoy has rushed for a team-high 294 yards (4.2 per carry). That’s 97 more than Westbrook, who is averaging 4.8 per rush.

Everyone seems to agree that Westbrook has been critical to McCoy’s development, that he has dispensed advice freely and eagerly.

“He’s helped me out so much,” said McCoy, who added that while it’s nice to have coaches to point a player in the right direction, it’s even better to get help from a teammate “who’s actually playing and doing the same thing you’re doing.”

To hear Andy Reid tell it, veterans are not always quick to dispense advice. He said they “want to keep their jobs, especially when they get a little older.”

And, Reid added, “Some of them can be very sensitive about that. Brian has enough confidence in himself and knows that LeSean is willing to work and willing to listen and be coachable, so Brian shares with him some of his experiences and helps him out.”

When someone mentioned to Westbrook that some vets might not be so inclined to do that, he said, “I’m not that type of guy.” He noted that when he broke into the league, guys like Duce Staley readily offered advice.

“Hopefully,” Westbrook said, “I’ll have a good impact on LeSean in his career, the things he’s going to be able to do. He’s going to be a very good player, but I don’t worry about my job as much. I honestly feel when I’m healthy, when I’m doing the things that I can, as far as getting out there on the field, I’m one of the better running backs in the league. But I have to be able to do that.

“Unfortunately I haven’t been able to do that. That doesn’t really affect me telling LeSean what to do, and me trying to help him out when I can.”

McCoy said the best advice Westbrook has given him is to take care of his body. Westbrook knows something about that, but he hasn’t had much luck in that department lately. He underwent minor surgery on his right ankle and left knee in the offseason, and then has had the two physical setbacks since the season began.

Reid called the concussion “a freak thing,” in that “the two shortest guys on the field” – Westbrook and Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, both listed at 5-10 – collided, with Westbrook hitting his head on Fletcher’s knee as he fell to the turf after a first-quarter run.

Westbrook was knocked cold and stayed down on the turf for a long time, while Reid and his teammates hovered – as did his brother Byron, a Redskins cornerback.

“It scared me, but it scared those guys (i.e., the other Eagles) as well,” he said. “Just talking to them, they’re saying things like, ‘Never do that again. Never let that happen to you again. We were really worried.’ They were thinking about their career, the same way I thought about my career when I got up.”

Brian, who said he had never before suffered a concussion, was helped off the field. Later Byron sustained a knee injury, resulting in minor surgery.

“That was a bad day for the Westbrooks in general, man,” Brian said. “You know these things happen for a reason. I wish I knew what the reason was sometimes.”

Rick Burkholder, the Eagles’ head athletic trainer, said Westbrook was still suffering from a headache last week, and explained that he would first be put through an aerobic workout before he was cleared to practice. Westbrook did the aerobic workout late last week, then practiced Wednesday, with the expectation that he will be ready for the Cowboys.

“We’ve come a long way from where we started,” he said, “and I want to be able to enjoy the good times of this season with my team.”

Doesn’t matter that it’s a rivalry game, either.

“I’m excited to get to play again,” he said. “It really didn’t matter at this point who we’re playing, for me. It means a little bit extra, I guess, because it’s Dallas, but I just want to be able to go out there and play a football game.”

He admits that he is “kind of worried” about the long-term consequences of a head injury, but will push that out of his mind.

“When you go out there and play football, you have to go out there and play worry-free football,” he said. “You have to go out there and play with reckless abandon.”

And make your presence felt.