All quiet on the Westbrook front

By Lou DiPietro  |   Wednesday, October 08, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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With apologies to the fantastic novel and Academy Award-winning movie of the same name, the Philadelphia Eagles' offense closely resembles the title of this article in both personnel and resemblance to a war of attrition.

Last week, in my first-quarter report card, I wrote the following:

“The running game, on the other hand, has been average … (Donovan) McNabb looks lost without Brian Westbrook; not having his top weapon is hurting him dearly.”

Anyone who watched the Eagles-Redskins game Sunday saw just how true that statement is. The problem was, though: They did have him, albeit in limited capacity.

On the first series, Westbrook showed little if any ill effect from the ankle strain that put him on the sidelines for a game and a half. McNabb called No. 36 on their first play from scrimmage, a 17-yard screen pass, and Westbrook also rushed four times for 22 yards on the drive en route to scoring the Eagles’ first touchdown.

That’s when the injury bug bit again. Although no one knew it until after the game, Westbrook suffered a pair of fractured ribs on that drive.

While he was involved in every series for the remainder of the game, that injury took away the Eagles’ biggest threat -- his versatility. Westbrook only saw eight carries after the first drive and the Eagles abandoned the running attack completely for most of the game; in fact, they only attempted three rushes in the second and third quarters. They finally went back to it on their fourth-quarter field goal drive, but much like the previous week against the Bears, it came at the expense of success. The Eagles couldn’t punch the ball in from inside the 5, yet they continued to stick with the run.

The reason, sadly, is because Andy Reid’s play-calling became predictable. Westbrook is such a huge asset that Reid sometimes forgets there are three other backs on the roster. It’s understandable that Reid wouldn’t pound Westbrook and risk further injury -- especially in a game the Eagles were winning at halftime -- but what about Correll Buckhalter, Lorenzo Booker and Tony Hunt?

Eventually, the Redskins knew Westbrook wasn’t getting any handoffs, and if he did, he was tentative enough to not be dangerous. Sure, he caught six passes in the game, but he does that seemingly every week anyway. Without the running aspect of Westbrook’s game there to haunt the Skins, defensive coordinator Greg Blache was able to rush four and sometimes five and blitz liberally, and as long as he kept a safety deep to neutralize DeSean Jackson and let London Fletcher spy on Westbrook, the Eagles simply could not move the ball. Against a defense missing two of its three best players, that’s embarrassing.

Finally, after remembering that there were running calls in the playbook, the Eagles found themselves exactly where they were against the Bears: With a first-and-goal inside the 5, poised to take the lead late in the game with a touchdown.

Do you think the Eagles learned anything from their failure in Chicago? Of course not. Running the ball is the game plan, and doggone it, that’s what they're gonna do. When Westbrook trotted into the game with the ball at the 2, everyone on the Redskins' defense knew he was getting it. Heck, everyone watching knew he was getting it. Reid had saved him for a reason, right? It’s a big situation, so here comes the big gun. But after Philly failed, instead of mixing it up, maybe even letting McNabb take a stab, it flinched. Handoff to Westbrook, and the Skins dropped him for a 3-yard loss.

The Westbrook giveth, the Westbrook taketh away.

Of course, that’s not to say it’s all his fault, or even Reid’s. David Akers missed another field goal from outside of 45 yards, and it’s starting to get to the point where you wonder if he’s getting Mike Vanderjagt syndrome and will lose confidence in himself because he’s lost a little bit of his leg. And, of course, the defense -- which has been excellent this year -- allowed the Redskins to convert three third downs and one fourth down on the final drive; that let the Skins run out the clock.

But it all comes back to the offense in the end. The defense held Washington to its second-lowest point total of the season, but because the Eagles didn’t know what to do without Westbrook, the offense couldn’t keep up against a banged-up 'D' playing its second straight divisional road game.

This week is going to be even more key for the 2-3 Eagles. They have to go across the country to play the 49ers - and everyone saw last week how cross-country flights killed a handful of teams. Reggie Brown’s hamstring is balky again and Kevin Curtis is unlikely to play, meaning the Eagles will be down to four receivers. That’s fine; they’ve played that way all year. But Westbrook did not practice on Wednesday and is likely to be limited at best Thursday. Add in a cross-country trip that could aggravate his sore ribs, and he’s going to be ill-prepared. So will the entire offense if Reid continues to plan everything around his star player.

The Eagles’ Week 7 bye can’t seem to come soon enough. But if they can’t get the job done this Sunday against a 2-3 San Francisco squad that has a surging offense, they’ll be 2-4 heading into said bye.

And at that point, with the way the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins are playing, the Eagles’ 2008 season could be a sequel to their 2007 campaign: "All Quiet on the Playoff Front."
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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN ...
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