Westbrook his unwillingly passed the torch to McCoy.
During his prime playing days, Brian Westbrook was one of the most feared and respected players in the entire league. Defenses would gameplan around him and still couldn't stop him on a consistent basis. He was the kind of guy who created mismatches anywhere on the field, and to contain him was a job well done.
However, as is the case with most running backs, his glory days have quickly come to an end. He can no longer hit the hole as quickly as he once could, his route-running has become less crisp, the breakaway speed is no longer there, and even his field vision has been on the decline.
A mixture of a career filled with knee and ankle problems, combined with two concussions this season alone, may signal the end of Brian Westbrook not only as the feared playmaker, but as a player altogether as Howard Eskin reported last night that a knee injury may force Westbrook to retire after eight years in the league.
According to Eskin's report, the knee injury has his doctor's advising him to walk away from the game -- while he still has the opportunity to literally walk away. Apparently if he keeps playing walking may be a luxury that escapes him in the near future.
The knee injury is also to the point that passing a physical would be very difficult for the 30-year old running back. His career as an Eagle was already in jeopardy, but if he has trouble passing a physical, there may not be another team willing to take him on.
There's also the issue of his inflated contract -- about $7.5 million this season -- and the unwillingness of the Eagles to pay that much for a backup running back, which is where he would find himself.
I personally don't expect Westbrook to be back next year. If he gets cut, he may quietly stick around like Warrick Dunn or Deuce McAllister, but I don't see a team picking him up once news of his knee problem gets around.
LeSean McCoy was drafted to replace Westbrook, and it looks like that's going to be happening sooner rather than later.
