Another concussion has Westy's career in question.


With the new concerns surrounding concussions, Brian Westbrook's recent problems have gotten a lot of publicity in and outside of Philadelphia.

It's not such much surrounding what the Eagles do with Westbrook this year, as it's almost the consensus opinion that he head to the IR for 2009. But that's where the opinions then fork to either side.

Many people believe that two concussions in three weeks is enough for a 30 year old running back to get the hint and hang up the cleats in the offseason, while others believe that if he sits out this year, he'll be able come back in 2010 without any nasty side effects.

Eagles fans are on pins and needles wanting to find out, but as always, coach Reid isn't giving anything away just yet.

"I don't know," Reid said after being asked if Westbrook would play again in 2009. "I think it's too early to tell right now. It's the last thing on my mind. First thing is that he's OK and that we take care of him. Football right now for Brian Westbrook is not the important thing. It's making sure that we get him analyzed, tested and taken care of and then we'll go from there.

"Not that we didn't do that before. We took every precautionary measure that we could before and it happened again. Obviously we're going to check with experts and make sure that we listen to them like we did before. The number one thing is Brian's health. You can put football aside and make sure that he's taken care of here."

Reid is spot on in this situation. Football has to take a backseat to the man's health. He may be getting over the hill as far as the NFL is concerned, but in the grand scheme of things he's got a long and full life ahead of him.

After all, he's only 30.

There were some encouraging signs this time around however, as Westbrook didn't lose consciousness after sustaining concussion number two.

"He was foggy," Reid said. "He stood up and walked off the field, but you could sense that there was something wrong there."

If he has to head to the IR, the Eagles could seek the help of a veteran free agent like Warrick Dunn, someone who suits the role Westbrook was filling. Dunn could be a great teacher for LeSean McCoy as a guy who has done it very well for a long time.

Not only that, but Dunn might just be the very best locker room presence in the entire league, so it's not like there's a risk in bringing him in.

More information is sure to come out later this week once Rick Burkholder and the team doctor's get a chance to check Westy out and see how serious this is.
Continue Reading...

Dunn is not only a good player, but also a great teammate.


According to Sam Wyche of NFL.com, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of many teams to make exploratory calls to free agent running back Warrick Dunn. Apparently, talks with the Eagles never got serious because they were so far apart on a dollar amount.

The Seattle Seahawks were the only other confirmed team to have spoken to Dunn, which makes sense considering their running backs are less-than-stellar and Mora, jr. was Dunn's coach in Atlanta, where he spent his time between stints in Tampa Bay.

The 34-year old running back has not been drawing the attention that was first anticipated, and a move to the Eagles doesn't make sense for either party. The Eagles now know that they will be getting Westbrook back for Week 1, and LeSean McCoy is cemented in as the number two running back.

Dunn is clearly better than Eldra Buckley or Lorenzo Booker, but Dunn does not want to return as a third back when there are teams who could use him as a number two change-of-pace back. The Eagles probably wouldn't guarantee him playing time, and tried to give him third-back money. Dunn rejecting that offer isn't exactly a shock.

Dunn is probably going to wait it out for someone to call him after the preseason if a team decides they're not happy with their current stock of running backs, but with a pretty good crop of veteran free agent running backs (Edgerrin James, Shaun Alexander, Deuce McAllister, etc.) Dunn better make sure he's not being too picky. If he won't sign, someone else will.
Continue Reading...

McCoy jukes Uconn's Tyvon Branch, now an NFL safety.


The Philadelphia Eagles signed rookie running back LeSean McCoy to a contract yesterday. As of now, all we know is that the contract is four years but the dollar amount is unknown.

Either way, this is a good signing, and a good time to do it. He's locked up a good three weeks before training camp is slated to begin, so now he can simply focus on football and nothing more.

"I think he can do the same types of things that Brian can do," said Eagles' general manager Tom Heckert. "We think he's an all-around player and we think he can step right in and help us out. He's a great receiver out of the backfield. You can spread him out and he can also run the ball in between the tackles. It's not fair to him to say he's just a change of pace guy, that he's not a full-time player. He's proven that he can be durable enough to carry the football in major competition."

The Eagles feel like McCoy can take over for Westbrook full time in a couple years, so they want him to be as ready as possible right from day one.

McCoy is extremely young at only 20 years old, so he could play for ten years before even having to worry about that dreaded age where all running backs take a dive.

You know, the age that Westbrook has recently hit.

McCoy is clearly slated in as the starter here for years to come, so this year and this training camp may be the most important for his career and for the future of the Eagles' running game for the next decade.

In other running back news, Edgerrin James is rumored to be on the Eagles' radar if things with Westbrook's injury were to take a bad turn.

There are evidently other teams taking a look at Edge, but most believe that the Eagles are the most likely suitor for the veteran running back.

While Edge is also over that dreaded age, he has proved to be much more reliable than Westbrook as far as injuries go, and as a stop-gap until McCoy is ready and Westbrook is healthy, Edge would be a fantastic addition.

The Eagles have also been rumored to have interest in Warrick Dunn, which just makes sense considering he's the closest thing to Westbrook that's available.

Will they sign a running back? For my money, I would think that they will not because that's just not what the Eagles do. They won't carry four running backs all year just for a guy who can fill in for two weeks or so.

The only way the Eagles bring a guy in is if Westbrook finds his way to the PUP.

Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Continue Reading...