WESTBROOK TALKS ABOUT RIB INJURY
Brian Westbrook played most of Sunday's loss against the Washington Redskins with two fractured ribs, Eagles coach Andy Reid revealed at his news conference this morning.
WESTBROOK TALKS ABOUT RIB INJURY
Bob Brookover
Brian Westbrook played most of Sunday's loss against the Washington Redskins with two fractured ribs, Eagles coach Andy Reid revealed at his news conference this morning.
Reid did not guarantee that his star running back would be able to play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
"We'll just have to see," the coach said. "We'll see how things go here the next few days. He's sore."
Westbrook said on his 950 ESPN radio show tonight that he had trouble sleeping and was in extreme pain Sunday night, but he did not rule out playing Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
"It's kind of similar to the ankle," Westbrook said. "It's kind of wait and see. You rehab it. You continue to try to do everything you can to get yourself ready. You go to practice. You watch the tape. You understand your plays. At the end of the day, you have to try to get a feel for what it's going to feel like.
"Can you stand that pain and be effective? Are you going to be out there at 45 percent and not being able to take a hit? No, I would rather have Correll Buckhalter ... take over and carry this team. I'm optimistic about it, but at the same time I'm realistic about it."
And the reality is that it's difficult to play with two fractured ribs.
"Everything you do, it affects you," Westbrook said. "You turn right, you turn left, you try to make a move and that's part of my game trying to make people miss. You get hit on the right, you feel it. You get hit on the left, you feel it. It definitely limits the things you are able to do."
Reid said the injury occurred on the Eagles' eighth offensive play of the game, but he was mistaken. The injury, in fact, occurred two plays before that when Westbrook ran through a hole on the left side for five yards. He was tackled low on the play by Redskins safety LaRon Landry, then hit from behind by safety Chris Horton as he went to the ground.
When Westbrook got up at the end of the play, he could be seen touching his rib area. The Eagles' star running back gritted his teeth as he returned to the huddle, then touched his rib area one more time.
The next play was a reverse to Reggie Brown and Westbrook did not have any contact on the play, but he left the field afterward and was replaced by Buckhalter for one play.
Westbrook did return for the remainder of the series and, in fact, made a great block on an 8-yard run by DeSean Jackson on the first play he was back on the field. Westbrook finished the first series with a 9-yard run for a touchdown. Immediately after the drive, however, Westbrook removed his jersey and pads and the teams doctors and training staff started working on his chest.
He missed some of the Eagles' second offensive series, going into the locker room for a pain-killer injection, then returned and played the remainder of the game. He carried the ball three times for 13 yards and caught one pass for 17 yards before the injury. After the injury, he ran nine times for 20 yards and caught five passes for 34 yards. That means he averaged 7.5 yards per touch before the injury and just 3.9 yards afterward.
"Everybody talks about how that pain shot numbs it ... but it doesn't," Westbrook said. "Every hit, you feel it. Every time you run and turn, you feel it."
This is not the first time that Westbrook has had fractured ribs. He also fractured his ribs in Week 7 of the 2004 season in a game against the Cleveland Browns, then missed the following week's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Westbrook returned from a strained right ankle in Sunday's loss to Washinigton after missing the previous game against the Chicago Bears.
"I think this time it's a little bit less pain," Westbrook said. "I'm on some medication to try to mask the pain. Hopefully, that pain is tolerable enough that I'll be able to play with it. Maybe the pain pills have gotten stronger over the last few years."
Reid also said two-time Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews, who has missed the Eagles' last three games because of a back injury, is getting better.
"We'll see how he does this week," Reid said.
POSSIBLE ROSTER MOVE. Given how the Eagles' offense has struggled near the opposing team's goal line, Reid was asked if he was considering a roster move that would give the team a true fullback. So far this season, they have mostly used defensive tackle Dan Klecko at fullback in goal-line situations.
"We'll just see how things go with that," Reid said.
Typically when the coach isn't planning to do something, he'll dismiss the idea immediately.
Is this guy made of glass?— Bulldog02- 6-10 season at best. What's Donovan's excuse now?— BobbyD
- Andy, maybe you should've protected Westbrook the way you claimed you were protecting McNabb by not having him run a QB sneak at the Chicago Bears goal line. Or maybe you're just making things up as you go...— hairball
- Uh, oh.... Things just went from BAD to WORSE with this news!!!— Delaware Vol
- Is it too much of the Philly press to ask Reid what he actually MEANS when he uses his typical cliche-ridden non-answer? Why do you let him get away with this and instead try to interpret for him? He is a complete robot now since you have let him get away with this for so many years.— makrom
- A roster move should mean a Wr or Tight end I hope, Bobby D you mean 2 tell me Kolb is better than McNabb? McNabb would be my Qb, Kolb proved nothing except in preason against 2nd and 3rd stringers he won't make our recievers or Tight ends better, trade deadline coming up something has to give the Eagles are healthy except for westbrook and curtis!— okarn21
Comment removed.- It's not about Donovan, though he should run with the ball at least twice a game, which would open things up for other people and keep defenses honest. It's about Andy's predictable playcalling, our kicker's inability to make a field goal (weren't you embarrassed to see another kicker come into our house and make the long kicks Akers couldn't?), Andy's inexplicable decision to take one of our best weapons, DeSean Jackson, off the field during huge chunks of the game, and Andy's refusal to let our big offensive line run block to wear down the defense. If Westbrook is hurt, USE BUCKHALTER! He's a good power back who can get you a first down. Do this early in the game, get the line into a rhythm, and when you get to the goal line, you'll actually be able to punch it in.— kingsolomonsmind
- Donovan's really sorry he's been missing field goals this year. He's also sorry he didn't just shove Hunt and Klecko out of the way so he could be the lead blocker on running plays. He also feels really bad about his poor kickoff coverage.— dsteinb
- Comment removed.
- any notice a less talented pittsburg team beat jacksonville last night? That pitt team got fired up and played their butts off for Tomlin, who also got fired up and showed tons of emotion on the sideline. Not saying he is or is not a better coach than Reid, but a little emotion goes a long way in the players eyes! Was there any questions at the press conference about how bad akers is? And what they plan on doing there?— Zues
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
