Playing time could be scarce for Birds' Hunt

Rookie Tony Hunt is the big back a lot of people think the Eagles have needed for some time.

It remains to be seen whether he will have a big impact in his rookie season.

Right now, all he has is a chance, which, according to Brian Westbrook, is an improvement over the team's post-draft minicamp a few weeks ago.

"I think Tony has progressed a whole lot from that first minicamp," the Eagles' star running back said yesterday. "I was worried a little bit during the first minicamp that he wouldn't pick up the plays fast enough so that he could contribute. But he's come a long way, and he's done a great job now of picking up the plays and understanding a lot of different things."

Hunt, the 90th overall pick out of Penn State, has good size - he is listed at 6-foot-1 and 233 pounds. He also has a great resume, having rushed for 3,162 yards during his college career, but that's no guarantee he will get on the field this season.

Just ask Westbrook how difficult it can be for a rookie to find playing time in the NFL. After achieving Division I-AA superstardom at Villanova and quickly mastering coach Andy Reid's West Coast offense, Westbrook touched the ball only 56 times in his rookie season.

"It's tough, because you want to contribute and help your team and be looked at as a player who can help this team win," Westbrook said. "I felt as though I could do a lot of things that could help this team win.

"We were such a good team, and we were so dominant in the running game as well as the passing game that year that they didn't need that much help from me. They needed it in different ways, and that really came in special teams. I'm glad I was able to help them that way."

The rookie running back who had the biggest impact in Eagles history remains on the roster, which is another reason you have to wonder how often Hunt will see the field when the Eagles are on offense this season. After being taken in the fourth round of the 2001 draft, Correll Buckhalter set a rookie record for rushing yards with 586. He had just 18 fewer yards than Duce Staley, who led the team in rushing that year.

But Buckhalter played for a team that was short on running backs. Hunt is playing on a team loaded with them. Westbrook is coming off the best year of his career, and Buckhalter is coming off a solid season after missing the two previous years while recovering from knee surgery.

Ryan Moats, a third-round pick in the 2005 draft who got on the field quite a bit as a rookie because of injuries, still is trying to prove that he can contribute in the NFL, and the Eagles used their seventh-round pick this year on another big back, Nate Ilaoa of Hawaii.

Hunt said he hadn't given much thought to his role in his rookie season.

"Right now, the biggest thing to worry about is learning the offense," Hunt said. "You can't worry about your role in the offense when you don't know the offense. You have to take it one step at a time. I'm not even thinking about playing in a game right now. We haven't put on pads yet, so that shouldn't be on your mind right now."

Westbrook is confident that when the pads go on and the season begins, Hunt will be a nice complement to himself and Buckhalter.

"I think Tony will get on the field this year," Westbrook said. "I'm sure he will do a great job when he gets on the field. As another running back, I see his potential."

Extra points. The Eagles released kick returner and wide receiver Bethel Johnson because he could not pass a physical while recovering from a stress fracture in his leg. Johnson might re-sign with the Eagles when he becomes healthy, but for now Jeremy Bloom appears to be the top candidate to win the job as kick returner and punt returner.