EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - His gait ranked somewhere between a limp and a strut, his face taut, his eyes focused on his future footsteps. Asked later by a reporter how he felt physically, Brian Westbrook would answer, "I'm feeling good." But you could pardon any onlooker who begged to differ.
He has spent this season trying to ignore the pain in several parts of his body, from his knee to his ankle to his ribs, and as you watched him at various points during the afternoon, you couldn't help but wonder.
In the first quarter, might he have cut to his right for a big gain rather than plow straight ahead for a minimal one? On third-and-1 in the third quarter, might that first down have been a touchdown? In the fourth quarter, might he have plowed that final inch into the end zone?
He is the Eagles' version of Chase Utley, and we may never know how hurt he is until after this magical playoff run ends.
Yet, Westbrook shares another important characteristic with the Phillies' second baseman: Through it all - through the pain and the frustration and the periods of statistical impotence - he continues to be a factor.
"They were keying on him, obviously," head coach Andy Reid said after the Eagles' 23-11 victory yesterday over the Giants in the NFC Divisional Playoff game, "but that opened things up for other people."
Unlike the meeting with the Giants on Dec. 7, when he scored two touchdowns and gained 131 yards rushing, Westbrook did not produce any eye-popping numbers yesterday. He gained 36 yards on 18 carries and caught two passes for 10 yards, finishing with his fewest yards from scrimmage since that infamous loss to Baltimore in Week 12.
But his mere presence, hobbled or not, played a major role in the Eagles' surprising second-half production against the Giants.
With the New York defense carefully monitoring Westbrook's movements out of the backfield, quarterback Donovan McNabb found himself with plenty of room to work in the middle of the field.
On one of the biggest completions of the game - a 15-yarder from McNabb to Kevin Curtis that gave the Eagles a first down on the Giants 14-yard line with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter - Westbrook played a pivotal role, curling out of the backfield and drawing double coverage from defensive end Justin Tuck and safety Michael Johnson to open up the middle of the field.
"We ran a wide route and then had a little spot route inside of Brian and it opened up," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "We ran it a couple of other times as well . . . Just the threat of Brian Westbrook being on the field certainly affects our opponent."
The result was a first down that helped set up a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek.
"People are aware of where Westbrook is at all times," Curtis said. "Most plays are designed that if they key on one guy, usually somebody else is open. Westbrook brought a lot of attention there and left me open."
As the Eagles prepared to face the Giants last week, they were well aware of the attention that would be paid to Westbrook. During the regular season, the seven-year veteran averaged 96.8 yards from scrimmage and scored 10 touchdowns in the Eagles' nine victories. In the six non-victories in which he played, including the 13-13 tie against the Bengals, he averaged just 77.8 yards from scrimmage and scored four touchdowns.
The moral of the story seems simple: Limit Westbrook, and limit the Eagles. But that wasn't the case yesterday, as Mornhinweg used the Giants' preoccupation with Westbrook to free up the rest of the offense.
Never was that more evident than with 5:57 remaining and the Eagles protecting their nine-point lead. On second-and-11 from the Giants' 49, McNabb sold a play-action fake to Westbrook, then hit wide receiver DeSean Jackson with a 48-yard pass that essentially ended the game.
"I try to continue to help this team no matter what role it is," Westbrook said later. "Of course, I see the way defenses are playing when I am in the backfield, where I am split out. You see a lot of attention being paid to me, and that is definitely a compliment for that to happen . . . If a team focuses solely on me, then we have other guys on this team that can make plays, and they did that today." *
