No more happy returns for Westbrook?
This article was originally published in the Daily News on May 3, 2004.
Brian Westbrook knows he should take it as a compliment, as an indication of his emerging status as a crucial element of the Eagles' offense.
But all the talk at this past weekend's first minicamp about who's going to replace Westbrook as the Birds' punt returner also could be read with a darker subtext - maybe Westbrook is too fragile, maybe in punt returning and in general, the team would be wise not to count on him as much as it did a year ago.
"They don't want me to touch the ball no more! '' Westbrook declared with a mock pout, joking to a reporter yesterday as minicamp concluded.
That almost certainly is not the case. It was Westbrook, after all, who saved the season last Oct. 19, running a punt back 84 yards for a touchdown that beat the Giants, making the Eagles 3-3 instead of 2-4. They then won their next eight games.
Westbrook became the only player in the league last year to score a touchdown rushing, receiving and returning. He led the Eagles in rushing yards (613, on just 117 carries, a hefty 5.2 yards per carry) and was the second-leading receiver, with 37 (for another 332 yards). He scored 13 touchdowns, and the Eagles' offense was never the same in the playoffs, after Westbrook went down with a season-ending triceps tear in the final regular-season game.
More than 4 months later, Westbrook looks ready to go again; though he was held out of this minicamp, he said yesterday he'll be fully cleared for the next one, which starts June 1. In the interim, the Eagles have gone out and gotten wide receiver Terrell Owens to share the offensive burden, and they've drafted Colorado State cornerback Dexter Wynn, who was the second player in NCAA Division 1-A history to total more than 1,250 yards on both punt and kickoff returns in his career.
Assuming Westbrook picks up more carries, with Duce Staley gone to Pittsburgh in free agency, Eagles coach Andy Reid seems inclined to take Westbrook off punt returns, just as he took him off kickoff returns during the season after Westbrook kept getting dinged. Special teams coordinator John Harbaugh seems a little reluctant to lose the returner who last year became the first Eagle to return two punts for TDs in a season.
"I would love to do it, but it's really up to the coaching staff,'' Westbrook said.
There was a time when he visibly bristled over being considered brittle. But Westbrook had knee surgery at Villanova, wrist surgery after his rookie season, and the elbow-triceps surgery after his second season. Westbrook still wants the ball as many times as he can get it, but he has to acknowledge the concerns are legitimate.
"To a certain extent, it's a valid point,'' he said. "A couple of freak injuries happened to me. I hope it never happens again. I want to play . . . I think I can be a productive player. I want to get the ball in my hands. ''
Westbrook was able to watch the punt-return auditions in this minicamp. "They looked pretty good. Dexter Wynn looks very fluid out there. Lito's back there, too." he said referring to Sheppard. "He's doing a good job. Rod Hood was back there a little bit, Reno Mahe - they all catch the ball well. ''
Reid also has seemed reluctant to use Sheppard on returns, if he starts at corner as is projected. Hood, a hustler who made the team as an undrafted free agent corner last year, asked to be included in the punt-return mix. Mahe, another undrafted free agent last season, has added muscle over the winter and wants to cement his role on the team, possibly as the third running back and punt returner.
Westbrook was asked how many touches a game he wants.
"Enough for us to win,'' he said.
Andrews unabashed
Shawn Andrews, the Eagles' first-round draft choice, was thrown into his first minicamp as the right guard on the first unit, the only guy out there who didn't know the offense inside-out. The right tackle, Jon Runyan, allowed that Andrews "looked lost,'' but added that he has plenty of time to learn.
Andrews seemed unfazed.
"I'm not satisfied, but I saw where I made a lot of improvement,'' he said.
Andrews has given teammates a taste of his singing talents, but vows to really start hitting the high notes after he undergoes surgery Friday to remove nasal polyps. He said he has been told he can return to normal activity 5 days after the surgery.
"When I get my nasal passages opened up, I'll show you,'' he said.
Andrews is very much looking forward to getting the condition corrected.
"All 21 years of my life, I've been unable to draw a fresh breath of air,'' he said. "Most of the time, I've been unable to taste my food. ''
Of course, given that Andrews had to lose more than 50 pounds between January and the NFL draft, that tasting-the-food business might be a mixed blessing.
"I know how to eat now, for performance instead of pleasure,'' he said.
