Sal Pal and Cris Carter on Westbrook
Well, ESPN seems to have officially declared the Eagles 2009 season over. Evidently, Brian Westbrook‘s ankle injury has led Lurie, Banner and Reid to the conclusion that there is no reason to go on with the games. What’s the point? Obviously, Westbrook will be unable to contribute much of anything to the team. And if B-West can’t play, it’s time to fold up the tent on the Eagles’ dream season.
If you listen to Sal Pal and Cris Carter, Westbrook should probably retire. Both talking heads pontificated about the brittle running back on the Global Sports Net yesterday. If you want to watch their videos, go here. I’ll just paraphrase what they each had to say.
First up, Sal Pal. My beef with him has more to do with his assessment of the Birds running back situation behind Westbrook. He claimed Booker and Shady were the same size. Booker weighs in at around 195, while Shady tipped the scales at 213 at the post draft minicamp. If you look at the two players, it’s easy to tell McCoy is bigger.
Next, Sal talked about potential free agent backs available. Of course, Edge was tops on the list. The problem with James is he’s deluded into believing he can still be a starter. I don’t think he’d consider battling for the number three spot. Sal’s next name was even more ridiculous: J.J. Arrington. I guess Sal didn’t get the memo that the Broncos cut Arrington because he NEEDS MICROFRACTURE SURGERY ON HIS KNEE and will be out for the 2009 season. Maybe Sal wants the Eagles to collect as many broken-down backs as possible. What the hell happened to Sal?
Cris Carter claims Westbrook won’t be healthy the entire 2009 season due to the surgery. His conditioning, according to Carter, will be shot because he will miss camp. Well, we don’t know for certain Westy will miss camp, but that didn’t stop Carter from assuming he will.
Then Carter brilliantly deduced that the Eagles must have thought the surgery was absolutely necessary because they advised Westbrook to have it now. Huh? What were they supposed to do, wait until August? The guy had bone spurs that needed to be cleaned out, thus the reason for the “debridement.” (By the way, my favorite new word is debridement. Sounds like a colonial times term for divorce, although it’s pronounced -BREED-.)
Of course it was important to have the surgery now — training camp is still almost eight weeks away. Carter’s entire rant served no point other than to panic the Philly faithful. I understand it’s June and the ESPN bobble heads are paid to speculate, speculate, speculate, but let’s settle down, shall we.
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Here is a knowledgeable article on Westbrook’s ankle difficulties:
"“Assuming everything went well, Westbrook should face a fairly straightforward rehabilitation process, one that might go even more smoothly now that his left knee has undergone a similar cleanup procedure.That said, this ankle surgery (and the prior knee surgery) does not erase the wear and tear that Westbrook has placed on his body as a result of seven years in the league. Nor does it stop the clock from ticking, the one that will chime “30 years” for Westbrook in September.”"
(Fantasy owners take note: I would avoid Westbrook in drafts this year.)
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Also of note: Shady McCoy left practice today with a sprained thumb. Right about now, ESPN and NFL Net are preparing to write him off as a rookie bust. Truth is, he should be able to practice next week.
Lastly: I think Warrick Dunn would be a reasonable player to consider signing. Feel free to bash me 😉