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Title: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MURP on May 08, 2006, 09:31:22 AM
article (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16601181&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18170&rfi=6)


QuoteThe way Brian Westbrook breaks it down, the 2006 Eagles will go as far as quarterback Donovan McNabb takes them. That, you may recall, was the organizational philosophy before the 2004 arrival of Terrell Owens, who formally was kicked out of town just months ago for repeated criticisms of McNabb and Eagles management, among other items.

"It's still Donovan McNabb's team," Westbrook said over the weekend. "He's still the leader of our team. A quarterback that has excelled the way Donovan has in our system is always going to be the leader. Guys are still going to look to him to lead this team. But we need other people to come and help him out. We can't look at Donovan and expect that he's going to make every play.

"We need people around him to pick up the slack and that's where I come in, that's where Todd Pinkston, L.J. Smith, Reggie Brown and the offensive line come in. I think they're all going to pick it up. Everybody is going to get a little more work. If everybody chips in a little bit more than they did last year, than we will be fine."

Westbrook expects to contribute much more than a little bit. The Eagles have given the 5-9, 205-pound running back out of Villanova assurances he will be used in a fashion befitting a Pro Bowl performer that only last fall signed a five-year, $25 million contract extension.

Westbrook says he's recovered from the Lisfranc sprain that cost him the last four games of the 2005 campaign, and that he's a full go for minicamp this weekend. When the offseason is all said and done, he expects to be in the best shape of his professional career to shoulder the new and increased load and to avoid the nagging injuries that shelved him here and there through the years.

"Coach (Andy) Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year, so I'm trying to get ready for that," Westbrook said. "And I'm definitely working forward to it. I've always said the more I touch the ball the more I get into a rhythm, and the better I will be as a player. Last year I didn't touch it as much in the run game as I wanted to, and pretty much every game we already had a great player on our team with T.O. And Donovan was able to make plays, as well.

"This year I just think that the core of our team should be some part of our running game. As a team, we have to find a way to get the run going. I think the running game this year will be a more integral part of our team and the things that we're going to do. We have a very solid core group of guys and we're going to need that core group of guys this year to kind of pull more of the weight than they've done in previous years."

The Eagles threw incessantly with Owens in the lineup last season. When they suspended the receiver after the seventh game for conduct detrimental to the team, it took Reid a couple of games to strike more of a balance between the pass and the run. Truth be told, the Eagles were stomping the Dallas Cowboys with a smash-mouth running attack in their ninth game before the fourth-quarter collapse capped by Roy Williams' touchdown return of a McNabb interception.

Westbrook, however, never has rushed the ball more than 177 times in the regular season, that coming in the 2004 campaign while Owens was on board. Westbrook also established a career-best with 250 touches.

Without Owens, who stretched defenses and often was double-teamed, the Eagles almost certainly will find it more difficult to run consistently. That doesn't faze Westbrook, a running back with wide receiver hands, elusiveness and home run power.

Prolific as Owens was -- he tallied 20 times in 21 games with the Eagles -- the offense also had a formidable weapon in Westbrook.

Since Westbrook checked into the 2004 campaign as a full-time starter, he's contributed 18 touchdowns in 28 games.

Westbrook has 30 TDs in four NFL seasons. In the last three seasons, Westbrook has more receiving yards (1,651) and a better yards-per-touch average (5.9) than any NFL back. Last season he led all backs with 616 receiving yards and was second with 61 receptions despite being sidelined four games.

Westbrook has learned from Owens.

Owens, likewise, could learn from Westbrook.

After all, it was Owens who reported to training camp last summer, became a divisive distraction and didn't get the salary increase he demanded.

And it was Westbrook who held out of training camp the first week, returned, did his job and was rewarded.

"It's very ironic," Westbrook conceded. "But everybody does their business a little bit different. He does things a little bit differently than the way I do, and who's to say which way is right? I think in this circumstance, in this situation, it worked out for me. I think T.O. just went about it the way he felt was best and it didn't really work out for him."




Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on May 08, 2006, 09:33:15 AM
i r winar! (http://www.concretefield.com/forum/index.php?topic=18298.msg414075#msg414075)


Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MURP on May 08, 2006, 09:35:20 AM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on May 08, 2006, 09:33:15 AM
i r winar! (http://www.concretefield.com/forum/index.php?topic=18298.msg414075#msg414075)




no full link, no article!   BAN!  ;D
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SunMo on May 08, 2006, 09:35:48 AM
sweet..he's on my fantasy team
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Zanshin on May 08, 2006, 09:37:23 AM
Reasonably sure this is best viewed under the "believe it when you see it" category.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 09:38:09 AM
a couple people named liz and achilles are supposed to be two of donovans best friends this year?
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MURP on May 08, 2006, 09:41:45 AM
talk about a buzz kill dude.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on May 08, 2006, 09:48:43 AM
Ryan Moats = Big Things.

Westy is going will be a ball catcher and will occasionally be given a handoff, but this year I think we see Moats emerge as the better pure runner, especially inside, and take serious advantage of his chances when he gets handed the ball.  I really like what the kid showed last year. I would bet that who sees the most touches each game will bounce back and forth, with Tapeh/Davis getting a fair share too. We'll Moats and Westy on the field at same time often I think.

When I look at what they did for the offensive line, in terms of big maulers, I really think they are going to run the ball a bunch, not 50/50, but maybe 55/45 or 60/40. I would be happy with either.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SunMo on May 08, 2006, 09:51:17 AM
Moats had 2 long runs last year and did nothing outside of that...don't count on him just yet.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: reese125 on May 08, 2006, 09:52:30 AM
this year I think we see Moats emerge as the better pure runner,

your kidding right?
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 09:56:21 AM
for rilla....moats isnt getting near the number of touches as westbrook...westbrook is so much more explosive than moats its not even funny...moats is an insurance policy for when westbrook goes down and also someone that will occasionally spare him
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyGirl on May 08, 2006, 09:57:26 AM
Westbrook's Lis Franc....did that even require surgery? I know it was far down the totem pole of seriousness from Duce's and Chad lewis'. I remember there was question on whether or not he'd have sat the rest of the season if they were in the playoffs.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SunMo on May 08, 2006, 09:58:24 AM
no surgery...just rehab
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MadMarchHare on May 08, 2006, 10:00:33 AM
Yeah, I thought they benched him just as insurance.  Why risk him when the season is over?
And Westbrook sees 2-3x the touches of Moats this season.  Moats still has a lot to prove.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on May 08, 2006, 10:01:36 AM
We'll disagree, but that is one of my predictions for this season. Moats surpises.

Someone should start a season prediction thread, that way when I am proven wrong, there will be and easily found list of fodder to humilate my internet based alter-ego with.

** Also, I remember Al Michaels saying something during a game last year, about AR telling Moats that "he was the best pure runner on the team."
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Rome on May 08, 2006, 10:08:25 AM
Considering the fact that they used two of their top four draft picks on offensive linemen, and specifically a road grading monster in Jean-Gilles, this news isn't all that surprising, though.

As for Moats, I see him getting 10 touches per game max unless Westbrook blows out another tire.  Hopefully Westbrook will prove us all wrong and stay healthy and productive for an entire season.

Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Geowhizzer on May 08, 2006, 10:09:41 AM
I can't wait until this season starts- even though it means the end of summer vacation.

I'm getting pumped!
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 10:12:13 AM
Someone should start a season prediction thread, that ay when I am proven wrong, there will be and easily found list of fodder to humilate my internet based alter-ego with.

i think there was one last year...those are pretty fun...if for no other reason than to see stuff like phreaks breakout player of last season being dhani the sand artist

Considering the fact that they used two of their top four draft picks on offensive linemen, and specifically a road grading monster in Jean-Gilles, this news isn't all that surprising, though

i think it has more to do with their wr's being weakmade...barring injuries i dont think justice sees the field at all this year and i would be suprised to see jean-gillies out there that much
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Rome on May 08, 2006, 10:21:37 AM
There's certainly an opening for Jean-Gilles if he comes into camp and seizes it.  It's not as if they have two all-pro caliber guards sitting there.  Andrews is one and the other guard position is ripe for the taking.  I don't think they would have traded up to get him unless they thought he had a chance to start for them, IGY.  I mean, you know how valuable draft picks are to Reid and for him to sacrifice one on a guy like Jean-Gilles, to me that says they love him and will give him every opportunity to start.

As for the receivers comment, I disagree slightly.  Other than Reggie, I'm by no means sold on their current contingent of wideouts but I think we have to give them a chance before dismissing them out of hand entirely.

Training camp and the minicamps will tell us more.


BTW: Has anyone glanced at the current depth chart?  Very interesting.  None of the rookies are close to being named starters yet.  I know that's pretty common, but still, kinda strange that none of the draftees is higher than 2nd on the chart yet.

Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: reese125 on May 08, 2006, 10:21:52 AM
think it has more to do with their wr's being weakmade...barring injuries i dont think justice sees the field at all this year and i would be suprised to see jean-gillies out there that much


i dont think its a secret to anyone that injuries happen every single year to the Eagles (and any team for that matter), before the season starts and during. knock on wood obviously, but you can almost bet that one of those players you mention IGY will be on the field ALOT
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: JTrotter Fan on May 08, 2006, 10:28:20 AM
I would be sick if Westbrook got hurt in TC.  Sick i tell ya!
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 10:29:18 AM
There's certainly an opening for Jean-Gilles if he comes into camp and seizes it.  It's not as if they have two all-pro caliber guards sitting there.  Andrews is one and the other guard position is ripe for the taking.  I don't think they would have traded up to get him unless they thought he had a chance to start for them, IGY.  I mean, you know how valuable draft picks are to Reid and for him to sacrifice one on a guy like Jean-Gilles, to me that says they love him and will give him every opportunity to start.

he could come in and start right away no doubt....but a much more likely scenario has herremans and/or clarke coming out of camp ahead of him...my main point is they are going to run the ball more because they dont have a good wr corps vs the fact they drafted two lineman


i dont think its a secret to anyone that injuries happen every single year to the Eagles (and any team for that matter), before the season starts and during. knock on wood obviously, but you can almost bet that one of those players you mention IGY will be on the field ALOT



i guess you missed the "barring injuries" part
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MadMarchHare on May 08, 2006, 10:33:18 AM
Meh.  They threw 60% of the time with Thrash/Pinkston/Mitchell.  Why change now, with an arguably better (or at least equivalent) squad?

I think they'll run more because *gasp* Reid finally figured out his experiment wasn't a ringing success.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: reese125 on May 08, 2006, 10:35:40 AM
i guess you missed the "barring injuries" part

my bad IGY...I glanced right over it. I stand corrected
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Rome on May 08, 2006, 10:36:00 AM
I really don't care what the reason is for their (hopefully) increased running attempts.  Whether it's a zesty WR corps, bigger, badder offensive linemen, or someone got through to Andy by whacking him over the head with a clipboard, I'm just happy they'll be doing it finally.

Watching McNabb drop back 50 times a game is revolting to me.  They have to punch opposing teams in the mouth more often if they want to keep McNabb healthy back there.  The only way to keep defenses honest is to run the ball with conviction.  If they do that, then they have a chance to be a very good football team.  If not, then a repeat of 2005 is not only possible but probable.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: reese125 on May 08, 2006, 10:37:45 AM
I think they'll run more because *gasp* Reid finally figured out his experiment wasn't a ringing success

or reid realized his quarterback is not superman anymore
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 10:39:58 AM
i dont think anyone can disagree that they SHOULD run more...the question is will they

regardless of how good you think the wr's are....by default not having TO automatically means they will run at least a little more...the question is will it go back to pre TO days of around 60% or will it go closer to a more acceptable 55-45 ratio
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Don Ho on May 08, 2006, 03:36:57 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 10:39:58 AM
i dont think anyone can disagree that they SHOULD run more...the question is will they

I am anxiously awaiting the first third and one offensive play of the year. :paranoid
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: The BIGSTUD on May 08, 2006, 03:38:36 PM
55/45 would be great. We have a very good RB tandem.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on May 08, 2006, 05:49:51 PM
I agree with the fact about Moats getting the ball more, if you look at him at this point in his career versus where Westbrook was he is much farther along.  Granted most of that was due to Westbrook's injury but he certainly showed a ton of potential. 
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: mussa on May 08, 2006, 06:02:55 PM
amen, the explosiveness he showed last year is talent to good to let sit on the bench. share the loaaaaaad frodo, share the looooad.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on May 09, 2006, 04:09:33 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 10:12:13 AM
Someone should start a season prediction thread, that ay when I am proven wrong, there will be and easily found list of fodder to humilate my internet based alter-ego with.

i think there was one last year...those are pretty fun...if for no other reason than to see stuff like phreaks breakout player of last season being dhani the sand artist

Please. I'll pay you to stop bringing that up.

In fairness to my internet ego, I hated the signing. Hated it to death.

But that bastich fooled me in camp last year.

Never will I be fooled again.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: General_Failure on May 09, 2006, 04:37:25 AM
Yes you will.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: shorebird on May 09, 2006, 06:01:32 AM
Ried will run the ball more?? I'll believe it when I see it. I hope it works, I really do, but do we even have a back with enough endurance to run the ball over twenty times a game? Reid can mix it up with Bwest and Moats, but how long will that last if he doesn't see immediate results? And we still have yet to see if Bwest can play a whole season without getting injured.

Like I said, I hope it works, and it's good to see that Reid recognizes the fact that he has to run the ball more, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 09, 2006, 07:53:50 AM
Please. I'll pay you to stop bringing that up.

lol....you dont have enough money for that...but you have cart blanche to kill my next one
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SidFarkus on May 09, 2006, 10:56:07 AM
The last time Mary Morningweg was an offensive coordinator, his team led the NFL in rushing twice...
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on May 09, 2006, 04:50:03 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 09, 2006, 07:53:50 AM
Please. I'll pay you to stop bringing that up.

lol....you dont have enough money for that...but you have cart blanche to kill my next one

Ok. Deal.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: stalker on May 10, 2006, 08:31:49 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 10:39:58 AM
i dont think anyone can disagree that they SHOULD run more...the question is will they

regardless of how good you think the wr's are....by default not having TO automatically means they will run at least a little more...the question is will it go back to pre TO days of around 60% or will it go closer to a more acceptable 55-45 ratio

Acceptable to whom?
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 10, 2006, 08:34:19 AM
duh?....me
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Feva on May 10, 2006, 10:07:45 AM
... and that's all that matters.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SidFarkus on May 10, 2006, 10:52:42 AM
Quote from: stalker on May 10, 2006, 08:31:49 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 08, 2006, 10:39:58 AM
i dont think anyone can disagree that they SHOULD run more...the question is will they

regardless of how good you think the wr's are....by default not having TO automatically means they will run at least a little more...the question is will it go back to pre TO days of around 60% or will it go closer to a more acceptable 55-45 ratio

Acceptable to whom?

It's acceptable to me.

Frankly as long as the running and passing plays Andy calls are effective, I don't care. That's really what we are all whining about here. If the Eagles were putting up 30 points a game and throwing the ball 60% of the time none of us would be crying about not running. If we run the ball 50% of the time for 3 yds a carry no one will be jumping for joy to see the run. I want an effective offense, we ran a lot at the end of the year last year and still sucked.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: General_Failure on May 10, 2006, 03:12:11 PM
Quote from: SidFarkus on May 10, 2006, 10:52:42 AM
If the Eagles were putting up 30 points a game and throwing the ball 60% of the time none of us would be crying about not running.

:sly
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Wingspan on May 10, 2006, 03:14:14 PM
Quote from: SidFarkus on May 10, 2006, 10:52:42 AM
If the Eagles were putting up 30 points a game and throwing the ball 60% of the time none of us would be crying about not running.

you don't know eagles fans very well.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyGirl on May 10, 2006, 03:30:06 PM
If the Eagles were throwing 60% of the time, I'd be okay.

Its the 80% that has me sickened.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 10, 2006, 03:35:30 PM
last year was 62% passing
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SunMo on May 10, 2006, 03:38:24 PM
they ran a lot more later in the year.

but when TO and McNabb were playing together..it was pass, pass, pass
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PhillyGirl on May 10, 2006, 03:40:11 PM
Quote from: Sun_Mo on May 10, 2006, 03:38:24 PM
they ran a lot more later in the year.

but when TO and McNabb were playing together..it was pass, pass, pass

Exactly. They ran later in the year because it was either McMahon throwing to an opposing defender or run.

WWYD?

That 62% is not accurate because of that. When it mattered most, the passing was more like 75-80%.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 10, 2006, 03:43:05 PM
but when TO and McNabb were playing together..it was pass, pass, pass

id say that had more to do with not having mcnabb than it did not having TO
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: stalker on May 10, 2006, 05:48:59 PM
Quote from: PhillyGirl on May 10, 2006, 03:40:11 PM
Quote from: Sun_Mo on May 10, 2006, 03:38:24 PM
they ran a lot more later in the year.

but when TO and McNabb were playing together..it was pass, pass, pass

Exactly. They ran later in the year because it was either McMahon throwing to an opposing defender or run.

WWYD?

That 62% is not accurate because of that. When it mattered most, the passing was more like 75-80%.

Right. Andy is a genius. He ADJUSTS his game plan to best utilize his personnel. He had, let's face it, the best WR/QB combination in the NFL. Why not utilize it? When that started to fall apart, he adjusted. That did not work last year because the injuries created a cascading failure effect. However, it did work the year both McNabb and Detmer were hurt because the offensive injuries stopped there.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MURP on May 10, 2006, 07:35:32 PM
Its pretty well known that Childress called most of the plays in the 2nd half of the season.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on May 10, 2006, 07:41:20 PM
Quote from: MURP on May 10, 2006, 07:35:32 PM
Its pretty well known that Childress called most of the plays in the 2nd half of the season.

Well hopefully he lets Morningwood do most of the playcalling because he may not be a good HC but he did a good job running a balanced offense in SF with Hearst and Garner.  With Moats and Westbrook we have a similar duo.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on May 10, 2006, 07:42:43 PM
I'm not so much concerned with the % ratio of pass/run, because that statistic can be manipulated when Andy throws, throws, throws, gets a lead, then runs late to even things out and eat up clock. What I want is for him to make it a priority to establish the run early. Being down a TD is no excuse to abandon the run, go into panic mode, and pass the ball all over the field.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Displaced on May 10, 2006, 08:04:58 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on May 10, 2006, 07:42:43 PM
I'm not so much concerned with the % ratio of pass/run, because that statistic can be manipulated when Andy throws, throws, throws, gets a lead, then runs late to even things out and eat up clock. What I want is for him to make it a priority to establish the run early. Being down a TD is no excuse to abandon the run, go into panic mode, and pass the ball all over the field.


I think this is the most nuanced response so far.  Probably the most accurate as well.

It is Reids modus operandi to pass for the lead and run the game out late.

Where he has gotten in trouble is throwing the ball way too much in the red zone and forgetting to run with a small lead that can be overcome in one possession. 

When given the choice on third and a few with three minutes to go Reid will throw to try and pick up the first down way more often than not and that as much as anything else in the problem.

I certainly hope they run more and shorten the game for the defense.  It's time to start busting people up out there.  Get a swagger that says we will beat you simply because we are tougher than you and when we smack you in the mouth, you will stay smacked.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MadMarchHare on May 11, 2006, 07:38:03 AM
Yeah, I'm sure glad we ran the ball to eat up clock in that Dallas game last November.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 11, 2006, 08:11:17 AM
^^^
exactly...andy passes the ball even when hes in the lead
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: mussa on May 11, 2006, 08:38:54 AM
last season was a nightmare. everything went wrong. people were hurt and injured and out of focus.  you can't really blame one thing on anybody.  the machine was broken. thats all there is to say about it.  now behave yourselves :evil
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Diomedes on May 11, 2006, 08:41:48 AM
Whatever.  If the machine was broken, perhaps the operator should be hauled in for a little talk with the supervisor, no?  Reid would have to change his ways drastically for me to defend his playcalling.  He passes way, way too much.  Nevermind all the nancy arguments why he passed so much in this game or that...he passes way too much.  That needs to be fixed and I'll believe it when I see it, even if Westbrook says he's gonna get the rock more this year.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: mussa on May 11, 2006, 08:57:33 AM
man i can't wait for next year
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on May 11, 2006, 12:23:33 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 11, 2006, 08:41:48 AM
Whatever.  If the machine was broken, perhaps the operator should be hauled in for a little talk with the supervisor, no?  Reid would have to change his ways drastically for me to defend his playcalling.  He passes way, way too much.  Nevermind all the nancy arguments why he passed so much in this game or that...he passes way too much.  That needs to be fixed and I'll believe it when I see it, even if Westbrook says he's gonna get the rock more this year.

I couldn't agree more.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: reese125 on May 11, 2006, 12:39:41 PM
the funny thing is, the way westbrook is used in this offense to create mismatches for dfenses requires him to either line up in the slot, motion out of the backfield or on the wing. I just dont see how he is going to run those quick routes,  then get back in the huddle and run a sweep or go between the tackles--getting banged up big time by the lineman and LBs. Take those hits and line up in the slot again--giving him how many touches a game for the run?

Reid better be damn sure of Westbrooks durabilty game in and game out--I still cant see it happening
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: MURP on May 11, 2006, 12:56:02 PM
thats why they have Reno and CBUCK.   :D
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on May 11, 2006, 01:41:48 PM
Quote from: MURP on May 11, 2006, 12:56:02 PM
thats why they have Reno and CBUCK.   :D

You should die just for joking about that.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: hyjacker on May 11, 2006, 10:49:55 PM
We didn't pick up all these O linemen to just pass protect. We'll see a lot more from the running game this year.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Feva on May 12, 2006, 05:19:33 AM
Yeah, go ahead and ask the road grater Shawn Andrews about that.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: ice grillin you on May 12, 2006, 08:41:24 AM
did someone say road grater?
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Feva on May 12, 2006, 08:59:46 AM
I think you're imagining things.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Feva on May 12, 2006, 10:30:24 AM
Rich Hoffman weighs in (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/columnists/14560580.htm)

QuotePosted on Fri, May. 12, 2006 



Rich Hofmann | Hit the ground running, Andy

AS MINICAMP OPENS, KEYS TO SUCCESS ARE CLEAR



ROOKIES BEGIN arriving for Eagles minicamp today, with questions to follow. It is hard to put a 6-10 season behind you, but this is where it really begins. Last year - you remember, Terrell Owens and such - will be referenced often because that is the way of the world, looking back at the mileposts in an

attempt to see where you are standing today. But we really are going to turn now to what is ahead.

And to two people: Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.

That 2006 will be about them more than anyone is understood all around. Everybody is a big kid here and everybody gets it: Coming off 6-10, all eyes are on the coach and the quarterback. We can all do our little riffs about the personnel changes on the team, and we can all have our attention diverted (and sometimes monopolized) by the hopes and dreams that people like Chris Gocong and Jeremy Bloom and the rest can create.

But this is about the quarterback and the coach. This is about McNabb, returning from a sports hernia injury, emerging from T.O. hell. This is about

Reid, his locker room rocked

and divided by Owens, his entire offensive philosophy really being tested in a way it hasn't been

before.

Barring a ridiculous run of injuries, there will be two stories this season. You can mark this down in ink.

Story 1: Does McNabb return as his old self, both as a performer and with the same swagger?

Story 2: Does Reid finally run the ball?

Everything else will spin off those two questions. Every other action will be a reaction to one of those two issues. Because if there are two things that nobody - repeat, nobody - wants to see this season, it is McNabb struggling early in the season or Reid calling a record number of passing plays again.

Because those are two things that this team will not likely

survive.

The McNabb stuff is self-evident. We will watch him this

season, beginning this weekend, and chart every cough and

hiccup. It is what everybody here does, but especially on the morning after the awful night

before. The quarterback has to be good this year and he has to be efficient and there really

isn't any need to talk about it anymore - it is that obvious an imperative, both footballwise and leadershipwise.

Far more interesting is the coach, and the offense he is building in the absence of T.O. We are back to the old-time religion. The superstar receiver is gone and his place has been taken by a bunch of fellas. Todd Pinkston is back from injury. Jabar Gaffney has been acquired to work the middle of the field.

Reggie Brown is a year more

experienced. And off we go.

Reid has done it this way

before, as we all know. With

the town howling for an elite

receiver, this coach (and this quarterback) has won an awful lot of games without one. They can make this work again, too. They really can.

People never want to acknowledge this stat when it is written, but here we go again: In the last 10 games of the 2003 season

(pre-T.O.), the Eagles' offense scored a slightly greater number of points per game than it did in the first 10 games of 2004 (with T.O.). People insist it is impossible, or due to a scheduling quirk, or something, but it is true. Yes, the offense looked different with T.O. Yes, it was much more

dynamic and much more of a quick-strike attack. But in the end, it was not more productive.

So it can work with these

receivers. But it only works if they run the ball, which gets us back to the coach.

In the first eight games last season, Reid was calling more passing plays per game than any coach in the history of the NFL. This was not a little quirk, or a little overindulgence of the coach's love for all things aerial. This was history. For a half-season, the Eagles ran the ball less than anybody in the NFL. Ever.

The coach has never explained it to anyone's satisfaction. They started running it in Game 9, when McNabb threw away the Dallas game and got hurt, and they were much more balanced after that, when Mike McMahon was quarterback and the ship was sinking, and when then-offensive coordinator Brad Childress was calling the plays - surprise. "I called about the last five or six games of the season," Childress said, on the day the

Vikings hired him as head coach.

All of this was a tacit acknowledgment that they didn't want to expose the jittery McMahon. What they need this season is a tacit acknowledgment that

McNabb, too, could stand to have some of the burden lifted off his back.

But will Reid run it?

He didn't acquire a big back in the offseason. He has shown a

reluctance to overburden Brian Westbrook in the past. He has the small-but-fascinating Ryan Moats, but you wonder about overburdening him, too.

So you don't know who or how, but you know it must happen - as it did in 2003, when this kind of offense last worked around here with Duce Staley, Correll Buckhalter and Westbrook

sharing the load.

Who? How? The answers

will not start arriving until

September, but the questions are obvious, even now.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: SidFarkus on May 12, 2006, 11:19:02 AM
Quote from: hyjacker on May 11, 2006, 10:49:55 PM
We didn't pick up all these O linemen to just pass protect. We'll see a lot more from the running game this year.


If Mornigwheg has any say in the offense, they'll run more.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Don Ho on May 12, 2006, 05:21:27 PM
Quote from: SidFarkus on May 12, 2006, 11:19:02 AM
Quote from: hyjacker on May 11, 2006, 10:49:55 PM
We didn't pick up all these O linemen to just pass protect. We'll see a lot more from the running game this year.


If Mornigwheg has any say in the offense, they'll run more.

And we pray, and pray, and pray, and pray and pray some more.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: reese125 on June 06, 2006, 06:36:08 PM
Giants | Accorsi has no problem with Barber helping out Westbrook
Tue, 6 Jun 2006 09:42:41 -0700

Paul Schwartz, of the New York Post, reports New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said he has "no problem" with RB Tiki Barber giving workout tips to Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook. Westbrook recently reached out to Barber to find out about his training regime in an effort to gain the durability Barber has found. Barber did not make direct contact but his business agent, Mark Lepselter, called the office of Eagles head coach Andy Reid and gave him the number for Joe Carini. Carini is Barber's workout guru and the former winner of the New Jersey Strongest Man competition.



Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Displaced on July 01, 2006, 07:56:57 PM
According to NFL Network's Adam Schefter the Eagles plan to get their miney's worth outta Westy this year only they will be throwing him the ball even more.  He said that with Moats on board and the relative lack of experience on the part of the recievers, Westy will be split out much more and getting reps at WR.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on July 01, 2006, 08:31:12 PM
Exactly what Spadaro's been saying too.  Westbrook will probably have more catches than rushes this year.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: The BIGSTUD on July 01, 2006, 08:42:05 PM
Nice. Westbrook at full-time receiver would be the best in the game. He's like a combination of TO, Jerry Rice, Steve Smith, and a little Reno Mahe in there too.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on July 02, 2006, 06:37:18 AM
I guess I'm laughing with you and not at you.  Good form.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Rome on July 02, 2006, 11:20:31 AM
Quote from: Bunkley78 on July 01, 2006, 08:42:05 PM
Nice. Westbrook at full-time receiver would be the best in the game. He's like a combination of TO, Jerry Rice, Steve Smith, and a little Reno Mahe in there too.

Holy Moses.   :-D

The king of hyperbole strikes again.

Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Sgt PSN on July 02, 2006, 12:25:03 PM
When I think of Westbrook I think TO.  Because they're both so friggin huge.  And then I think of Jerry Rice because Westy is well on his way to shattering every recieving record out there.  Idiot. 
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on July 02, 2006, 01:00:20 PM
Even I could tell that Bunkley was being facetious this time.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Rome on July 02, 2006, 01:05:51 PM
Quote from: FFatPatt on July 02, 2006, 01:00:20 PM
Even I could tell that Bunkley was being facetious this time.

A needle in a haystack full of needles?
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on July 02, 2006, 01:08:42 PM
Yes, but this one is infected with AIDS.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: Rome on July 02, 2006, 01:16:49 PM
Quote from: FFatPatt on July 02, 2006, 01:08:42 PM
Yes, but this one is infected with AIDS.

I agree.  This thread should be euthanized.
Title: Re: Westbrook - Reid said he was going to hand the ball off a lot this year
Post by: shorebird on July 02, 2006, 03:58:42 PM
Being as Bwest is without question McNabbs no.1 weapon on offense, and he just signed a big contract last year and looks healthy, of course he's gonna get the ball 30- 40 percent of the time. If they use him even more, I hope it is with him lining up outside and catching passes. Less chance of injury than there is with him running.