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Westbrook added to NFC Pro Bowl squad

BY BOB BROOKOVER

Knight Ridder Newspapers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - (KRT) - Sometimes Brian Westbrook wondered whether his peers noticed.

Now he knows for sure that they did.

Proof of it came when the Eagles running back with the ability to also make big plays as a receiver became the first news story of Super Bowl XXXIX. The news was that Westbrook will head to Hawaii as a member of the NFC Pro Bowl squad after the Eagles face the New England Patriots in the NFL title game Sunday at Alltel Stadium.

"A lot of people weren't expecting this, and I wasn't either at this point, because it had been so long since everybody was chosen," Westbrook said last night after the Eagles arrived at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Spa on Jacksonville Beach.

Westbrook, voted a second alternate for the NFC, was added to the squad after Seattle's Shaun Alexander and Washington's Clinton Portis asked out of the game because of injuries. Westbrook became the 10th Eagle named to the NFC roster, although wide receiver Terrell Owens has said he would not play in the game.

"It kind of validates the things I've been doing," the 25-year-old Westbrook said. "It kind of validates that you can catch the ball out of the backfield as a running back and still be very effective as well as run the ball. It's a great feeling for me."

In his first full season as the Eagles' top running back, Westbrook accounted for 1,515 total yards from scrimmage despite missing three games. He was fourth in the NFC and 11th in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage, and third in the NFC and fifth in the NFL in average yards per game with 116.5.

But having only 812 rushing yards - 15th in the NFC and 29th in the NFL - made him wonder whether the players who didn't compete against him realized that he is an explosive running back who just happens to play in a pass-oriented offense that uses him in a variety of ways.

With 73 receptions and 703 receiving yards, Westbrook led all NFL running backs.

"I think a lot of people, especially when they're voting for the Pro Bowl, they have just your rushing stats," Westbrook said. "If you're only rushing for 800 yards and receiving for 700, sometimes they don't look at you truly as a running back."

Donovan McNabb thinks they should.

"I'm very happy for Brian," the Eagles' quarterback said. "It's well-deserved. He should have been on the roster from the beginning."

Westbrook conceded that teams that faced him knew he was a lethal weapon. Proof of that was caught on film during the playoff game against Minnesota when he burned the Vikings for 117 yards. There is NFL Films footage of Vikings coach Mike Tice telling his defensive players not to let "No. 36 beat them."

"That's definitely flattering," Westbrook said. "I think if you ask the defenses we played against, they'd tell you that every time I step on the field, they have to account for the things I do. But the teams we don't play against, I don't think they really know who Brian Westbrook is."

With the Eagles playing in wicked winds and bitter cold during their NFC championship victory over Atlanta, Westbrook became more runner than receiver and proved that he doesn't need to catch the ball to account for huge chunks of yardage.

He ran 16 times for 96 yards against the Falcons.

It's safe to assume that the Patriots are well-aware of Westbrook's value to the Eagles, but he believes that if too much attention is paid to him, the team's other weapons will make opponents pay. Interestingly, he didn't even mention Owens, who is expected to return from an ankle injury.

"I think when a team focuses only on one person, we have the ability for Greg Lewis to make big plays downfield," Westbrook said. "We have the ability for Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell to make big plays. We have the ability as a team to take advantage of things that a defense tries to do."

Westbrook is a big reason that that is true, and after he has played in the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl, he may just find out exactly what his financial value is to the Eagles. The third-year running back is a restricted free agent, which means the Eagles can match any offer made to him by another team.

It also means that Westbrook could be in line for a long-term deal.

"That's something that will take care of itself when the season is over," Westbrook said. "I'm not even thinking about it. My main focus is to win this football game. I want to find a way to beat the defending champions."

General Failure wrote:link


Ten! Ten Pro Bowl players! Ah ha ha! *thunder crash*

General Failure wrote:I like Dave Chappelle's explanation of the count much better.

"How many times must I hit you? One, ah ha ha!"

washington53 wrote:man i didnt even konw the Portis made it. I thought the only person that made it was Washington

Jake wrote:He's a backup. An alternate is like a backup but a starter or a backup has to be ruled out for the game in order for the alternate to get any playing time.

air_hog wrote:Portis is awsome, yet arrogant. I think thats pretty cool that he wont go in the cheap and that he has to earn his spot. (although i believe he deserved it more than Ahman Green becasue even though Ahman's team made it to the playoffs, i think the Pro Bowl is more about individual stats)

washington53 wrote:you can obviously tell that a lot of votrs looked at records not individual stats

Texas Hog wrote:Hello? What do you want a cookie? The pro-bowl voting is a joke. Whitten is the only one who deserved the honor. Who the heck is Robinson?