Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook returned to practice this week after having missed most of two games with a concussion. He was hit in the head by Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher in the first quarter of a 27-17 win back on October 26, forcing him to miss last week’s game against the N.Y. Giants. Normally, I would say the Eagles are a worse different team without the services of perhaps the best all-purpose running back in the National Football League, but they surprisingly had no problem disposing of their division rivals without Brian, 40-17.
When asked about his injury …read more

Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will be out of action until the beginning of the 2009 regular season. Brian was not participating in the team’s minicamp this week because of a sore ankle. As it turns out, he has a high ankle sprain. And it apparently needs some work so it’s “prognosis negative” for arguably the Eagles’ best player (remember, he’s also returning from a knee operation this off-season).
Well, there’s good news and bad news with this injury. While Brian is scheduled to miss all of training camp and the preseason (the bad news), he should be ready for …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
When you play the Minnesota Vikings, you’d better be prepared to throw the football. The Vikes had the NFL’s best run defense this season and even without All-Pro, run-stuffing tackle Pat Williams, they kept the Philadelphia Eagles’ ground game in-check (67 yards) this afternoon in a 26-14 NFC Wild Card loss. That total included a meager 38 yards on 20 carries by RB Brian Westbrook. But all Brian needed was one touch to make the difference in this one. He broke open a 16-14 game by taking a screen pass from quarterback Donovan McNabb 71 …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook said he wanted to restructure his contract because he feels underpaid and made it clear he wanted to be compensated like one of the best running backs in the National Football League. Well, today he agreed to a contract (a 52-page contract) worth $21 million over the next three years, including $13 million guaranteed over the next two seasons, so he’s taken care of. With escalators based on playoff appearances and individual performance, Brian could get his salary up to $24 million. Head coach Andy Reid said:
“As I’ve said …read more

Photo by Greg Trott/Getty Images
Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
The Dallas Cowboys placed a league-high 12 players on the NFC All-Star team. Among the players selected to the NFC squad was Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who died last month. Sean received the most votes at his position and was chosen as the starting free safety for the NFC team. A replacement will be announced at a later date. Eleven NFC players will participate in their first Pro Bowl, including Minnesota Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson, who leads the NFC in rushing yards with 1,278.