Out of all the things going at Lehigh so far, the thing that I am the most pleased about is the progress of Brian Westbrook. He looks like he’s well ahead schedule.
Each afternoon he has been out on the practice field opposite the rest of the team, working out with team trainer Rick Burkholder.
Rick has been putting him through some tough workouts. At the end of the workout, the Eagles running back was doubled over in exhaustion.
If you didn’t know it, you would think Rick was getting him ready to play in the soccer league rather than the NFL.
Westbrook has to control the ball with both legs, which forces him to work on body control and balance, which are integral to being a top running back in the league.
He does footwork drills, back and forth through a contraption laid on the ground. Right away the elements that make him a great back appear.
You can see the foot quickness and change of direction, which set him apart. Out of nowhere, he’ll explode out of his stance.
The drills Burkholder has him doing are very taxing on the legs, which is the point of it all.
The burst is what he’s chasing. That burst is what separates him. Every day I see more and more of that change of direction, explosion and body control that would put the Eagles offense on another level.
Rick throws some football handling drills into the workout to keep Brian used to having that football in his hands because he knows Westbrook’s job is not just getting into the end zone,
It’s getting to pay dirt with the leather ball in his mitts.
