You can't go to Eagles practices and not get excited about Michael Vick and his part in the Eagles offense, but the most exciting thing happening to the Eagles offense is the return of the unstoppable Brian Westbrook.
Westbrook is slated to get back on the field tomorrow against the Jaguars.
Everyday I stand there and watch him step on the accellerator a little more and then a little more and then a little more. He's not far from having all of his speed back.
I'm starting to see the cuts and breaks on a dime that tear up the ankles of defenders. It's the change of direction that prevents a defender from tackling him in open field. That's what makes him so deadly.
He's the guy that puts opposing defenses in a bind. He's the Eagles running game and he can take it the distance each time he touches the football.
Teams can't get into an eight-man front against the Eagles because that would make things too easy for Donovan McNabb and their passing game.
A seven-man front against Westbrook's running makes a defense very vulnerable to big plays, but they don't have much of a choice.
A healthy Westbrook gives the Eagles the ability to run draws and screens as a way of neutralizing the opposing pass rush. It's also takes advantage of a secondary focused on stopping DeSean Jackson and the other wide receivers.
Safeties are the guys in the secondary who try to help the linebackers with a back who can't be dealt with one-on-one. As they try to help on Westbrook they can't get caught sleeping and let Jackson, Kevin Curtis or Jeremy Maclin slip deep on them.
The deep threat prevents the secondary from being able to help the linebackers in dealing with Westbrook as a runner or a receiver.
Give the Westbrook I'm starting to see at practice a chance to be matched up against any linebackers in the league and you are creating a recipe for big plays.
