Brian Westbrook: The original Reggie Bush

[bengaldee]

By DANA PENNETT O'NEIL
phillynews.com
THE GUSHING officially has begun, where NFL aficionados are working themselves into a frenzy to adequately describe Reggie Bush.

In the week after the New Orleans Saints rookie returned a punt 65 yards for his first NFL touchdown, football is finding new superlatives for its newest superhero.

He is an explosive weapon, a multitalented mismatch, and a guy who can kill you as a running back, beat you as a wide receiver and return punts for touchdowns.

Key the exclamation points, insert the wows.

Pardon me, the Eagles' Brian Westbrook thinks, but where have I seen this game before? Oh that's right. I've been playing that way for 5 years.

"Yeah, I was in front of the curve," Westbrook laughed.

Really, Bush is Westbrook with a better resume. The Saints, who bring a surprising 4-1 record into Sunday's game against the Eagles, use Bush much the same as the Eagles use Westbrook.

The difference is, Bush came to New Orleans having played for the 33rd NFL team - Southern California - and with a Heisman Trophy and a fat paycheck, courtesy of the No. 2 pick overall, in his pocket.

As Westbrook explained, "I didn't do those things in my college career."

But what the guy from USC and the guy from Villanova are doing now is remarkably similar. Westbrook has 289 rushing yards; Bush, who shares the Saints' load with Deuce McAllister, has 170. Westbrook has 217 receiving yards, Bush has 250.

"There are a lot of similarities," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. "They've put him outside at wide receiver just like we do with Brian. They keep him inside as a tailback. You see those similarities between them, the way they use him and the way they play."

That Westbrook will play this week certainly helps him make his case. He practiced again yesterday, his first Wednesday-Thursday practice run since before the season opener at Houston, and fully expects to play on Sunday.

Though Westbrook has managed to play well with little or no practice due to a nagging knee injury - he rushed for 117 yards against San Francisco - offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said that is not a good long-term solution.

"[Not practicing] gets you in the long run," Mornhinweg said. "If Brian can play without practice, I really think he played well without it, but if you go several weeks with that it will catch up to you at some point with the small details."

Westbrook said the knee swelling is better, which has allowed him to practice. He admitted he felt the off time against Dallas.

"As a player, you're going to be a little rusty because you haven't practiced," he said. "You try to be as sharp as you can as far as the plays, but you'll have some rust on you because you haven't practiced. I felt it a little bit more this week than I did previously just because I hadn't practiced in a few weeks. Just being out there in practice is going to help me a lot as far as getting plays down better."

It is not, of course, Westbrook's knee that has made his star shine less bright than Bush's, and Westbrook knows that. He's been around long enough to know that big-name schools beget big-name players and that the proving ground for a guy out of a I-AA school like Villanova is always lengthier.

Quite naturally, it sticks in his craw a bit to see an upstart take center stage for playing the same game he's been playing for 5 years. He got his back up a bit when asked about that, saying, "I think if people look at the stats and see what I've done in this league, they'll see the truth."

But Westbrook also believes Bush's emergence will only help guys like him get their due.

"I think people will start to see the importance that we bring to a team," he said

[Guest #22]

What a terrible thesis.
Westbrook doesn't return anything.

He is a glorified 3rd-down back

[|Bunghole|]

[quote name='#22' post='363516' date='Oct 14 2006, 09:24 PM']What a terrible thesis.
Westbrook doesn't return anything.

He is a glorified 3rd-down back[/quote]
I disagree, Westbrook is a quality all-purpose back in the Marshall Faulk mold.
I disagree with the comparisons between Westbrook and Bush. It's obvious whom is the better pro player right now, and he plays for that team that believes green Eagles exist.