Westbrook Injury Could Sink Eagles

When I received a short, three-line press release from the Philadelphia Eagles informing me that Brian Westbrook would be undergoing surgery on Friday morning, it struck me that the organization was "depressed."

The release seemed to indicate fatigue and decreased energy. It was like the good folks at the NovaCare complex were having difficulty concentrating and remembering details.

In short, clinical depression.

Understand, while the enigmatic Donovan McNabb might get most of the ink in Philly, Westbrook is the real superstar in the City of Brotherly Love; nevertheless, the Birds treated his impending operation like Lorenzo Booker was getting cut.

Described as a "cleanout surgery" for bone spurs, the procedure on Westbrook is supposed to be "minor" and the Villanova product is expected back for training camp.

"We talked about it when he was at the doctor's office and went through the options and decided it was better to clean it up," Westbrook's agent, Todd France, told ESPN. "The ankle has been bothering him since last year."

Of course, that's all pie-in-the-sky, best-case scenario stuff. It seems like that ankle...or a knee...or a calf have been bothering Westbrook since he left the Main Line. While it's true a veteran like Westbrook needs offseason minicamps and organized team activities like I need another doughnut, this is not exactly Brett Favre or Jim Marshall we are talking about.

In fact, durability, or lack thereof, is the only thing that has kept Westbrook from being mentioned in the same breath as all-time greats like Marshall Faulk and LaDainian Tomlinson.

Every time you turn around, Westbrook is hampered by some sort of nagging injury, making the Andy Reid critics look silly when they implore "Big Red" to give him the football 30 to 35 times every Sunday.

As arrogant as Reid is, do you really think he would rather be giving it to someone else?

Problem is, Reid knows if Westbrook piles up 35 touches one week, he's likely not going to be 100 percent seven days later. Heck, he might not even make it to the field.

The team's brain trust bends over backward to make sure it has the healthiest Westbrook possible for the stretch run each and every year.

When the 2009 season kicks off, Westbrook will be on the wrong side of 30 for the first time.

The NFL is littered with durable, big-time backs who fell off a cliff when they reached that milestone.

And that thought is enough to make anyone depressed.