Brian Westbrook Is Not So Great: I Mean, This Is Philly, Right?

Philly fans—and their media—love to trash their top players.

They've booed future Hall of Famers such as third baseman Mike Schmidt because he seemed too laid back. He wasn't a "spark-plug." How's a string of Gold Gloves and 548 home runs—14th most all-time—for spark?

This blue-collar, cheap-seats town resented flashy Ricky Watters running his mouth more than it respected his thousands of rushing yards, which helped the Eagles reach the playoffs in '95 and '96. Watters is 29th on the list of rushing and receiving touchdown leaders. Isn't that hard work? He had an attitude (nowhere near as corrosive as Terrell Owens,' but like Owens, he came to play every week).

Today, fans doubt the durability, longevity, and greatness of two longtime offensive standouts—Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Under-appreciated in their own city, both can be all-time greats if they can put up good numbers for another year or two.

Today, I'll talk about Westbrook's prolific touchdown scoring (he has 67 ahead of today's Tampa game)—where it rates in comparison to Hall of Famers and other legends of the past, and where it could rate with a decent season this year. I'll even go way out there (I'm not smoking anything, we swear) and see what could happen if Westbrook can notch an eight- or nine-year career (perhaps on life support, fans might snort).

In Iggles fans' defense, they have endured decades of futility without giving up on their teams. The losing years are etched in their psyche—they constantly fear the team will manage to lose the easy games as well as the clutch games. Like Woody Allen, who didn't want to belong to any club that would have him, Philly fans often act as though any athlete who ends up in Philadelphia or doesn't find a way to escape can't be that good.

Through decades of poor trades, Philly fans in any sport have seen good players come to town and seem to lose their skills. They've seen other players go on to greatness after leaving the team, some even winning Super Bowls and becoming Hall of Famers, such as Reggie White and "touchdown maker" Cris Carter, fourth all-time among wide receivers in total touchdowns with 131. Watters could become a Hall of Famer, but his famous "For who, for what?" comment could hurt him in the balloting as much as it did with the fans in Philly.

Even beloved Coach Dick Vermeil, prior to Andy Reid the only coach to lead the Birds to the Super Bowl, had far better success later, leading the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl championship with a glamorous, high-scoring offense. Vermeil's phenomenal cast included: Marshall Faulk, the fourth top-scorer among running backs with 136, and wide receivers Isaac Bruce (91), and Torry Holt (74). Both receivers are still playing.

Philadelphia hasn't seen the like in at least four decades, except for its brief glimpse of Carter (of whom coach Buddy Ryan said, "He doesn't do anything except catch touchdowns.").

Other than a handful of top offensive players, Eagles fans reserve their ultimate respect for rampaging defenders. White. Jerome Brown, with his tragically shortened, good naturedly destructive career. Bill Bergey. The ferocious Brian Dawkins. And the back-from-the-dead Jeremiah Trotter, in his prime.

They want to see opponents lying lifeless on the turf—as Frank Gifford did after a hit by Chuck Bednarik—rather than see a flashy player such as Watters high-step out of bounds instead of lowering the boom (which he did when necessary).

Perhaps resenting the glamorous skill players who always seem to beat them, Iggles fans prefer destructive defense over creative offense. They want to see blood, mud, and grass stains. Sod on the facemasks of golden-boy quarterbacks. Cleats in the teeth of pirouetting wide receivers. Legendary running backs limping off the field.

Maybe it's partly because sack artist White, cornerstone of the bounty-hunting Ryan defense, is the only longtime Eagle of the past 40 years to be enshrined in Canton. And hard-hitting Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik, the last of the 60 minute men, who played linebacker and center, may be the most revered Eagle ever. His 1960 squad is the last Eagle team to have won it all—50 years ago, before the first Super Bowl.

The Eagles have had some great receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks from the '70s on, but among them only Carter, who spent just two years in Philadelphia, is in the Hall of Fame. The 6'7" wide receiver Harold Carmichael has a shot at the Hall. Graceful receiver Mike Quick had his career cut short by injury. Running back Wilbert Montgomery will not get there, either. Nor will quarterback Ron Jaworski—who along with Carmichael and Montgomery led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl.

As anyone who knows the Philadelphia (Sports) Story might have expected, the Eagles got crushed by the Raider dynasty in Super Bowl XV in 1981.

Explosive and elusive quarterback Randall Cunningham is thought by some to have a shot at the Hall. He makes for an incredible highlight reel—including a 99-yard punt, a somersaulting touchdown run, and a gravity-defying, linebacker-astonishing touchdown pass. But Cunningham couldn't lead the team to a championship game. He was a playoff disappointment, compiling a 3-6 postseason record. His final playoff loss was as a Viking, when he was reunited with Carter.

Westbrook lacks Cunningham's flash. Nor is he a load, a punishing back like Brandon Jacobs. He is hard to catch—but not always hard to bring down when you do. He doesn't inspire much confidence on short-yardage downs unless he can sprint to the outside or leap high over defenders at the goal line. At these times, or catching the ball in open space and weaving 60-yards downfield to the end zone, he is no less brilliant than second-year phenom DeSean Jackson. When he is healthy.

But Westbrook is frequently hurt and fans and the media are starting to call him too old—at 30, as though pro football was "Logan's Run."

You can hear it: This is rookie Shady McCoy's year, they say. Maybe, maybe not. McCoy does seem to be running better this year. But most likely they will get about the same number of snaps, perhaps more and more as a receiver in Westbrook's case. Bwest is not dead yet.

OK. I'm not arguing Westbrook is Emmitt Smith (175 touchdowns), or Marcus Allen (145), LaDainian Tomlinson (142 and still active), Faulk, Jim Brown (126), Walter Payton (125), or John Riggins (116). Who is?

Smith is tops among running backs in touchdowns, and second among all players behind Jerry Rice (208).

Bwest will never even crack the top 10 scoring backs by beating Barry Sanders' 109 touchdowns.

But what are you going to do? Are you going to trade for Tomlinson, who is 29 and scored just 12 touchdowns last year to Westbrook's 14? Bring Payton back from the grave? Or are you so sure Shady McCoy will surpass Westbrook?

If not, try giving Westbrook his due. He could be the best Eagle runner you see in your lifetime—especially if you're old enough to remember games at Franklin Field, as I am. Westbrook already leads all Eagles in yards from scrimmage, and will overtake Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren and possibly Montgomery in rushing yards this year. He needs 701 yards to catch Wilbert.

Bwest has an outside shot to join the league's top 20 scoring backs of all-time, and a reasonable chance for the top 25 given a couple years of good health. He could tie or exceed some of the greatest backs in history. The names will surprise you.

Westbrook now has 67 career touchdowns (with one so far this year), already ahead of Warrick Dunn (64), Emerson Boozer (65), and Terrell Davis (65), who only played six years (this is Westbrook's eigth year). He is also ahead of Hall of Fame receiver and hated Cowboy Michael Irvin (65).

Two more touchdowns—which could come against the Bucs today—and he surpasses Tikki Barber and Hall of Famer Larry Csonka, both with 68, and ties Gerald Riggs and Steven Davis, both with 79.

Why do these legendary backs seem more formidable to Philly fans than their own Westbrook?

Even with a below-average season of eight touchdowns (he's averaged 12 per year the past three years), he could pass Mike Alstott (71), Earnest Byner (72), Roger Craig, Ahman Green, and Hall of Fame Eagle old-timer Ollie Matson, all 73, and tie Hall of Famer Earl Campbell (74, in a seven-year career).

Think about it Iggles fans—who scares you more, Earnest Byner, Mike Alstott, or Brian Westbrook? Thought so.

Now let's take a leap of faith and say Westbrook is still able to walk next year (or manages to score 12 touchdowns this year) and reaches a total of 78. (I know, ain't gonna happen—and Dawkins is over the hill too, right?)

You'll never believe this, but Bwest would eclipse—wait for it—two of the greatest Hall of Famers, whose names are synonymous with the NFL: Orenthal James "The glove don't fit" Simpson (76) and Van Buren (77). You heard it: One season as strong as his last three and Westbrook goes down in the annals of football.

He also would be one shy of Carmichael's team high 79 touchdowns.

Now suppose Westbrook sees a faith healer, gets out of the wheelchair we expect him to be in, comes back next year, and gets his career mark to 88. Or maybe it takes him three mediocre seven-touchdown seasons to hit that milestone.

Suddenly you have to mention Bwest in the same breadth as Herschel Walker (84), Ottis Anderson (86), and Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas (88)—who is among the top 25 scoring backs ever. Receivers Irving Fryar and Andre Reed also have 88 touchdowns.

Not too shabby.

Maybe Westbrook's brittle bones manage 24 touchdowns between now and the end of his career, an average of eight a year assuming he plays three more years.

That may be overly optimistic—but not exactly pie-in-the-sky. The "old Westbrook"—after all, there is a chance he'll still be alive—could do it in two good years.

Either way, hobbled for life or not, he would be 29th in touchdowns among all players with 91, tied with Watters and Hall of Fame Cowboy Tony Dorsett. Active players Clinton Portis (76), Jamal Lewis (62), and Larry Johnson (61) could spoil that party, though. Patriots back Fred Taylor (72) is 32 years old and scheduled to miss up to six weeks this year with ankle surgery. Edgerrin James already has 91 scores.

Just above Dorsett and Watters are Hall of Famer Jim Taylor (93), Priest Holmes and Jerome Bettis (94), and Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (96). To catch Dickerson (pinch yourself), Westbrook needs 29 more trips to the end zone—highly optimistic, but not impossible. It's three 10-touchdown seasons—about Westbrook's career average excluding his zero-touchdown rookie year.

Think about it. Catching Jerome "The Bus" Bettis. He was a Steeler, but exactly the kind of hard-hat player Iggles fans respect.

Can you hear late, great NFL Films narrator John Facenda (a longtime Philadelphia broadcaster) intoning Westbrook's name like he was a gridiron god, the way he did for Boozer, Csonka, Taylor, Dickerson, and others?

Nah, you're right. I'm not hearin' that "Autumn Thunder" music either.

And I can't see Bwest scoring say, six touchdowns in the next two months, not with the fearsome Buccaneers, Raiders, and Redskins on deck, can you?

Yeah, no way he ties Ahman Green and Roger Craig by Thanksgiving.

I mean, this is Philly, right?