"As you can see on that screen play, people tend to get their hands on him, but he gives that extra effort, man,'' Westbrook's backup, Correll Buckhalter, said yesterday. "Seems like he's sprayed down with some [slippery] spray, and nobody can keep their hands on him. The guy's just a great back, man.''
Without seeming too boosterish, the question today, after Sunday's 110 yards on 14 carries and 111 receiving yards on five catches, is, "How great?'' Around here, we're used to Westbrook not making the Pro Bowl, because, well, he doesn't quite post the carries and yards of the big boys, and receiving yards somehow don't quite count as much for running backs, and besides, he's a great back for this offense, but it's not like he's as good as ...
Hmm. Right now, it's hard to find anyone Westbrook isn't as good as, in the overall NFL firmament. LaDainian Tomlinson? He's averaging 2.3 yards per carry so far this season. Shaun Alexander? Fifteen more carries and 16 fewer yards than Westbrook. Larry Johnson? He's averaging 2.8 yards per carry.
Westbrook's 291 rushing yards on just 51 carries leads the NFC. That total places him fifth overall in the NFL, behind four guys who all have more carries. Only Cleveland's Jamal Lewis, at 5.8 yards per carry (307 yards, 53 carries), exceeds Westbrook's 5.7 yards per carry. But no NFL running back has Westbrook's 19 catches for 223 yards; he leads the league in total yards from scrimmage, with 514, an amazing 7.3 yards per touch.
"I put him, this year, probably the best, right now,'' Buckhalter said. "Once that little guy gets the ball in his hands, he can do a lot of things for the team ... He's a tough little guy. He plays with a lot of heart.''
