Westbrook. Carmichael. The two of them are separated by 12 inches and more than a generation. They are nothing like each other as players - Carmichael the graceful giant at receiver, Westbrook the little dynamo - but Carmichael, the Eagles' director of player development, has witnessed every step that Westbrook has taken as a professional.
"I remember the first time I saw him,'' Carmichael said. "And I'm thinking, 'Man, he's a small guy.' I had never really watched him play at Villanova so I didn't know. But they were telling me he was something special, and then I saw him at practice. That's when I knew.''
Westbrook's recovery from knee and ankle problems that have dogged him all season was the story of yesterday's win, as well as the game before against the Cardinals. He ran the ball 33 times against the Giants, a personal record, for 131 yards. He scored two touchdowns - the 40-yard reception and an earlier, 30-yard run.
He is the reason the Eagles continue to breathe today. His physical recovery is the unquestioned reason that they are able to continue to do their little wild card calculations. He looks nothing like the player who went out against the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 9. As Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said, "I think he had a little more energy, a little more desire to make plays that he didn't have in the first game.''
Westbrook was a one-legged warrior just a couple of weeks ago against Baltimore - no cutting ability, no burst, no nothing - but he looks like himself again - 131 yards rushing, 72 yards receiving; himself. He says he cannot explain it. He talks about God when you ask him. He says, "It's not me. It's something more than me.''
