One, how do you get running back Brian Westbrook ready?
Two, how do you figure out the run defense?
Westbrook touched the ball 39 times against the Giants - 33 runs, six receptions. That is a big workload; this just in. He is coming off nagging knee and ankle injuries. He has not been great in the past after carrying such a load. They needed to do it against the Giants, and you likely would want him to do it against the Redskins, but the Browns sit in between.
So how do you approach it? Do you dare wear out Westbrook against Cleveland? Or do you dare not wear him out if that's what it looks like it is going to take?
It's a tricky bit of business. The ideal would be to get an early lead against a struggling team and then let Westbrook have a seat. The best way to get that early lead might be to throw the ball a bunch. Except that, well, Andy Reid wouldn't dare after the last two games. Would he?
That is the running conversation that will take place over the next few days. Just as important, though, is the question that will be asked on the other side of the ball. Its first time around in the NFC East, the Eagles' defense was rolled by the Cowboys, Redskins and Giants - with the Redskins and Giants, especially, just pounding the ball on the ground. Then came Sunday at the Meadowlands, when the Eagles' defense gave up only seven points and limited the Giants to only 88 yards on 24 carries. (The running backs got 100 yards on 23 carries.)
Which makes you wonder:
Was it real or was it Plaxico?
"I don't think that," Reid said yesterday. "I don't think that was the case."
