Even hurt, Eagles' Westbrook a pain for defenses

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - His gait ranked somewhere between a limp and a strut, his face taut, his eyes focused on his future footsteps. Asked later by a reporter how he felt physically, Brian Westbrook would answer, "I'm feeling good." But you could pardon any onlooker who begged to differ.

He has spent this season trying to ignore the pain in several parts of his body, from his knee to his ankle to his ribs, and as you watched him at various points during the afternoon, you couldn't help but wonder.

In the first quarter, might he have cut to his right for a big gain rather than plow straight ahead for a minimal one? On third-and-1 in the third quarter, might that first down have been a touchdown? In the fourth quarter, might he have plowed that final inch into the end zone?

He is the Eagles' version of Chase Utley, and we may never know how hurt he is until after this magical playoff run ends.

Yet, Westbrook shares another important characteristic with the Phillies' second baseman: Through it all - through the pain and the frustration and the periods of statistical impotence - he continues to be a factor.

"They were keying on him, obviously," head coach Andy Reid said after the Eagles' 23-11 victory yesterday over the Giants in the NFC Divisional Playoff game, "but that opened things up for other people."

Unlike the meeting with the Giants on Dec. 7, when he scored two touchdowns and gained 131 yards rushing, Westbrook did not produce any eye-popping numbers yesterday. He gained 36 yards on 18 carries and caught two passes for 10 yards, finishing with his fewest yards from scrimmage since that infamous loss to Baltimore in Week 12.

But his mere presence, hobbled or not, played a major role in the Eagles' surprising second-half production against the Giants.

With the New York defense carefully monitoring Westbrook's movements out of the backfield, quarterback Donovan McNabb found himself with plenty of room to work in the middle of the field.

On one of the biggest completions of the game - a 15-yarder from McNabb to Kevin Curtis that gave the Eagles a first down on the Giants 14-yard line with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter - Westbrook played a pivotal role, curling out of the backfield and drawing double coverage from defensive end Justin Tuck and safety Michael Johnson to open up the middle of the field.