"But one thing I've learned about Andy is that he always has a plan. Even when it doesn't look like it."
Weaver had drawn a small crowd now around his locker, the inevitability of being a big part of the plan. Since that game against Washington on Oct. 26, when he ran once for 1 yard and caught a pass for another yard, Weaver's profile with the Eagles has increased dramatically. Maybe there was some planning to this, who knows, but the greater likelihood is that what happened that night, and the day after, had much more to do with it.
Brian Westbrook suffered the first of his two concussions in the Eagles' 27-17 victory over the Redskins that night.
The next day, "I went to Andy and said, 'Feel free to lean on me,' " Weaver said. " 'I'm here for you.' I wanted to let him know that . . . he had somebody else to lean on. That was my thing going to him.
"His response was, 'OK. Let's go.' "
The Eagles played the Giants the following Sunday. Leonard Weaver got the ball right away, and right away he backed up his bold words. He banged through the Giants' defense for a 41-yard touchdown that gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead. He ran seven more times with the ball, amassing 75 yards by day's end. He and rookie LeSean McCoy combined for 157 of the team's 180 rushing yards.
The Eagles crushed New York, 40-17.
Weaver was no longer fretting about special teams.
Did the Eagles discover something that day?
"I think so, man," Weaver said. "I think they've had an opportunity to say, 'Well, we knew what we were getting into, but maybe it's better than we thought.' "
Weaver is not a centerpiece. And as long as Reid is the coach, no fullback will be. But the Eagles' offensive minds seem to view him as a significant piece these days, something that - plan or no plan - was not evident before Westbrook's head injury.
