Reid was asked several questions yesterday about fitting Westbrook back into the mix. The Nov. 15 game at San Diego, which Westbrook left when he suffered his second concussion, is his only game action since the first concussion, Oct. 26 at Washington.
"My feeling, when you have great players, is that helps you a little bit more," Reid observed. "We're not going to get worse with Brian Westbrook coming back. He adds to that flexibility."
Asked if fitting Westbrook into a diverse, well-functioning offense would be a challenge, Reid allowed that it would.
"That's a good challenge to have, though. We can do that," Reid said.
"I think he'll be pretty fresh. He'll have fresh legs out there. Obviously he's not going to play the whole game. [We will] make sure we keep track of how many plays he plays, if it comes down to that."
Westbrook was just getting sharp, coming back from his extended ankle problems, when the concussion saga began. It's a lot to expect that he will look like the 2007 Westbrook this week, but if he stays healthy, it might not be too much to expect that he could add a lethal counterpunch for the playoffs.
One thing Reid won't have to worry about is resentment. McCoy is careful to talk every week about how this is Westbrook's team, and he is just filling in. Weaver, asked about Westbrook's return after his career-high 17-carry performance Sunday against the 49ers, said:
"If that means me going back to special teams, or blocking, whatever it may be, I'm going to do it. The only thing that matters is, we're in the playoffs."
Developing story lines
