The talk for the past 2 weeks and really the whole season has been "Why don't we run the ball more?" Is it just because Andy wont do it? Do we not have the personell(andy won't get a reliable back)?
It certainly seems obvious that Andy has limited Westbrook's touches this year. Whether it's due to his knee injury or just because Andy wants him fresh for the second half, the fact remains that he's put up the numbers of a top back but not gotten the opportunities of one. Phil Sheridan from the Inky had some interesting stats.
Barber leads the NFL with 830 rushing yards. He is averaging 4.8 yards a carry. Westbrook is averaging 5.2 - more than Tomlinson, Johnson, the Falcons' Warrick Dunn, and the Broncos' Tatum Bell.
Sheridan asked, is it the chicken or the egg? Is Westbrook so productive because his touches have been limited, or would more touches lead to less numbers? If Westbrook got the touches of a Tiki Barber, would he put up similar or even greater numbers?
My question is, why not find out? This team doesn't need to play well in the second half... they need to play great. They need 6 wins in their las eight at least. So why hold back now? It's time to take the kid goves off with Westbrook. The fact is that guy is an NFL footbal player. If he can't carry the load and can't stay healthy if gets the ball too much why is he here? Was he hurt in past years because he got too many carries? Not that I've ever seen. It seemed to me like he either stepped wrong or landed wrong. That stuff can happen with one carry or 25. Westbrook for one, has certainly asked to shoulder a larger load.
There's nothing left to save him for Andy. Your season is over if you lose this Sunday. It's probably over if you even lose 3 more games. I don't think there's anyone that would dispute that Westbrook is the Eagles' top playmaker... Give him the ball, there's nothing left to lose.