Poor Westbrook

For having such stupid admirers.  Jason covers the why-trading-Westbrook-would-be-monumentally-stupid angle over on BGN, so I just want to add a related point.  Here's the dumb new thing we're hearing people say about Westbrook:

"Westbrook's prime is just being wasted here. It's painful watching him continue to do what he does for a losing team that's going to have to get worse before it gets better." (link)

"Westbrook, whose prime is likely being wasted by coaches and teammates who can't seem to quite pull it together when it counts, sat in front of his locker, in uniform, for more than half an hour afterward. Fullback Thomas Tapeh pulled up a folding chair and spoke softly to him for several minutes, Westbrook nodding silently." (link)

Westbrook's best wasted?
"Perhaps the hardest thing to digest about the Eagles' sharp decline this season is that it's coinciding with what might be the apex of their star running back's career." (link)

"The real shame is that Westbrook is in his prime rightnow and his career is going to be wasted because of an organization that is not committed to winning. Spend the damn money and bring us a CHAMPION!!!!!!!!" (link -- non-media-type person, as you could tell)

This whole annoying meme is starting to pick up steam in that way that people always pretend they feel bad for someone else when really they only care about themselves or bashing someone else.  It's like the folks who lived under the flight path in San Diego when I used to live out there and do work with the airport authority.  People would always come up to us at meetings and say, "It's not me, you understand, it's Ms. Johnson, who's 86-years-old and has been living in her house since before jets were invented." 

Meanwhile, I just talked to Ms. Johnson and she just nodded the whole time since she was deaf as a [whatever animal is deaf].  It's not her you care about, sir.

This is Westbrook's sixth year in the league.  The Eagles have made the playoffs in four of his previous five seasons.  That's not wasting. 

This is Takeo Spikes' 10th year in the league.  His team has never made the playoffs.  That's wasting.

Westbrook just turned 28 three months ago.  Over six years he will have averaged about 160 carries a season.  That's not a hefty workload for an NFL running back.  Not only does he have plenty of tread left on the tires, but the Eagles already have two guys on the roster who can help share the punishing late-game carries once the Eagles get back to their winning ways.

And if you're worried about wasting the next couple of years of his career by starting over with Kevin Kolb ... maybe don't trade Donovan McNabb. 

Comments

[George]

I think you might have hit on the real problem the Eagles have had this year. In fact, I'm surprised I haven't seen it written anywhere: Takeo Spikes is cursed. The Eagles have to get rid of him if they want to make the playoffs.

I say cut him right now.

[Nick]

Great call there at the end. All the people calling for trading McNabb for draft picks. Which would be REAL dumb. Having McNabb, injury prone or not, gives this team the highest possible ceiling for greatness. and that's what they need.

[Andrew]

George:

I think I've mentioned it before on bleedinggreennation.com. Some guys are just winners and have a winners mentality and understand what it takes to win and end up on winning teams (like McNabb and Brady). Former members of the Bengals aren't among those people. I don't think Takeo understands what it takes to get to the playoffs. He certainly hasn't shown the type of play here necessary to do it.

[Dan]

Depends what you get for him, and it would depend on how well those draft picks turned out.

Say you got a #1 and a #2, but they turned out to be clones of Freddie Mitchell and Mike Mumalia.

But say they turned out to be Deion Sanders and Shane Conlin, or Terrell Davis and Randy Moss.

Trading Westbrook would only be appropriate if you truly blew up this team, so as to start building the team for three years from now.

If you don't make that decision, and instead you're trying to uprgrade through free agency, then absolutely keep Westbrook.

THE fundamental decision is whether to try an upgrade, bearing in mind how great the Cowboys are, and how improved Washington and New York will be, or whether to try to upgrade through free agency.

Recall BOTH MOSS AND Stallworth will be available. AS WELL as Assante Samuel.

So there's SERIOUS talent out there to improve any football team.

But that decision has to occur before any decision about Westbrook, as well as any decision on McNabb.

PS: I'm pretty sure I got some of those names spelled wrong.

[bigmyc]

Yes, Westy has got a lotta mo.....but no time like the present to handle a problem. Just telly Donny to get his shit together (it hasn't happened yet so what are the chances?) and play like he really cares to win anything. Period.