Thursday is a big day for the Philadelphia Eagles.
That's when the team will learn if disgruntled running back Brian Westbrook will show up for training camp.
Westbrook, the Eagles' top player and lone big-play threat on offense, recently fired Fletcher Smith, his now-former agent, in favor of Todd France. Westbrook, a Villanova product who's in the third season of a five-year deal worth $24.9 million, remains one of the most underpaid and underappreciated players in the NFL, and he's intent on changing that.
Westbrook is believed to be seeking a guaranteed $30 million over three seasons.
If LaDainian (Tomlinson) got paid $25 million guaranteed in 2003 and now it's 2008, the next person needs to be paid $30 million guaranteed," Westbrook told the Philadelphia Inquirer . "It works its way up. You can't sit here and say, 'I'm as good as LaDainian right now and I'm getting paid five years after him...so I'll take $15 million. That doesn't make any sense."
Things certainly have changed; heck, Westbrook even undervalued himself a couple years ago. More>>
9 comments:
If he doesn't, it'll be interesting to see which members of the running back parade end up making the team. Moats has looked good the first few days of camp, but the big boys are coming soon.
They better keep Westbrook happy, outside of him and McNabb there's no one else on the offense that is a proven playmaker.
The heck with "happy", the Eagles had better keep him "healthy".
Two things the Eagles are worried about is Westbrook's health, since he's had some type of injury issue every season and the fact that he will be 29 at the start of the season, which is the start of the the decline of most runningbacks. Westbrook obviously recognizes he has a terrible contract and needs to get paid now, because if he waits until the end of the contract he will have no leverage being 31. The Eagles should give him more money since Westbrook has been such a great (and silent) soldier for this team for the last six seasons, but 3 at 30 mill might be a little high. In the end Westbrook will be in camp because he means too much to this team and Reid and Banner know that.
If they dont keep Westbrook both happy and healthy then their team is losing one of their best players he can run like a beast and has great hands in the back field to catch since they always lacked habing a good #1WR would be a giant loss.
As productive and professional that Brian Westbrook has been throughout his career, the Eagles need to do whatever it takes keep him happy and in their uniform -- plain and simple. RedskinFan21ST, I agree with you wholeheartedly on that one. Outside of Donvan McNabb, he is arguabaly the best player on their offense.
Westbrooks health I think will be a thing of the past,
As for money and greed we'll have to wait and see.
Keeping him around at least this season will be key to any hope of a playoff position
In the NFC anything is possible a decent season out of Philly at 9-7 will most likely get them the wild card.
The NFC east is so tough this yr it could be another yr with 3 of the teams in the playoffs.
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