Daniel Tolensky

Last season Brian Westbrook proved that you can pickup 1900+ yards from scrimmage and still fly under the radar. This year Westbrook has emerged as one of the top players in the league - a true superstar. And today he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time (he was an alternate in 2004 and ended up playing in Hawaii).

Westbrook has carried the Eagles offensively and the stats are staggering:

* 1191 yards rushing and 705 receiving (1896 total)

* 12 TDs (7 rushing, 5 receiving)

* 146 yards per scrimmage per game

With two games to go (although meaningless in the standings), Westbrook may well end up finishing with the greatest season for a running back in Eagles’ history, surpassing legends like Wilbert Montgomery and Steve Van Buren.

In his sixth season in the league, Westbrook has proven not only that he can carry the load (with 254 carries and 83 receptions in thirteen games) but that he is one of the top running backs in the league as he leads in the NFL in yards per scrimmage.

Also named to the Pro Bowl was guard Shawn Andrews who will be making his second straight appearance. Defensive end Trent Cole, who has 12.5 sacks was named as the first alternate behind Aaron Kampman, Patrick Kerney and Osi Umenyiora (who has Eagle Winston Justice to thank for his selection).

Daniel Tolensky

Although officially the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff and Super Bowl hopes were ended on Monday night, this really was a season that was doomed from the beginning.

On paper things should have been different. This year’s Eagles team could run the ball efficiently, were strong against the run and their red zone defense was up there amongst the best in the league. But this truly was a team that just managed to find ways to lose:

They lost because their coach didn’t think they needed a punt returner on opening day.

They lost because their team couldn’t convert in the red zone.

They lost because they couldn’t protect their quarterback or stop taking penalties.

They lost because they allowed a Brian Griese-led offense to go 97-yards in under 2 minutes with no timeouts.

They lost because their backup QB went for it all and threw the game away when he had a great chance to beat ‘The Greatest Team in History’.

They lost because their backup QB kept throwing it to the opposing team’s middle linebacker.

They lost because a desparation 57-yard field goal hit the bar.

Each week was different but very much the same. This team simply did not know how to win. And when the game was on the line, they couldn’t make plays - on offense, defense or special teams.

The 2007 Philadelphia Eagles will be remembered as a supreme disappointment. Outside of Brian Westbrook and Trent Cole it is hard to come up with names of players who were able to compete at a high level week in and week out. There are a couple others for sure but for it’s safe to say that this is a team that needs to improve drastically across the board both in their personnel and their schemes.

In a strange twist of fate, the final nail in the coffin on the 2007 season was a Kyle Orton interception with under two minutes to go, after a poor night by the Bears’ QB. Many expect that this will be Donovan McNabb’s final year in Philadelphia and if that is indeed the case, Chicago would be a perfect destination for #5 - McNabb was born there and the Bears have struggled to find a QB for far too long.

Time will tell whether the Philadelphia will decide to part ways with Donovan McNabb. What we know for now as week 15 came to a close is that there will be no playoff football for the Eagles this year. And with two weeks to go, it’s time to start planning for next year.

What a frustrating season.

Danny - dtolensky@hotmail.com