Eagles' style brings out the best in Westbrook

KIRKLAND -- Only once in a career that has spanned six seasons has Brian Westbrook had 30 rushing attempts in a game. That occurred two weeks ago in a 17-7 victory over Miami, when the Philadelphia Eagles' diminutive running back rushed for a career-high 148 yards on 32 carries. By now, Westbrook is resigned to the idea that he will rarely be required to tote the ball more than two dozen times a game, and that number will often stay in the teens in the version of the West Coast offense employed by coach Andy Reid. It is less an indictment of Westbrook and more a preference of the Eagles to pass first and run later, and indeed there is perhaps no greater marriage in the NFL between a running back and the system he plays in than the one in Philadelphia. "I look at guys who are very important to their team," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "Marshall Faulk was that way with the Rams a few years ago; great runner, great receiver, very good pass blocker, kind of the whole deal, elusive, quick. You could flank him out and he could be a wide receiver. "Those guys are rare. The really good ones are rare, and (Westbrook) is very much like that." For an offense that prizes versatility in a running back, few in the NFL are as adept at doing a little of everything as well as the (generously listed) 5-foot-10 former third-round draft pick from Villanova. "Everybody has a different opinion of what they want in a starting running back," Westbrook said. "Some players bring different things, just like some coaches do. I don't try to fit into anyone else's expectations of the stereotypical running back. "For me, I've done a good job. I've gone out, not to prove anybody wrong, but to be the best running back Brian Westbrook can be." Westbrook rebounded twice from major knee injuries -- the first occurring his senior year at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., and the second as a junior at Villanova -- to finish with the NCAA record for career all-purpose yards. During his first two seasons with the Eagles, Westbrook was primarily a return man and receiving threat out of the backfield. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2004, he trails only LaDainian Tomlinson and Edgerrin James in yards from scrimmage. "He's an all-around back who can pretty much do everything," Seahawks linebacker Julian Peterson said. "He's very good at getting around the edges. As a receiver, he's probably the closest guy to being Marshall Faulk. He's very explosive. "We've just got to make sure he doesn't get any big plays."