Brian Westbrook formally retired as an Eagle today, and Eagles coach Andy Reid remembered Westbrook more for his head than for his legs.
Reid said he “never coached a player as smart,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The most famous of all of Westbrook’s heads-up plays came in a 2007 game against the Cowboys, when Wesbrook took a handoff with the Eagles leading just before the two-minute warning, broke into the clear and then stopped just before reaching the goal line and kneeled at the 1-yard line. The Cowboys had no timeouts, so Westbrook’s play allowed the Eagles to simply kneel three times after the two-minute warning to run out the clock.
Reid credited Westbrook’s parents for his smarts, and Westbrook’s father talked at his son’s retirement ceremony about the family’s emphasis on education.
For his part, Westbrook credited the Eagles, calling them, “the best organization in the NFL.” For several years, Westbrook was one of their best players. And their smartest player.