The San Francisco 49ers may have won the game Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals, but they lost something a lot more valuable. Specifically, Frank Gore left the game with a fracture hip.

While nothing is official yet, we don’t see how he could avoid landing on injured reserve.

“49ers will further evaluate Frank Gore (fractured right hip) before deciding whether to place him on IR. Promotion of DeShawn Wynn possible,” beat writer Matt Maiocco tweets.

Brian Westbrook was brilliant as his replacement last night, racking up 136 yards and a touchdown. He looked fresh for the first time in about three years.

“I felt good,” Westbrook said. “I felt very young. I was fresh.”

It looks like it will be him and Anthony Dixon in some sort of committee moving forward. Gore apologizes in advance if he screwed your fantasy football team.

On Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles were unlucky enough to have two of their main players, Stewart Bradley and Kevin Kolb, leave the game with concussions. Concussions are obviously bad news because they are the injuries that could most affect a player’s quality of life down the road. With all the attention and rules designed to protect players from concussions these days, there is a lot of scrutiny that comes with a guy returning to the field after suffering one.

Such happened to the Eagles yesterday. Bradley and Kolb each got concussions and then returned to the field only a few plays later.

Bradley was the more egregious of the two. Check out this video and tell me that this is a guy who should have been put back into the game.

I don’t know anything about medicine, but I know enough to know that something is seriously wrong with that picture. Head coach Andy Reid said he didn’t see Bradley stumbling, and I have to think he’s telling the truth. As a head coach, he has a million things to worry about and he probably misses a lot of things that happen during a game.

Trainer Rick Burkholder, who is very well respected in the league, was tending to Kolb’s injury at that time, so he didn’t see it either.

But there wasn’t anyone that saw it? Do the Eagles have such a high power-distance culture within the organization that no one could speak up and say, “hey, uh coach? Dude was just stumbling around out there like a guy leaving a bar at 2:30 AM, there might be something really wrong.”?

But they didn’t. And the update on those two is that both of them failed their tests Monday morning and it’s safe to say that neither will be playing next week against the Detroit Lions. If for no other reason than for the Eagles to try to save face and not look like they are rushing anyone back.

“Part of this is they don’t watch the tape and you send them home and you do that as part of the program. We did that,” Reid said. “We evaluated them this morning and we sent them home.”

But, there are some other signs of the Eagles bringing guys back too soon.

Last year, Brian Westbrook suffered a concussion and got back on the field too soon. He suffered another concussion, but we were told that there was no relation between the first and the second. That might be true, but I have a hard time believing that the first had absolutely nothing to do with the second. That’s just my opinion.

And what about this quote from DeSean Jackson back in May regarding his 2009 concussion?

“I can remember we went up to New York (Week 14) – that was a huge game for us,” Jackson said. “The week before, [the Giants had] beaten Dallas and I didn’t play (at Atlanta) because I had a concussion. It was iffy if I’d come back and play. Our offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg, said some things, trying to question my toughness. I was like, ‘Coach, I just got a concussion. This [is] my brain. If it’s anything else, my shoulder, whatever, I’m going to play.’”

That’s extremely troubling and probably the most damning. Here you have a player plainly saying that his offensive coordinator tried to push him back from a concussion.

We aren’t completely sure why there wasn’t more made of this, but we’d love to hear an official response to this quote.

Regarding Kolb and Bradley, we have no reason to believe that the coaches or the medical staff would have any interest in putting these guys back into a Week 1 game. If it was a do-or-die game or a playoff game, there might be more reason for doubts. But not Week 1. Why would they do that?

Regardless, people are going to raise questions relating to these concussions and that’s just the way it goes. If I’m the Eagles (and I’m not), I’d be overly, overly cautious moving forward.

This is just yet another reason why people on ESPN outside of Adam Schefter can’t be trusted. John Clayton said a couple days ago that we should all expect to see former Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook sign with the St. Louis Rams.

Great point, John! That report was so great that Westbrook actually just signed with the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a one-year, $1.25 million deal.

Could it have something to do with the sudden retirement of Glen Coffee? Sure, probably has a lot to do with it actually. But there were other reports that said not to count out the Washington Redskins too. If I were Clayton, I might have a word or two with my sources. He and Mortensen should actually get all new sources.

So anyway, it looks like Westbrook will back up Frank Gore and most likely play the role of third down back. He’s not going to get a ton of touches, but that’s ok because he can’t handle a lot of touches.

Alex Smith should be thrilled because Westbrook is a monster at blitz pickup. He’ll help keep some of those free-running linebackers off of Smith’s back and give him plenty of time to make a poor decision with the football.

Earlier today, word came that former Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook was set to join the St. Louis Rams on Monday. Mike Sando of ESPN.com said that he had gotten word from John Clayton that this would be the case.

“Just landed in STL and finished radio with John Clayton, who says the Rams will likely add Brian Westbrook on Monday. Good insurance,” Sando tweets.

The problem comes when you get your information from Clayton or Chris Mortensen. They do have some sources, but no one ever calls them out on the fact that they are wrong quite a bit.

And that may be the case here. Jason La Canfora of NFLN reports that the Redskins are still in play for the little guy and that Westbrook hasn’t made a decision yet.

“Brian Westbrook hasn’t made any decision yet and hasn’t told any teams he has made up his mind according to several sources…,” La Canfora tweets.

Could La Canfora’s sources be from Westbrook’s camp? Could they be trying to drive up some last minute interest? Sure, that’s always out there.

But at the very least it does cast some doubt on the report based on Clayton. We’ll have to see what happens. He’ll either sign with the Rams or he won’t. But, based on everything we’ve heard, it will be either the Redskins or the Rams. Then again, don’t rule out the Denver Broncos. But, of course the Detroit Lions could bring him in. That’s assuming that the Oakland Raiders have no interest.

The Washington Redskins seem to think that Super Bowls are won by signing a ton of cooked RB’s. We can’t really blame them, since they’ve won Super Bowls with the likes of Timmy Smith and George Rogers. Smith wasn’t cooked, but he was never really even prepped for the frying pan. He wasn’t passed his prime, he simply never had one.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan recently said that Clinton Portis is the starting RB “heading into training camp.” That could change of course with the likes of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker on the roster. We don’t know what those two are brining to the table at this point, but we could say the same about Portis too.

So, why not add another cooked RB to the roster? The team had Brian Westbrook in for a visit about a month ago, but nothing happened. Now, it seems that they have offered him a contract.

“We want him to sign with us,” Shanahan said. “Like I said, it could be some great competition. I really like Brian, what he’s done and how he’s handled himself. I’m sure he’s weighing some options. It’s not too far away from home. Any more I can do?”

Whether or not Westbrook cares to be a Redskin remains to be seen. He’s clearly not a hot commodity on the free agent market, but who would want to join that backfield? They could promise him three touches a game?

Despite 610 WIP’s radio personality Howard Eskin reporting in January that Brian Westbrook might be forced to retire because of his ailing left knee, the former Pro-Bowler passed a physical with the St Louis Rams over the weekend.

When healthy, the former Eagles running back is very productive.  During his eight-year career with Philadelphia he averaged 4.6 yards per carry and caught 426 passes for an additional 8.9 yards per game.  Westbrook also found the endzone a total of 66 times, not including a back-breaking punt return against New York in October, 2003.  Just needed to add that in there for Giants fans.

Both Steven Jackson and Brian Westbrook can provide first-overall pick Sam Bradford some added comfort in the backfield both running and cathing the ball.  What remains to be seen is if Westbrook’s knee and the Rams playing surface can get along.  Concussions might also be an issue.

I don’t want to jump the gun too quickly, Westbrook hasn’t signed with the Rams as of yet.  Him passing a physical could open up doors with other organizations.

The Green Bay Packers have a nice running back in Ryan Grant, but after that? Not much. Former second-round pick Brandon Jackson doesn’t really offer much, so it’s not a complete shock that the Packers would have some interest in former Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook.

Well, two sources tell the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the team is indeed interested in the 30-year old tailback. Westbrook was released by the Eagles in February (although technically not until March) and missed eight games last year due to a pair of concussions.

But head injuries aside, Westbrook has been battling knee and ankle issues for years. He was one of the nastier weapons in the NFL for several years, but lately he struggles to stay on the field and when he does, he isn’t very effective.

The Packers would likely want him to be a third-down back and bring something to the table, unlike Jackson, who brings very little.

It’s well known that Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook had some pretty serious concussion issues last year and that the league is cracking down guys playing with that injury. But what about his other health problems?

Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post is hearing that Westbrook is going to struggle to pass a physical with another team and it has nothing to do with the concussions. His knee and ankle problems that have plagued him for much of his career could be the reason that he can’t convince another team that he’s ok to play.

Combine that with the stigma that is being attached to guys with a couple concussions and it may be really tough to get an NFL team to commit to him. We really think someone will pick him up, but one would have to think that it’s going to be an incentive-laden contract.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said recently that he would definitely be interested in soon-to-be former Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook and not-yet-officially-released WR Terrell Owens. We don’t necessarily see a fit for Westbrook, so he could just be talking in an attempt to get someone else to pay more than they otherwise would have.

“Brian Westbrook definitely has a lot left,” Harbaugh said. “The Eagles know that and everybody else knows it. He’s going to have plenty of opportunities to play . . . We’d be interested in Brian Westbrook; I guess I can say that, he’s free. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

The Ravens already have Ray Rice, a stud-in-the-making-if-not-a-stud-already, who can play on every down. They also seem intent on bringing back Willis McGahee, even if he is an overpriced backup.

As for Owens, that we can believe. The Ravens still have yet to find a high-end (even if Owens isn’t exactly as high-end as he used to be) WR for Joe Flacco. Derrick Mason is nice, but he’s getting much older and could retire.

“We’re interested in T.O.,” Harbaugh told Gregg Rosenthal of PFT. “We’re interested in all the guys who can make us better.”

Owens we can believe, Westbrook not so much.

Former Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook (he technically is still on the team) went on ESPN Radio 97.5 FM in Philly this morning and was asked about the team. Former Eagle Vai Sikahema asked him specifically about who should be starting at QB.

“Just from playing with Donovan and I played with Donovan for eight years, so I know him well and I’ve watched him his whole career, especially being in Philadelphia,” he said. “I think he’s the best quarterback that’s qualified for the job, right now.”

Photo Caption: Donovan McNabb plays football.

Of course he didn’t trash Kolb, he spoke highly of him.

“I think that Kevin Kolb will be a very fine quarterback in the NFL, I do not have any problem with saying that at all,” he continued. “That he will be a great quarterback in the NFL. However, if I was the team and I was trying to win a Super Bowls like the Phlladelphia Eagles are. It would be hard pressed to get rid of Donovan McNabb.

“He’s done so much for the city and I don’t think you should keep people just because of what they’ve done so much for the city obviously you don’t. It’s hard for me to say you can find a quarterback who’s going to lead and put the players in position and is going to help your team win like Donovan McNabb.”

We know there are many, many Eagles fans who disagree with Westbrook and think it’s time for McNabb to go.

Seen this yet? Thanks to Kordell for tipping us off. This is great. Anytime someone can make ESPN look stupid we are all in favor of it.

It seems that Phildelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook called into SportsCenter the other night. Or did he?

Jeff McClain of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the Philadelphia Eagles have released RB Brian Westbrook. Westbrook was owed $7.25 million this season, and there is just no way the Eagles are going to pay that for a declining RB with concussion, knee and ankle issues.

This leaves LeSean McCoy as the main guy in the backfield. The team will most certainly retain the services of restricted free agent Leonard Weaver as well. The rest of the backfield is wide open with just Eldra Buckley and some practice squad dude.

Westbrook is one of the greatest RB’s in Eagles history. Drafted in the third round in 2002, he’s rushed 1308 times for 5,995 yards and 37 TD’s. He also caught 426 balls for 3,790 yards and 29 TD’s.

Bad couple of weeks for the Westbrook brothers. Byron gets a DUI and now this. Both could be looking for work soon.

Washington Redskins DB Byron Westbrook, the younger brother of Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook, was arrested at 2 AM Friday morning on suspicion of DUI. Westbrook was pulled over by the deputy after he observed his car changing lanes several times. When he pulled him over, the officer smelled booze, Westbrook failed several sobriety tests, refused a breath test and, well, here we are.

He’s charged with DWI, DUI, negligent driving and failure to drive right of center. The new regime in Washington might be looking to make an early statement and Byron might not be good enough at football to avoid being the example.

In an interview with Dan Rather of HDNet, Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook says that he isn’t looking to hang up his cleats just yet. Westbrook will make $7.25 million next season and many have speculated that he will retire or is at least facing his release from the team.

“I’m a hundred percent sure that I wouldn’t hang it up before [starting offseason training] unless something crazy happens,” Westbrook said. “My goal is to get back out there and play football again. That’s what I’m gonna train this offseason to do. That’s what I’m gonna put everything that I can into be able to do next year, is to go out there and play football at a high level. That’s my goal and that’s what I’m planning on doing.”

According to Philly.com, the interview never aired. Westbrook says that he wants to stay in Philadelphia, which is going to create a PR nightmare for the Eagles. They already made the unpopular decision last year to let Brian Dawkins walk last year. Now, they may be facing the decision of having to cut Westbrook.

“I’m not sure. That’s one of those things that really is up to them,” Westbrook said. “I’m under contract another year, and I would love to be in Philadelphia. There’s no other team that I would love to play for more than the Philadelphia Eagles. But it’s a situation where in the NFL, younger, cheaper is better for teams. It’s one of those things. It’s part of the business. I experienced it when I was younger, and I experience a different aspect now. You have to try and find out, for the team, what’s better for them.”

The full interview is here:

Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb spoke to NFL.com after the NFC’s Pro Bowl practice on Wednesday. He thinks all the talk of Brian Westbrook retiring is nonsense.

“He looks forward to getting back,” McNabb said. “All the talk people are saying on retirement or whatever it may be, it’s all false.”

McNabb was then asked whether he thought Michael Vick would be back with the Birds next year. He simply replied, “yes.”

We aren’t sure how he’d be in position to know about what the Eagles plan to do at QB this offseason, but ok.

Philadelphia Eagles star running back Brian Westbrook may have to retire because of his troublesome left knee, 610 WIP radio host Howard Eskin reports.

If the Eagles decide to bring him back next season he will be due $7.5 million and this is highly unlikely, especially with the emergence of rookie LeSean McCoy.   Furthermore, Westbrook could have trouble passing a physical for another team, so finding a new home may be difficult.

This past season, Westbrook missed time after suffering two concussions, but the knee is what could keep him out of a job.

In his eight-year career, the Villanova product, rushed for 5,995 yards and 37 touchdowns.  He also caught 426 passes for another 3,790 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Somewhere, New York Giants fans are celebrating…

Two league sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Brian Westbrook will be a no go Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. This obviously means that LeSean McCoy will start and the Cowboys will probably get a larger dose of Leonard Weaver.

Westbrook was medically cleared to play this week, but clearly Andy Reid doesn’t want to take any chances with an injury of this magnitude. An Eagles source was non-committal when Schefter asked about Westbrook’s status.

Personally, I’m thrilled that he’s not playing. Forget how important he is to the offense and they are playing the Cowboys and it’s for first place and blah blah woof woof (10 points to a commenter that can tell me what I referenced in the last part there). This dude was unconscious on a football field less than two weeks ago. Head injuries aren’t to be played with. Let the man rest.

We saw what happened to Andre Waters. Former Steelers center Mike Webster saw his life shortened because of head injuries as well. I talked to several people close to the NY Jets organization over the past few years that say that former WR Al Toon ain’t doing so hot. One guy described him to me as “scrambled eggs.”

So I’m glad to see the Eagles erring on the side of caution. I was talking about injuries with a former player a few weeks ago with reference to Donovan’s ribs. And he said, as a player, “you always come back to soon. It’s just the way it is in the NFL.”

And he’s right. But with an injury like this, let’s hope they give Westbrook plenty of time to get right before rushing him back. He’s not a chronic concussion guy like a Brett Lindros, but let’s not make him one either.

Brian Seltzer is reporting that Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has been medically cleared to play and will be on the practice field on Wednesday.

This news indicates that Westbrook will most likely be good to go this weekend, barring any setbacks, when the Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in a game which will determine first place in the NFC East.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook is not expected to suit up today against the New York Giants, as per Adam Shefter’s tweet.

Westbrook suffered a concussion this past Monday Night when he took a knee to the head in the Eagles win over the Washington Redskins.

If this news is confirmed, rookie LeSean McCoy will get the nod.  During Week 3, McCoy got the start and carried the ball 20 times for 84 yards and one score.  Granted that was against the Kansas City Chiefs and not the New York Giants, but McCoy is more than capable of filling Brian’s shoes.