Prisco: Impact Patriots
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Now that the mystery is over, and we know that Philadelphia's Terrell Owens plans to play in Super Bowl XXXIX, the question is: How effective will he be?
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| Brian Westbrook might be the scariest Eagle of all. (Getty Images) |
"It doesn't matter if he plays or not," New England safety Rodney Harrison said. "He's an All-Pro receiver, but we faced All-Pro receivers before. Hines Ward is an All-Pro receiver. Marvin Harrison is an All-Pro receiver. He's not going to change our preparation."
No, but there are others who might, and I offer the next three players as the Eagles who could -- no, should -- make a difference Sunday.
1. Brian Westbrook, running back
There is no one more critical than the running back the Eagles didn't have a year ago when they lost to Carolina in the NFC Championship Game. He's the team's leading rusher; its second-leading receiver; and, now, its most effective playmaker.
With him, the Eagles haven't lost in the playoffs; without him they're 1-1 in postseason play. Draw your own conclusions.
The guy is versatile, dangerous and hard to defense. He had 38 first downs this season rushing and 30 receiving. That's what I call balance. He also gained 100 yards in offense in each of his past eight games, all of which Philadelphia won. There were 117 yards against Minnesota, 135 against Minnesota. And now there's a chance he returns punts against the Patriots.
"He is a smaller guy that has unbelievable talent," said tackle Jon Runyan. "He is the kind of guy who can change direction and has the speed. His size makes him a smaller target and it sometimes makes it hard to bring him down. He is amazing."
He wasn't last season when New England met the Eagles in the second game. Westbrook had 36 yards in offense, but then none of his teammates did much -- losing 31-10 while committing six turnovers.
Three years ago, St. Louis all but ignored running back Marshall Faulk, hammered by the Patriots even when he didn't have the ball -- which was often. The Eagles are advised not to commit the same mistake.
2. Donovan McNabb, quarterback
Once people said McNabb was an inaccurate passer who was at his best -- at his most dangerous -- when plays broke down and he was forced to move outside the pocket.
Not anymore. McNabb had a career season this year, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 30 or more touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions. His 31 TD passes were a career high; his 64 percent completion rate was a career high; his 3,875 yards were a career high; his passer rating of 104.7 was a career high.
I think you get the idea: The guy is playing the best football of his life, and look at the past two playoff games. McNabb completed 64 percent of his attempts, with four touchdowns, no interceptions, a 111.3 passer rating and no losses. In short, he hasn't screwed up.
