PHILADELPHIA -- As the Eagles welcome back one of the greatest players in team history to their stadium, they might have another one back in their lineup.
Philadelphia's dynamic offense might see the return of another Eagles icon: Running back Brian Westbrook.
Westbrook has been out since suffering his second concussion in three weeks, Nov. 15 against the San Diego Chargers.
He suffered his first concussion in a Monday night game against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 26, sat out two weeks, came back against the Chargers and suffered his second. He has missed the past five games.
Westbrook returned to practice last week but was inactive for Sunday's 27-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Now he might be ready to play.
"I think he'll be pretty fresh," Reid said. "He'll have fresh legs out there. Obviously he's not going to play the whole game. (We will) make sure we keep track of how many plays he plays if it comes down to that."
Without Westbrook, the Eagles' running game has relied on rookie LeSean McCoy and, more recently, fullback Leonard Weaver. Going into Monday night's game, the team ranked 19th in the NFL in rushing.
"My feeling when you have great players is that helps you a little bit more," Reid said. "We're not going to get worse with Brian Westbrook coming back. He adds to that flexibility."
Now that the Eagles have clinched a playoff berth, it will be nice for Reid to see Westbrook back in action before the playoffs start.
"Just watching the last couple of weeks here out at practice, the next step is, if all goes well here in the next couple of days, is to get him back in the game and see what he can do there," Reid said. "(We'll) just give him limited reps to start off and see how he feels and evaluate it as we go here. I think it's good for everybody. I think that's a positive. It's good for him; it's good for the team. That's a good football player."
"Most of all, you miss him as a person," Reid said. "He's a great guy. He was a big part of us getting to where we have gotten as an organization. To say I don't miss him on a daily basis, I used to enjoy seeing him and being around him. He brought a lot of energy. I have nothing but good things to say about him or (Broncos running back Correll Buckhalter, another ex-Eagle). Those were two of my favorite guys, and they're doing a heck of a job for Denver now.
"I think it will be neat for him to come back here. I think the crowd will be great for him and all of that. I think when it comes down to playing, it's playing. I always say that when you are a kid and you get into a fight with your brother, for about a second there, it's about the most vicious fight you've ever been in and then you love each other up afterwards. That's what this will be. This will be a dogfight out there and then there will be respect afterwards."
Notes: Safety Quintin Demps (ankle) is day-to-day. ... WR Jeremy Maclin (foot) is expected back at practice this week. ... QB Michael Vick (quad) is doing better and will be evaluated during the week.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
