BRIAN WESTBROOK OUT FOR YEAR

December 7, 2005 12:00 AM ET

Following a night in which the Eagles played the role of Michael Spinks to the Seahawks' Mike Tyson, the football world pondered two major questions.

One, are the Seahawks really this good?

Two, can it possibly get any worse for the Eagles?

The first query is still up for debate, but the answer to the second issue is in. Yes, it can get worse. And it has.

The Eagles learned on Tuesday afternoon that running back Brian Westbrook would miss the remainder of the season due to a sprained Lis Franc ligament in his right foot. It's not yet known if he will need surgery. Head coach Andy Reid made the announcement on his Tuesday night radio show, and some of his quotes were printed on the team's official web site.

"We just found that out before I came here. Not a good thing. (Safety) Brian Dawkins had a Lis Franc sprain and didn't have to have surgery on it. (Tight end) Chad (Lewis) and (running back) Duce (Staley) had one that they had to have surgery on, so we don't know exactly which way the doctor is going to go with it yet. They do a procedure where they'll put Brian under anesthesia and then they have to test the joint when he's under the anesthesia and then determine whether he has surgery or doesn't have surgery."

Even if Westbrook does need surgery, Reid believes his recently-paid weapon will be ready for the start of the 2006 season.

In the meantime, the Eagles will move forward with yet another new starter on offense. Rookie Ryan Moats is expected to take over for Westbrook, and he'll join wide receiver Reggie Brown and left tackle Todd Herremens as first-year players now running with the first team.

Moats has been active for only three games this system because he's needed time to learn Reid's intricate system. The head coach has said that Moats is his best runner, but like many rookies, Ryan has had to learn how to block and operate in the passing game. He saw extended action in Monday night's blowout, picked up 26 yards on 10 carries, fumbled once, and earned a couple penalties while working on special teams.

Westbrook owners faced with a thin waiver wire may have little choice but to grab Moats and hope for the best – which may not be much. Tight end L.J. Smith, right tackle Jon Runyan, fullback Josh Parry, and left guard Artis Hicks are the only healthy (or unsuspended) remainders from the Eagles' Super Bowl-losing squad, and Hicks is no longer a starter. The offense looks and plays nothing like the group that lost to Patriots, and Moats will find the going rough.

He will receive help from veteran Lamar Gordon and the versatile Reno Mahe, but at this point in the season, Reid might simply throw the youngster to the proverbial wolves. We hope to learn more about Reid's backfield plan in the upcoming days. However, fantasy owners should tentatively plan to grab Moats but use another running back for their squad in week 14. The Giants are coming to town, and Tom Coughlin's defense has played very well over the past six games. Given the personnel now taking the field for the Eagles, fantasy owners can't count heavily on Moats, Smith, Brown, or any other Philadelphia players.

Lastly, turning back to the fallen Westbrook, fantasy owners in keeper leagues now need to wonder if he's trustworthy enough to hold onto for future campaigns. Brian's five-year, $25 million contract extension stamps him into the starting role when he's healthy, but he's now missed at least one game due to injury in each of his four seasons. Along with a torn triceps in 2003, Westbrook has two fairly notable ailments on his resume, and he has yet to log more than 177 carries in a single season. He also missed an entire college season (1999) due to a major knee injury.

Of course, it's difficult to find too many running backs with the resiliency to repeatedly make it through a 16-game schedule, but Westbrook's apparently fragile frame is quickly earning him a place alongside the likes of Fred Taylor and Chris Brown.

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