Brian Westbrook: Infuriating genius
Truth be told, I’m in nine fantasy leagues this season, and I have Brian Westbrook in five of them. They are all PPR leagues, and as long as he can stay healthy, he’s a gold mine. In this format, he has become the clear RB2 behind Ladainian Tomlinson. (Even though he leads most PPR leagues in scoring, I’d still take LT first since he’s more durable.)
I said all of that to say this: Westy pissed me off yesterday. For those that missed it, with the Eagles leading 10-6 with just 2:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, Westbrook broke free inside the five-yard line and, instead of scoring, he took a knee at the one.
My immediate reaction?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?
For fantasy purposes, I really could have used those six points. They would have given me some more breathing room in case Adrian Peterson decides to go off tonight. From a pure football standpoint, the score would have put the Eagles up 17-6 and the Cowboys would have had to score twice in order to tie the game.
But Westy knew that the Cowboys didn’t have any timeouts remaining, and all the Eagles had to do was take a knee on a couple of snaps in order to run out the clock. Scoring the TD would have actually given the Cowboys a shot to win the game (with a score and a successful onside kick followed by another score), but by taking a knee, Westbrook closed out the game for the Eagles.
In hindsight, it’s a genius move, but it’s definitely going to affect the outcomes of thousands of fantasy playoff games around the country. And not just the Westbrook owners. Guys who had any of the Dallas offensive players missed out on a garbage time two-minute drive that could have netted their teams a few more points.
Westy, you are one brilliant bastard.
Westbrook did the absolute right thing …. sorry Fantasy geeks. But Westy doesn’t give a crap about a make-believe League. The dude was playing in the NFL yesterday and he helped his team secure a win.
Exactly! No real athlete cares about FANTASY FOOTBALL. We care about winning football games in Philly. Not satisfying a bunch of “geeks.” Sorry. Go on EAGLES!
I laughed out loud when I saw Westy knew that, because I knew you were at home watching it on TV going, “Noooooooooooooo!” He credited one of the guards with suggesting it in the huddle. Smart football, no matter how you slice it. And unselfish. How rare is that?
My understanding is that the credit goes to John Runyan who said it in the huddle and ran his huge ass down the field shouting the whole way for BW to get down. Damn smart ball.
If the Packers kick ass and Dallas buckles just a little . . . I dare only to dream . . .
Runyan figured it out, but Westy actually followed his instructions. Pretty impressive for a guy whose instinct tells him to jet for the endzone no matter what.
Re: home field, that DAL @ WAS game could be huge. The Pack has to do their part though and win out.
Absolutely! Though I wasn’t clear about it, my “Damn smart ball” compliment was meant to apply to both Westbrook and Runyan.
I’ll be behind enemy lines on 12/23 watching the game with Chicago elements of my family. It’s a friendly rivalry among us – the wager always involves food and booze. This year, it’s a case of Spotted Cow and various though exquisite cheeses. On their side, chocolate covered cherries from The Chicago Chocolate Company.
All wagers are consumed jointly during the game; loser pays the winner’s tab. It works.
Ah, I can hear it now. Those blasted Packer fans have taken over the Philly thread!!
Sorry.
/hijack