Eagles Notes | Why not use Westbrook more?

At the time of

Brian Westbrook's

29-yard run early in the third quarter of Sunday's 28-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles' star tailback had carried the football 14 times for 75 yards, which computes to an attractive 5.4 yards per carry.

That leads to this question: Why was Westbrook handed the ball just seven more times in the remainder of the game and not at all on the Eagles' final offensive sequence after his 64-yard punt return had placed them in a position to possibly win the game?

If folks were looking for an answer, coach Andy Reid's day-after news conference was the place to be yesterday. If they were looking for a good answer, somewhere else probably would have been better.

"We were trying to win the football game the best way we could," Reid said. "We were trying to do what we needed to do to win the game at the time."

Running seemed to be the way to go considering the miserable conditions, but when that subject was raised, Reid dismissed it, instructing a reporter to write whatever he wanted.

Reid also was asked why Westbrook is not used more often on punt returns.

"He's got a pretty heavy load right now," the coach said. "We've got Reno [Mahe] back there doing it. He's done an efficient job. When we need to spot Brian in there, we'll spot Brian in there."

Westbrook leads the NFL with 1,598 yards from scrimmage and needs 409 more to break the single-season franchise record of 2,006 established by Wilbert Montgomery in 1979. Westbrook's total of 1,916 yards from scrimmage last season was the third-best mark in team history.

During one 10-minute stretch in the second quarter,

A.J. Feeley

completed six straight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. In the remainder of the game, he was 13 for 36 for 140 yards with four interceptions.

Reid decided to go for it on fourth down late in the fourth quarter after a pass to Westbrook came up 6 yards short of a first down. That play ended with 2 minutes, 31 seconds left in the game, and the Eagles didn't snap the football until 30 seconds later.

Reid said the Eagles never considered calling a time-out to discuss the critical play.

Seattle's

Mike Green

should have been flagged for a late hit at the end of Westbrook's 64-yard return, which would have allowed the Eagles to start their final drive at the 7-yard line instead of the 14.

Wide receiver

Jason Avant

continues to be bothered by a groin strain, and Reid said he was in a lot of pain yesterday. Avant has just eight catches in his last nine games after catching eight in the Eagles' first two games. . . . The Eagles failed to score on three trips inside the 20-yard line Sunday. . . . Kicker

David Akers,

who will turn 33 on Sunday, is eight points shy of the franchise record for career points.

Bobby Walston

accumulated 881 points from 1951 to '62. . . . The Eagles were not penalized in a game for the 15th time in franchise history and the first time since Dec. 27, 1998, against the Giants. . . . After a string of good games,

Sav Rocca

struggled punting the football again. It's true that the conditions were terrible and his counterpart with the Seahawks,

Ryan Plackemeier

, was even worse. . . . Reason No. 7,564 for Eagles fans to still despise

Terrell Owens:

Opposing receivers still mock the fans at the Linc with the flap dance that T.O. introduced to the world in 2004. Seattle's

Nate Burleson

went into that routine after his second-quarter TD, which drew almost no resistance from the defense.

- Bob Brookover