John Smallwood: Reid will tweak offense as he sees fit

YES, ANDY REID conceded that he dialed down his offense considerably in the second half of the Eagles' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it does not represent some sudden change in philosophy.

If Reid were a politician, his philosophies concerning offensive football would be deemed far left. Conservatism is a dirty concept not to be practiced and rarely spoken.

So don't bet on Reid playing it safe Sunday night when the Birds take on the Bears in Chicago. He and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will do what they do.

And that will be true even if running back Brian Westbrook is hobbled or out with his injured ankle, or quarterback Donovan McNabb is still dealing with a bruised sternum.

Reid didn't pull his foot off the pedal Sunday against the Steelers because he thought his offense wouldn't work with so many key parts missing or slowed by injury. He just did not have the time to adjust fully to so many sudden changes.

"There was just a point where we had five guys down," Reid said yesterday of the Pittsburgh game. "I didn't game-plan for that. I looked up and half the offense was out, so there were just certain things that we had to pull back on.

"I'll game-plan for that this week."

It is not that he doesn't recognize the value of such talented performers as Westbrook, McNabb or offensive tackle Shawn Andrews. He just never thought his offense would sputter if a key performer or two were missing.

The Eagles might tinker a bit if Westbrook isn't available against Chicago, but they won't overhaul to the point that the offense is unrecognizable.

Things would be the same if McNabb's availability were in question.

"We have a little bit of a heads-up right now," Reid said when asked about planning for guys who might or might not be healthy enough to play. "We know the guys that are banged up, so we won't let ourselves get caught in that situation again.

"We might work certain things out of the game plan, and we'll make sure the backup guys get a few more reps [in practice]."

Reid sometimes elicits confused stares when he responds to the prospect of losing an injured starter by simply saying, "I think we'll be OK," but after 10 years, it is clear the coach believes that.

You or I might gasp at the Eagles' prospects without Westbrook in the lineup, but Reid has full confidence that backups Correll Buckhalter, who had a 20-yard touchdown catch against the Steelers, and Lorenzo Booker would do a good-enough job filling in for Westbrook, should it come to that.

"I though [Buckhalter] played really well," Reid said. "He was one of the bright sides of the offense."

Clearly, some of this is just Reid showing confidence in players he might have to count on, but he does have a pretty good history of proving himself correct when he says the Eagles can get by without certain guys.

Remember, this coach took teams to the playoffs with running back Darnell Autry playing for an injured Duce Staley, A.J. Feeley subbing for McNabb, Freddie Mitchell stepping in for Terrell Owens, and Jeff Garcia replacing an injured McNabb.

Of course, things haven't always gone so well.

There was no scheme Reid could have come up with in 2005 to hide the ineffectiveness of Mike McMahon after McNabb succumbed to a sports hernia.

Still, the Eagles are sixth in the NFL in total offense and tied for fourth in the league in passing yards per game, despite not having No. 1 receiver Kevin Curtis at all and getting No. 2 Reggie Brown for only a few plays against Pittsburgh. Their 90 points is third in the league, behind Denver and Dallas.

Rookie receiver DeSean Jackson is eighth in the league with 256 yards receiving, and third-year man Hank Baskett is 17th with 197 yards. Both have more receptions and receiving yards than Owens or Indianapolis' Marvin Harrison.

The Eagles already were short key offensive players when the season started, and that didn't stop Reid from implementing his normal, aggressive offensive game plan.

The guys he asked to step up have done just that.

The Birds hope to have Westbrook available on Sunday against Chicago, but if he isn't, expect the Eagles offense to still act as if he were. *

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