His performance wasn't all that reassuring, but his words afterward seemed to be.Brian Westbrook gained just 33 yards on 11 carries, scoring one touchdown, in the Eagles' 38-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys yesterday. He caught five passes for 53 yards, but wasn't often flanked wide and seemed nothing more than a screen-and-dumpoff outlet for Donovan McNabb. This came after Westbrook missed last Monday's game against Green Bay and did not practice all week with a swollen knee.He was listed as "questionable," but made it into the lineup, after appearing on the field a little more than an hour before game time in sweat clothes and headphones. Westbrook stretched but did no running before heading back up the tunnel to the locker room.The Eagles and Westbrook have said he is suffering from a bone bruise, a problem that often results in swelling because articular cartilage flakes off and causes irritation. Last week, two sports orthopedists told the Daily News that if rest didn't resolve the swelling, arthrosopic surgery could be in the offing. Yesterday, Fox's John Czarnecki upped the ante by reporting that the Eagles were concerned Westbrook might need microfracture surgery after the season. Microfracture surgery is an extremely serious procedure that has had mixed results with NFL players - some, such as Carolina running back DeShaun Foster, have come back and played well afterward. Others, such as former Eagles safety Rashard Cook, have never returned.In any event, Westbrook said yesterday that no surgery - arthroscopic, microfracture or otherwise - is on the horizon."Really, the only people that know what's going on are me and some of the doctors I've seen," said Westbrook, who has practiced rarely since the second week of the season. "Any report from anybody outside of that circle, you've got to question the source."Westbrook then specifically denied that microfracture surgery or surgery in general has been discussed. Eagles coach Andy Reid also denied that microfracture surgery might be necessary.Westbrook said his knee hadn't swollen up by the time he met with reporters after the game, "so it feels pretty good." He said his limited role had more to do with his lack of practice work lately, which he said was also a factor in the fumble he lost on the Eagles' first drive."This was... the first time I actually ran on it in 2 weeks," Westbrook said. "So coach tried to spot me a little bit, and we have running backs in our stable that can run the ball and make plays."Correll Buckhalter ran four times for 16 yards, Ryan Moats once for 2 yards. Neither Moats nor Buckhalter caught a pass.Westbrook was asked about preparing for games when he can't practice."I watch film, watch tape, get with the coaches, things like that," he said. "It's tough to stay completely sharp, and I think that's what it really came down to with the fumble. I haven't had any contact in 2 weeks. It was a lack of ball security as well as being a little rusty... hopefully, I'll be able to practice this week."Westbrook said the "swelling has been down the last couple of days," and he hopes he can return to a more normal preparation regimen.Reid said Westbrook was able to demonstrate Saturday that he had enough mobility to play, so Reid "felt comfortable to where we didn't have to bring him out before the game and work on it."Dallas was the best defense the Eagles have played, and Westbrook's stats were way below what he accomplished in his previous three games. He came into yesterday averaging a league-best 7.1 yards per touch, but was well under that against the Cowboys, at 5.37 yards per touch.
