by By Bob Brookover; Inquirer Staff Writer , The Philadelphia Inquirer

"It's hard to find a weakness in his game," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Westbrook before training camp started. "He catches the ball well out of the backfield. You can line him up wide. He can run inside the tackles and he can run outside the tackles. He's as good a pass blocker as anybody in this league. He's extremely intelligent."

Westbrook also just turned 30 years old, an age when a lot of NFL running backs disappear in the blink of an eye, or, to be more precise, the break of a limb.

And speaking of limbs, Westbrook had two off-season surgeries, one on his right ankle and the other on his left knee.

Westbrook didn't play in the preseason. The Eagles hope that he will remain one of the most dangerous and versatile backs in the league. He said Wednesday that he was anxious to play in Sunday's season opener at Carolina. But then yesterday, the Eagles say he practiced, but also listed him on the injury report with an unspecified knee issue.

This is exactly why they took McCoy in this year's draft.

"When we are getting ready for the draft, the first thing I usually watch on a player is their hit tape," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said during training camp. "A hit tape is every run they have and every pass that was thrown to them and every pass protection. I watched several minutes of his and I thought it was a highlight tape. He has been a dynamic player in college, so we'll see if he can bring that at this level."

McCoy is the first running back the Eagles have drafted higher than the third round during Reid's tenure.

A second-round selection and the 53d overall pick, the 5-foot-10, 198-pound McCoy scored 36 touchdowns and ran for 2,816 yards in two seasons at Pitt. He also caught 65 passes for 549 yards, a trait that is desired of running backs in the Eagles' pass-happy offense.

Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said before training camp that the team did not have a prototype at running back, but added that "obviously you should be able to catch the Football."

Westbrook has done that better than any running back in the NFL since becoming a starter in 2004. In the last five seasons, no other back in the league has even come close to matching his 355 receptions, 3,191 receiving yards, and 24 touchdown receptions.

Add in his ability to stop blitzing linebackers and defensive backs before they get to quarterback Donovan McNabb and it's clear the Eagles have a superstar in Westbrook who perfectly fits their scheme.

McCoy, 21, is quite aware of Westbrook's role in the offense.

"I'm just going to try to help him out, give him a blow or two when he needs it," McCoy said. "This is going to be a learning process for me."

The Eagles also want McCoy to contribute while he's receiving his rookie education. While Westbrook rehabilitated from ankle surgery in the preseason, McCoy got the majority of reps with the first-team offense during the first three preseason games.

Though Westbrook is expected to get the overwhelming majority of touches in the regular season, McCoy is the first rookie since Correll Buckhalter in 2001 to be No. 2 on the depth chart at running back.

"I think that says that the coach has some confidence in me," McCoy said. "I also think it's a challenge to come out here and play well as a backup. I want to gain their confidence to make them want to put me in there and play."

Westbrook had just 55 touches - 46 runs and nine receptions - as a rookie, but Reid said he could see that first season that the kid from Villanova had the brains to be a big-time player.

"He picked up this offense as fast as any back I've ever seen," Reid said in the pre-camp interview. "He got it right away."

McCoy had an outstanding debut in his first preseason game, running for 55 yards on 10 carries against New England, but was less productive in the next two preseason games. When he tried to make an extra move and sacrificed yards in the second game, against Indianapolis, McCoy was stopped on the sidelines by Reid when the offensive series ended.

"He told me to get vertical and to stop getting down on myself," McCoy said. In coaching terms, "vertical" means McCoy needed to run toward the line of scrimmage and not go laterally, toward the sideline, in hopes of outrunning the defense.

"I'm the type of player that hates mistakes," McCoy said. "I hate making errors. I have to learn the speed of defenses in this league. I kind of went back to my old ways in college and that's not going to work."

The Eagles know that what a player does in the preseason - good or bad - doesn't always translate into what will happen once the regular season begins. Ryan Moats and Tony Hunt, a couple of third-round picks, are proof of that. Both had excellent preseasons as rookies, but underwhelming careers with the Eagles . Buckhalter, on the other hand, had an atrocious preseason as a rookie, then went on to set a franchise rookie rushing record with 586 yards.

Mornhinweg said it's possible that McCoy could take aim at Buckhalter's rushing record.

"I think it's certainly possible, but it's real early to state that," the offensive coordinator said. "He had an excellent training camp for a rookie. Now there are still a lot of things that have to occur for him to help us at all. He has to continue to progress and he has to stay healthy."

Listen to Heckert talk about McCoy and it's obvious the Eagles are confident that this time they picked the right running back.

"We think he can do it all," the general manager said. "He's a phenomenal receiver. He ran hard between the tackles. He was super productive and he had a lot of carries for a team that was a good team, but not a great team. They were a very vanilla offense. People knew they were going to run the ball and he was still very productive. Obviously, his pass catching was perfect for us, too."

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.

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