Fullback gets call to carry ball

Who would have thought that on the day the Eagles had their most-balanced offense of the season, the fullback would have been featured so prominently? Perhaps the one person surprised the most was the fullback. In an era when the position is used almost exclusively as a blocker, the fullback never can make presumptions about playing time - especially in an Andy Reid offense. "All week I didn't even get any runs in practice," said Leonard Weaver, who carried the ball eight times for a career-high 75 yards and the game-opening touchdown as the Eagles pummeled the Giants, 40-17, yesterday. "It wasn't a thing this week where I was going to be a focal point. It was just something that Coach Reid wanted to do. When he calls your number, you got to be ready." Weaver had only four carries and seven receptions coming into the game. Last Monday night against the Redskins, his number was called only twice. He ran once for 1 yard and caught one pass for 1 yard. Eagles center Jamaal Jackson said Weaver, the first-year Eagle , thought he had failed on his precious few opportunities for a fullback. "Last week, he was kind of down on himself," Jackson said. "The coaches wanted to start early and get his confidence back. Normally, we don't have a fullback running the ball in the first 15" plays. But the Eagles were shorthanded when they decided not to dress starting running back Brian Westbrook, who suffered a concussion last Monday in Washington. Still, backup LeSean McCoy was expected to shoulder most of the load on the ground, and Eagles coaches were saying that third-string running back Eldra Buckley could play some. But on the third play from scrimmage Weaver was the lone setback behind a line with two tight ends. "He's a guy who has been a primary ballcarrier when he was in Seattle," said Reid, who signed Weaver as a free agent in the off-season, "so we know he can carry the Football." Two plays were called in the huddle, but quarterback Donovan McNabb checked off at the line of scrimmage. Weaver burst through the middle, shed Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, and raced 41 yards for the score. For a 250-pound fullback, he even showed a bit of speed. "He is heavy and I didn't think he had the jets," McCoy said, "but he proved me wrong." Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg proved that they could effectively manage a game plan split almost evenly between the pass and run. Two weeks ago vs. Oakland, there was a gross disparity in the play-calling: 55 pass plays and 11 runs. Yesterday it was 26-23. "That was the focal point all week," Jackson said. "Let's not get away from the running game." The 23 run plays (not counting a McNabb scramble) gained 166 yards. Even though McCoy struggled early and often, Reid and Mornhinweg never abandoned the ground game or the rookie. McCoy amassed only 18 yards on his first seven tries, but on third and 1 early in the fourth quarter, he got another attempt. "If you call the play more, we're going to get it going," Eagles left tackle Jason Peters said. "Sometimes it doesn't work and coaches go away from it." McCoy, though, found a Peters-size hole - which makes sense since the tackle helped open it up - and, with some nifty downfield running, capped the day with a 66-yard touchdown. "I have been stuttering a little bit," said McCoy, who has struggled in recent weeks, and Westbrook "has been coaching me up to just hit the hole and make my move down the field." For the second straight week, the Eagles had their starting offensive line intact, and it showed. With that unit gaining confidence, could we possibly see a power run attack featuring Weaver? "Maybe we'll give it to him a couple of more times," Reid joked. Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.