Hornswaggler | The culture, the humor, a bit of the sports, not so much the politics, and the workplace distraction
Hornswaggle is an alternate spelling of
hornswoggle, an archaic word that means to bamboozle or hoodwink. I take my
pronunciation from the late Harvey Korman in "Blazing Saddles" --
"I want rustlers, cutthroats, murderers,
bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits,
vipers, snipers, conmen, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers,
buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswagglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train
robbers, bank robbers, ass kickers, shit kickers and Methodists!"
It's sad to see one of my favorite all-time Eagles go, but it was probably time to part ways. Westbrook will go down as one of the most electrifying players in team history, and for several years he was often the lone bright spot on an offense that, from Andy Reid's horrible play-calling to Donovan McNabb's inaccuracy and our terrible receivers, tended to bog down completely for large stretches of the season.
In a different offensive system, Westbrook probably could have gotten to 10,000 yards. But though his statistics don't reflect it, in his prime he was one of the most dangerous players in the league, and besides Barry Sanders, I'm not sure there was a running back in the last 25 years who was more difficult to stop one-on-one in the open field than Westbrook in his prime.
Denver, New England, Minnesota, Baltimore and Houston* all strike me as possible landing spots for No. 36, but I actually think Green Bay might be the best fit. They're a contending team on the rise but they lack a versatile third-down back who's a threat catching the ball and operating in the open field. He would be a nice complement to Ryan Grant and add another option for QB Aaron Rodgers, provided he can stay healthy and play at a high level. Only drawback might be the cold of Lambeau and its effects on his creaky joints.
*Denver would be a cruel twist for Correll Buckhalter, Westbrook's former backup. New England already has a lot of RBs, though they all suck. Minnesota makes sense because Westbrook would fill Chester Taylor's third-down back role nicely and due to the Brad Childress connection. Plus Westbrook doesn't fumble, which is Adrian Peterson's Achilles heel. Baltimore has said it wants to keep Willis McGahee, but with former Eagles coach John Harbaugh in charge there, maybe they'd change their mind. Houston already has two small, shifty backs in Steve Slaton and former Eagle Ryan Moats, but Slaton can't hang onto the ball and it's conceivable coach Gary Kubiak would want to add some leadership on offense to help get the team over the hump.
