Wednesday, April 16th, 2008...2:25 pm by Lee Gibbons
Where are they now: Michael Westbrook
ESPN has a nice article on Michael Westbrook and what he’s up to now. Westbrook as you likely recall was the Redskins first round pick back in 1995, selected 4th overall. It would be a bit harsh to call Westbrook a complete bust, he did have a 1,000 yard season (career stats) and was with the team for seven years, but it’s safe to say the pick didn’t turn out as the team envisioned.
In some ways Westbrook was symbolic of the Norv Turner era in Washington, he wasn’t terrible but he wasn’t a guy who was going to bring you over the top. When a team picks 4th overall in the NFL draft, they hope to land a franchise player, not a guy who’s best known for throwing his helmet or pounding out unsuspecting teammates in practice.
Westbrook is now heavily into martial arts, particularly Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. A few years back he competed in a mixed martial arts fight defeating another former NFLer, but he hasn’t had a ‘professional’ fight since and he now only competes in jiu-jitsu.
The article stirred up some of the old frustration I think we all felt about Westbrook back in the 90s. The guy was infinitely talented but he never put it together and to top it off he seemed to put himself above the team.Reading about how he doesn’t think of football anymore or how he didn’t like playing back then is another shot. We support the team with our hearts and our wallets and to hear guys say they don’t enjoy it is a blow.It was the Redskins fans who all contributed to Westbrook’s million dollar pay checks, we don’t want to hear about how you didn’t care about any of it.
Westbrook obviously earned enough money over his career where he doesn’t have to work for a living. The article talks about his routine of working out in the morning and then martial arts training at night, it’s a life we’d all love to have the opportunity to live. It’s a shame that we contributed to help a selfish guy like Michael Westbrook live the good life, when its obvious he didn’t (and from the sounds of it still doesn’t) give a damn about the fans and teammates who helped him land those pay checks.
Sidebar discussion - Does read about Westbrook give anyone else 2nd thoughts about picking a wide receiver early in the draft? The last good receiver the Redskins picked in the 1st round was Art Monk way back in 1980. Since then, they’ve picked receivers three times - Desmond Howard in 1992, Westbrook in 1995 and Rod Gardner in 2001, and none really panned out.
3 Comments
April 20th, 2008 at 9:19 am
I agree with that. To go prototypical you pretty much have to have the stars line up for you. Right player, right coach, right system, right owner..etc. All agents see with Danny is the $ sign and that will set a poor tone. But then again, you had Norv. The real stat to look at is when was the last time a former Cowboy coach turned the Redskins into a winner.
Redskins can get a reciever somewhere to help, but protection on the line and penetration on defense stands a priority along with some help at the CB position.
Hey, just thinking, can you do a story on guys with the redskins still get together on a regular basis?
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Hey Riggo, which players do you mean? From back in Gibbs 1st tenure I’m guessing, that’s an interesting idea. Its hard to track down something like that without having access to the team or players, but I will see if I can find anything out.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Hi all great information here and good thread to comment on.
Can I ask though - how did you get this picked up and into google news?
Very impressive that this blog is syndicated through Google and is it something that is just up to Google or you actively created?
Obviously this is a popular blog with great data so well done on your seo success..
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