If Seahawks fans are looking for a reason to feel better about the departure of G.M. Tim Ruskell, here’s one.
Ruskell let fullback Leonard Weaver walk away in free agency.
Weaver signed with the Eagles, and in his first season with the team he’s having the best year of his career, with 249 yards rushing (a non-fullback 5.5 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns. Weaver talked about his new circumstances Tuesday night with Todd Wright of Sporting News Radio.
“I think a lot of it has to do with Brian [Westbrook] being out,” Weaver said. “Obviously, coach [Andy Reid] needed some guys to step up to the plate a little bit. I kind of went to Andy and said if you trust me enough just lean on me a little bit. I’m here for you to do whatever you need me to do and he’s trusted me with the opportunities and I’ve taken the best advantage of it with the offensive line doing a great job. I couldn’t really do it at the beginning of my career because I was a young guy and wasn’t trustworthy at the time, but later on in my career Mike [Holmgren] had to lean on me a little bit because we had injuries so that trust and that leadership just set it.
“I felt real comfortable going to Andy [Reid] because I know it was time to step up into that role, just in case. I went to him, and said, ‘Coach, I don’t want to infringe or anything,’ and he accepted me and we talked about it, and it went from there.”
And it has gone well. Weaver is helping to pump up an offense that is firing on all cylinders, despite a lot of moving parts.
“I definitely feel the momentum,” Weaver told Wright. “This is historically a time where the Eagles do particularly well and its great to be a part of it. I feel like we’re where we right we need to be on the mountain and we’re climbing and climbing and we will get to the point where we’ll peak. I think it has a lot to do with the leadership up front with Andy [Reid] and Marty [Mornhinweg]. Those guys do a great job being consistent in what they’re teaching, the playcalling and their techniques and just being consistent in what they do.
“Anytime you have consistency with the fundamentals, you’re going to be successful. In 2005, when I went to the Super Bowl with the Seahawks, that’s one thing that Mike Holmgren did in getting back to the basics. When you get back to the basics in fundamentals, everything takes care of itself.”
Things are taking care of themselves nicely for the Eagles, and even with Westbrook apparently coming back as soon as this weekend, Weaver has done enough to justify an ongoing role in the roll that the Eagles are enjoying.
