The Eagles were last on the field playing a meaningful football game in January. Maybe you remember, that game when they forgot that it might be a good idea to cover Larry Fitzgerald?

Supposedly, no members of the team have had any serious contact in the last five months, if you don’t count Donovan McNabb and Sheldon Brown jousting with the front office as they seek new contracts.

So how is it exactly that Brian Westbrook showed up for this week’s “organized team activity” – does that name drive anyone else crazy? – with an ankle injury?

That’s right, the Birds star running back is on the shelf again. And this one not only has a touch of mystery to it, it is beginning to sound like it could be a problem.

Usually, an ankle injury in June is no big deal. Training camp is still two months away.

But the team announced that Westbrook will need surgery on his right ankle. A doctor referred to the procedure as a “debridement” of the ankle. Sounds like a divorce. The recovery period - six to eight weeks - would likely keep Westbrook out of a lot of those drills in Lehigh.

What Westbrook can’t divorce himself from is the persistent belief that he is injury-prone. Couple that with the knowledge that Westbrook is now 30, no longer a young buck out of Villanova, and you have some concerns.

Maybe it’s all for the best. Westbrook probably doesn’t need to be banged around every day at Lehigh. So long as he’s ready to go on opening day.

In the meantime, the team will get a long look at draft pick LeSean McCoy, out of Pittsburgh.

He won’t make the worry over Westbrook disappear, but he is a better insurance policy than the team has had in the past.