Brian Westbrook sent Zach Ertz a congratulatory message Tuesday, a day after Ertz broke Westbrook's Eagles record for catches in a season.
.@36westbrook with a shoutout to @ZERTZ_86 for breaking his #Eagles single-season receptions record.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/BO4VoirNZm— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 4, 2018
"Zach, just wanted to say congratulations," Westbrook said in a video that the Eagles tweeted out. "You broke my record in Week 13 with four games left. You didn't have to embarrass me like that, man. But I am so happy for you. Your hard work and dedication, your perseverance over the years continues to lead to your success. No one deserves it more than you. I'm so happy for you and proud of you. Continued success, brother."
Westbrook in 2007 caught 90 passes, breaking the Eagles record of 88, set in 1996 by Irving Fryar. Ertz caught nine passes on Monday night in the Eagles' win over the Redskins, giving him 93 this year with four games to go.
Ertz needs 18 catches to break Jason Witten's tight ends record of 110 catches in a season by a tight end. He also needs just 13 catches to pass Westbrook on the all-time Eagles reception list. Westbrook had 426 catches in his eight seasons with the Eagles. Ertz has 414.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
After he passes Westbrook, Ertz will trail only Harold Carmichael (589) and Pete Retzlaff (452) on the all-time Eagles list.
After the Eagles tweeted out Westbrook's message, Ertz wrote back, tweeting what an honor it was to be mentioned in the same breath as Westbrook
Thank you @36westbrook!! Definitely special to be mentioned alongside guys like you! #BeatDallas https://t.co/KOxlf8yxhv— Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) December 5, 2018
Westbrook and Ertz never played together, but they certainly have a lot in common. Both starred on Super Bowl teams, both are unselfish, team-first guys, both started their careers backing up very popular Eagles (Duce Staley, Brent Celek), and you can make an argument that both are the best in franchise history at their position.
Very cool to see this sort of mutual respect from two all-time Eagles greats.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
