Brian Westbrook

Brian Westbrook fumbled the first punt he tried to return last night in the Eagles' penalty-slathered, 16-15 exhibition loss to the Super Bowl champion Patriots. Westbrook also bobbled the first kickoff he returned and dubiously fair-caught another punt on the Eagles 15-yard line - mistakes befitting a rookie playing his first NFL game at length, before a sellout crowd, on the road. But Westbrook also typified what coach Andy Reid said after the game, referring to the young Eagles who played in the first contest at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots' $325 million new stadium.

Their stories entering and leaving college have similarities, and Byron Westbrook hopes that his situation can continue to mirror that of his famous brother as he makes his long-shot bid for a place in the NFL. A cornerback who completed his senior season in 2006 with five interceptions at Division III Salisbury University (Md.), Westbrook faces much longer odds against entering pro football than his older brother Brian, the Eagles' all-purpose running back. Both suffered injuries in their senior seasons at DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md. Thanks largely to their injuries and their size - short - neither got the chance to play at a Division I-A college.

EVERY YEAR, the Eagles stage workouts for draft-eligible college players from the Philadelphia area - some as a courtesy, some because they are interested. On that day in the spring of 2002, in a Villanova running back named Brian Westbrook, the Eagles were cautiously interested. They had watched Westbrook play for Andy Talley at Villanova and could see a versatile, explosive playmaker. But they had seen the medical reports, too, and could see that Westbrook had torn his ACL in high school, and slipped on some ice at Villanova and underwent surgery, and that the knee was not right and would never be right.

While waiting his turn to become the next great tailback at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., Patrick Mealy focused his attention on another swift and tough former DeMatha tailback who was making a name for himself in the NFL. When he finally was named the starter in his senior year, Mealy studied tapes of the star he had grown to idolize to see what made him excel, and glued himself to the television on NFL weekends whenever an Eagles game...

When it comes to the physical talents of Brian Westbrook and the "Oh, my" moments that could take one by surprise, Andy Talley had a little head start on the rest of us. Talley already knew that Westbrook was a great athlete and a good student and - maybe, just maybe - good enough to succeed at college football when the head coach began to recruit him to Villanova. There were drawbacks, of course. Westbrook was generously listed as 5-foot-8 as he came to an end of his high school career at DeMatha in the suburban Washington town of Hyattsville, Md. He was a two-sport star but had also damaged his hip flexor and had a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in one knee.

The man who so many believe is vital to the Eagles' Super Bowl hopes did not show up last night for coach Andy Reid's 7 o'clock team meeting at Lehigh University. Running back Brian Westbrook, in yet another stunning Eagles development, did not report to training camp. Wide receiver Terrell Owens, meanwhile, checked into his dormitory room dressed in a camouflage hat and shirt, appropriate attire considering his ongoing contract war with the Eagles and the fact that he was flanked by a media army big enough for an invasion.

The comparisons started in 2003, when Brian Westbrook emerged as the most explosive member of the Eagles' three-headed backfield monster, a weapon equally effective by land or by air. By then, Marshall Faulk's star was flickering in St. Louis. The injuries had added up and his gaudy offensive numbers were headed down, but the damage he had done with the Rams and Indianapolis Colts already was Hall of Fame worthy. Former Eagles linebacker Mark Simoneau described Westbrook as a combination of Barry Sanders and Faulk in 2003.

Villanova coach Andy Talley hears the question wherever he goes, the one that quickly follows, "Hi, how are you?" How are you going to replace Brian Westbrook? The question has popped up often during this month of Villanova spring football practice, which ends today. It comes from the most passionate to the most casual of Villanova football fans, and with good reason. Westbrook is headed to the Eagles, who made him a third-round draft choice last weekend after a college career that saw him rewrite the record books of the Wildcats and the Atlantic Ten Football Conference, make the All-America team three times and win the 2001 Walter Payton Award as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA.

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook's latest concussion is more than just an unfortunate setback in a brilliant football career. Westbrook's sidelining on Sunday has broader implications, since it also sends a message to college and high school athletes about returning to the field too soon after suffering a brain injury. While the first concern of everyone - Eagles fan or no - is that Westbrook heals fully, his injury in the game against the San Diego Chargers highlights the many uncertainties and dangers concussion-injured athletes face.

Brian Westbrook isn't happy with his contract, and he's not a big fan of training camp, either. But when you ask the Eagles running back about his football team and the coming season, he immediately becomes optimistic. "I think we'll be a good team," Westbrook said in a recent interview from his horse farm in Upper Marlboro, Md. "I think the last few years our health has been a big problem for us. Keeping everybody healthy, including myself, is important. " The long trek to opening day begins tonight when rookies and assorted veterans, including quarterback Donovan McNabb, are scheduled to report to Lehigh University for the start of training camp.

GRADING the draft 10 days after it ends is truly mission impossible. Virtually all of the experts agree that it takes at least 3 years before you can get an accurate reading. Nonetheless, we all do it. Chip Kelly's first draft as Eagles coach got generally good marks - I give it a solid B, a grade made more credible by the fact that it was the same as that given by the great Ray Didinger. There were a few naysaying analysts who opined that Kelly's strategy of picking the highest-rated player on the board resulted in us ignoring the greatest need: defense.

ELEVEN YEARS ago, the Eagles hit the trifecta in the second and third rounds of the 2002 draft, selecting Colorado safety Michael Lewis, cornerback Sheldon Brown and a Division 1-AA running back by the name of Brian Westbrook. Lewis spent five seasons with the Eagles, three as a starter. Went to a Super Bowl and Pro Bowl with the Birds. Brown was a rock at right corner for the franchise, starting 98 games in eight seasons and helping the Eagles advance to five NFC Championship Games.

CHIP KELLY'S first game as Eagles coach will be on a Monday night. But his third game will be just as intriguing. The Eagles' 2013 schedule came out on Thursday and they'll kick things off with a visit to Washington on Monday, Sept. 9. Ten days later, former coach Andy Reid returns to Lincoln Financial Field when the Chiefs play the Birds. Here's a look at the Birds' 2013 slate. Week 1 - Monday, Sept. 9 at Washington, 7:10 p.m., ESPN All-time series: Washington leads, 81-71-6.

Only 33, Brian Westbrook already suffers from short-term memory loss. He can't remember names, recall facts, or retain new material moments after he's told them. Westbrook can trace his health problems to at least a pair of concussions suffered during a shortened nine-year career. That is why the former Eagle advised current Birds running back LeSean McCoy to take his time returning from a concussion last season. McCoy missed four games but refused to sit out the final two games for further rest because he called himself a "competitor.

BRIAN WESTBROOK : Legendary Eagles running back, Hall of Fame kisser? The retired Eagle was in town last weekend at the St. Patrick's Day Parade, reppin' shave company Gillette. If you didn't recognize him, there might be a good reason: Gillette persuaded him to shave his long-standing goatee. Why did Westbrook go facially bald? He said that 85 percent of women (polled by people who make money in the anti-beard business, mind you) prefer kissing a clean-shaven face. "I was very hesitant.

Here are the answers to " Eagles and black quarterbacks: A quiz . " 1. Rodney Peete was the Eagles starting quarterback for 24 games from 1995 to 1998, including a memorable playoff win, 58-37, over Detroit in 1995. Donovan McNabb had an Eagles record 142 starts (five more than Ron Jaworski), Cunningham had 107, and Vick has had 35. Those 308 starts are equivalent to more than 19 full seasons. 2. Vince Young , a former Tennessee Titans starter, started three games for the Eagles after Vick got hurt in 2011, and played in three others.

The Eagles are in their 10th season at Lincoln Financial Field, where they've posted a 45-34 regular-season record and a 4-2 mark in the postseason. In that same span, they are 46-32-1 on the road. So much for home-field advantage. Even so, here is a look at some of the most significant Eagles moments at the stadium: Sept. 8, 2003: The Linc opened with a thud as Tampa Bay, which closed Veterans Stadium by stunning the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game 9 months earlier, shut out the Eagles, 17-0.

I DON'T BELIEVE Andy Reid. On Tuesday, during his day-after-game news conference, Reid kept a straight face and responded with conviction when asked whether he still had faith in his players. Even with the prevailing thought that the Eagles again showed little heart during Monday's 28-13 loss to the Saints, their fourth consecutive defeat, Reid vouched for his players. "Absolutely," Reid said when asked whether he still had confidence in his team. "They are a close bunch and they have character.

UNDER ANDY REID, the Eagles have come off their bye to play an opponent also coming off its bye only once before - they faced the Atlanta Falcons, the same team the Eagles will face this week, in the same situation. In 2008, the Eagles and Falcons both rested the week of Oct. 19. The Falcons were on their way to an 11-5 season, the Eagles were headed for 9-6-1, but also for a playoff run that took them to the NFC Championship Game. The Eagles won at the Linc, 27-14, with Brian Westbrook running for 167 yards on 22 carries and catching six passes for 42 more yards.

FROM HIS vantage point on the Eagles' sideline that Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000, Ike Reese could see the play unfold. A big hole opened up in the Pittsburgh offensive line and into it rumbled Jerome Bettis, the 5-11, 252-pound running back who was affectionately known as "The Bus. " Reese was certain Bettis would pick up 15 or 20 yards. But Brian Dawkins charged up from his safety position, launched into the air and stopped Bettis cold. Reese remembers that it was "one of the loudest hits I have ever heard.