Westbrook's
Home Sweet Home
By DAVID MURPHY - April 20, 2002
For Brian Westbrook, Saturday, April 20, 2002 will forever
be known as the day everything fell perfectly into place.
After spending a spectacular four-year career at Villanova
mired in the obscurity that Division I-AA football so often
offers stellar athletes, the play-making running back was
drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft -- higher than
many “experts” expected.
And, adding a little extra sugar to an already sweet outcome,
Westbrook was drafted by a team that is located a half an
hour from his college.
“I was hoping that Philly would take me,” said
Westbrook. “I have been in the city for five years, and
I have seen that the city has great fans. This is just a great
thing for me and my family.”
For the past five years, Westbrook has unquestionably been
the top football talent among all of the Philadelphia-area
schools that boast a football team and is one of the top players
that the city has ever seen.
At Villanova, he broke the all-time national record with
9,885 all-purpose yards. In 46 games, he scored 84 touchdowns,
rushed for 4,449 yards and caught 219 passes for 2,639 yards.
He is one of only two players in school history to rush for
over 1,000 yards in a season – a feat which he accomplished
three times.
The knock on Westbrook, of course, is the fact that he competed
against lesser talent in Division I-AA. The running back,
however, does not seem concerned.
“I am definitely confident that I can make the jump,”
said Westbrook. “Going to the Senior Bowl and the Hula
Bowl, I played with a lot of good players and potentially
great players and I know that some of those players are going
to make an impact in the NFL.
"I am happy for all of those players, but at the same
time I think I can definitely make an impact at the next level.
I have a lot of skills that people have not seen.”
Despite the obvious sentimental home-team attachment to the
Eagles, Westbrook did not figure on playing for the Eagles.
The team did express interest in him, inviting him down to
the NovaCare Complex to work out for scouts, but he knew that
his professional whereabouts would largely be decided by chance.
“I really had no idea,” said the running back.
“You want to know what is going on, but a lot of things
change on draft day. There are a lot of surprises in the first
round, the second round and the third round. A lot of things
worked in my favor and hopefully they will continue to work
in my favor as a Philadelphia Eagle.”
Westbrook watched the entire draft from his house until the
Eagles informed him that they were selecting him in the third
round.
“I actually sat down and watched everything,” said
Westbrook. “I was a little nervous, but not too nervous,
because I knew that I had done everything I could.”
When the Eagles brought Westbrook in to work him out, he
caught punts in a swirling wind and also caught passes from
third-string quarterback A.J. Feeley.
“A lot of teams showed interest in me,” said Westbrook.
“But I went out and worked out for the Eagles. A.J. Feeley
threw me the ball and he did a great job of getting me the
ball. I had an opportunity to play, and I think the Eagles
coaches know that I could make plays.”
Eagles head coach Andy Reid has a first-hand knowledge of
what Westbrook can do. The head coach lives about a mile away
from the Villanova campus in the Philadelphia suburbs. Reid
followed the career of Westbrook, reading of his exploits
in the local paper and always kept an eye on him.
“Being at Villanova for five years, I hoped that Coach
Reid had the opportunity to see me play,” said Westbrook.
“But I also know in the NFL that it is a business. People
want you, but other people need you – you have to be
aware of what is going on.
"I knew coach Reid lived near here. I wanted them to
draft me and I am happy that they did. I am right where I
started my college career and I am happy about that.”
