Brian Westbrook

One of the worst parts of football, or any professional sport, is the fact that your favorite players can be traded from your favorite team at any moment. For instance, though I love Mike Vick and am thrilled that he is the Eagles’ quarterback, I still miss Donovan McNabb. And there are a few other players around the league that I wish still donned an Eagles uniform.

One such player is Brian Westbrook. When looking up at one of many TVs in a sports bar recently, I looked up and saw B-West. And I exclaimed in the middle of the place, “I miss Brian Westbrook.”

And he misses Philly. He went to school here, having a successful career at Villanova University.  After being drafted by the Eagles in the 3rd round of 2002′s draft, he went on to play 8 seasons in Philadelphia. And then, he hit the magic 3-0, and Westbrook was gone. For the first time since his college career began in 1997, B-West would not be playing football in the Philadelphia area.

Brian Westbrook wore San Francisco 49ers uniform for the 2010 season. It was something that I couldn’t quite get used to.

And it seems neither could he. In a conversation with CSNPhilly in March, Westbrook opened up about his feelings about leaving the Eagles. Westbrook confessed to missing Philadelphia, and said that he speaks with head coach Andy Reid more than many people speak with their families.

Westbrook was 52nd in the league in total rushing yards in 2010 with 340 yards. LeSean McCoy was 14^th with 1,080 yards. There is no question about it: The Eagles made the right decision by trading Brian Westbrook. That does not, however, mean that he is not missed.

To be fair, who knows how Westbrook’s overall numbers would look if he had been the starter the whole season for the 49ers. He got his chance to shine from Week 12 onwards, when Westbrook replaced starting running back Frank Gore after an injury in late November.

While many Eagles fans would love to see B-West return to Philadelphia, we know that it’s not going to happen. As he signed only a one-year deal with the 49ers next year, Westbrook is one of many players in limbo due to the lockout. All we can do is, whenever the 2011 season starts, hope that Westbrook lands with a team, has the chance to play football,  and is performing well on the field (unless it’s against the Eagles).

If you are also missing Brian, there is some good news. No, it’s not as good as him coming back to Philly, but it’s something. You can find him on Twitter at @20westbrook and on Facebook.

Via his Facebook page, Westbrook recently posted answers to the most frequently answered questions from fans. Here are some highlights.

On Terrell Owens:

“My experience with T.O. was great for the first year – we enjoyed 14 wins and went to the Superbowl.  The second year did not go as well.  Terrell had a lot of issues with Donovan and the management, so things did not go so well from a team standpoint.  As a person, Terrell is a great guy and hard worker.”

On whether he would take an off-field opportunity within the Eagles organization if the offered:

“I do miss playing in Philly and the camaraderie between me and the team as well as the great support from the fans.  Right now my focus is on being the best player I can be so I have not given any thought about coaching or other positions within the Eagles or any other organization.”

On playing with Donovan McNabb:

“I would love to be able to play with Donovan again.  He is a great player, competitor, and friend.”

On his favorite moment as an Eagle:

“Getting to the Superbowl.”