Not only will the Philadelphia Eagles be facing a tough rival in the Washington Redskins in Week 7 of the season, but their starting RB Brian Westbrook (pictured right) will be matching up with his younger sibling when the Birds play the ‘Skins on Monday, October 26, 2009. Most NFL followers probably didn’t even know that the Eagles’ offensive star had a brother, but the fact is true, and for the first time in both Brian and his younger brother Byron’s career, the two will play each other in an official game.

As all should know based upon the amount of media coverage and popularity he has received, Brian has had the more successful of the brothers’ professional football tenures, but then again, Byron is playing in his first season on an active roster, while Brian is in his 8th season. It just so happens that the close relatives are on one of each other’s division rivalry teams, and that should provide even more tension and thrill when the Eagles and Redskins meet throughout the season.

Because we Eagles fans already know the story of our own Brian Westbrook (he was drafted in 2002, steadily became the team’s starting runner, and has been one of the most productive and consistent offensive stars in franchise history, to explain it briefly), the tale of his 24-year-old brother (pictured below) will be exposed now: A quality Cornerback at Salisbury University in his collegiate career, the 5′10″, 194 lb. defensive back originally entered the league in 2007 as an undrafted rookie free agent signing of the Redskins. He failed to crack the final roster, and was released, but was later signed to the team’s practice squad for the 2008 season. After hard work in mini-camps and the preseason, and a fierce determination to make it past the day of final cuts, Westbrook was named a member of the final roster as a backup CB and special teams player. Honored by the team’s decision to keep him, the sibling of Brian played decent throughout the first six games of the season, and is now looking forward to squaring off against his brother’s team.

Although Byron isn’t expected to see a significant amount of playing time because of his position on the depth chart as a reserve, there is a good chance he’ll make a few appearances, especially since the Redskins likely know that he is the brother of the Eagles’ star player, Brian, and wants to display his worth and talent in front of him. Besides, judging by the way that the Washington secondary has performed thus far this season, there is certainly a viable chance a starter will get benched for playing horribly, and Byron would then see more opportunities.

Nevertheless, this sibling battle should be only one of many intriguing things to keep an eye on while viewing the Eagles’ Week 7 game. To conclude this interesting topic, take a look at a few statements expressed by Brian regarding the brotherly rivalry: “I’m very proud of him,” Brian Westbrook said of his brother. “Two years on the practice squad and finally he made the team this year, so I’m very proud of him. He’s come a long way to make an NFL roster. It’s amazing. It really speaks to his character and his work ethic. He didn’t let it get him down. He continued to fight, continued to push himself, continued to get better, and he fought his way to get on the roster and I’m very proud of him.” “I’ve talked to him a lot these past couple of days, telling him to watch out for the Wildcat and the Wing T and the triple option and all the different plays, things like that. I’m sure they’re down there preparing for us.”

(picture sources) (2)