"When Brian Westbrook was with the Philadelphia Eagles, merely popping into the corner market for a carton of milk was an ordeal. He had a sterling reputation in the City of Brotherly Love, and everyone knew his face.

Now that he's with the 49ers?

"Being out here, I can go to the grocery store and do everything I want to do, and nobody really pays attention to me," Westbrook said Friday. "That's a different feeling."

But while finding anonymity in the real world has been nice, being Mr. Invisible on Sundays has been a real downer for the two-time Pro Bowl running back.

Westbrook described his routine this season as if it was a bad version of "Groundhog Day." Every week he shows up at practice, learns his plays and thinks he'll have a meaningful role on game day. Each week he is disappointed.

His stat line for the first quarter of the regular season: One rush for zero yards and two catches for six yards.

Both of his receptions came in a Week 3 loss to Kansas City. Westbrook did not play in the opener in Seattle, where his biggest role seemed to be calming an out-of-sorts Michael Crabtree.

Westbrook stepped onto the field once Sunday in Atlanta. Quarterback Alex Smith, however, called a timeout before the ball was snapped, and Westbrook was back in his familiar spot - standing on the sideline - when the 49ers lined up again.

"Definitely frustrating," Westbrook said. "As a player, you always want to play. You always want to help the team. With only four snaps (on the season), it's really hard to help your team."

Coaches have been promising to unveil Westbrook since the end of the exhibition season, a refrain that continued this week when offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said, "We're going to try to get Brian in a little bit more" Sunday with the Eagles coming to town."