Eagles vs. Giants: Week 11 Inactives

The Eagles and Giants have announced their inactive players for their huge Sunday Night showdown:

Eagles: CB Jorrick Calvin, WR Chad Hall, T Austin Howard, QB Mike Kafka, CB Trevard Lindley, TE Garrett Mills, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, G Reggie Wells

Giants: OL David Diehl, LB Alex Hall, FB Madison Hedgecock, DT Linval Joseph, C Sean O'Hara, WR Darius Reynaud, WR Steve Smith, LB Gerris Wilkinson

No surprise inactives for the Eagles as they are fully healthy. With Calvin inactive, that means that Ellis Hobbs is likely returning kicks.

For the Giants, former Eagle Shawn Andrews will be making his return to Philadelphia. I'm sure there will be plenty of boo's for the talented but troubled offensive lineman.

With the division lead on the line, it doesn't get much bigger than this game. Given how they played last week, you have to like the Eagles chances of knocking off the Giants. GO BIRDS!

Shawn Andrews signs with Giants

Looks like we might be seeing the Big Kid in Philly once again.

In a surprising move, the Giants have signed former Eagle Shawn Andrews. As you may recall, the Eagles, finally fed up with his shenanigans, released the enigmatic former Pro Bowler back in February after he played only two games over the last two seasons. With plenty of questions surrounding whether he even wanted to play football, the Eagles were wise to dump Andrews and move on.

While there is no guarantee that he makes the Giants roster, if Andrews comes in with his head on straight and if he's healthy, he has the ability to be a good player in the league once again. Of course, the chances of that happening are slim but the Giants must feel that he's worth taking a flier on. While I wish Andrews the best and hope his depression issues are a thing of the past, I'm not about to start rooting for a player that signs with the Giants.

Eagles release Shawn Andrews

I guess they have finally had enough of his shenanigans: the Eagles have released offensive lineman Shawn Andrews. The former Pro Bowler has had a tumultuous last few seasons, to say the least, as he has battled injuries and depression that have caused him to play in only two games over the last two seasons. Over that time, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether Andrews had really been hurt or that he has simply lost his desire to play football.

If Andrews ever gets his head on straight, he could be a great offensive lineman again. I would bet that another team in the league will give him a shot but they shouldn't expect much from Andrews since he hasn't played a full season since 2007.

So ends another long-running Eagles career. Andrews had a ton of potential heading into the 2006 season and signed a 7 year contract with the Eagles but only managed to reach his potential for the first two seasons of the deal. I'm sure Andy Reid is happy to rid himself of the headache.

Eagles place Shawn Andrews on IR, ending his season

When the Eagles signed Jeff Garcia they had to make a move to clear up a roster spot. Much of the speculation around who would go circled around the wide receivers, of which the Eagles have 7. Would the team trade Hank Baskett or release Reggie Brown? Well, it turns out, all the receivers are staying because the Eagles have placed lineman Shawn Andrews on IR, ending his season.

Andrews had been dealing with back issues throughout training camp but seemed to be improving heading into the season before he suffered yet another setback. Apparently the Eagles have had enough of Andrews and his injury issues and they decided to give him the rest of the season to heal up.

It's a disappointing loss for the Eagles to lose the former Pro Bowl lineman, but not one they weren't prepared for. Winston Justice, who actually played well against the Panthers, will be the starting right tackle for the immediate future but don't be surprised if Jon Runyan gets another call to come back to Philly. Runyan played right tackle for the Eagles for nearly a decade and would be the perfect rock-solid replacement for the flaky Andrews.

So, another season is washed away for the injury-prone Shawn Andrews. It's now gotten to the point with Andrews that the Eagles can't really count on him for anything. Pencil him in as a possible starter next season but don't be surprised if/when the Eagles just cut bait on Andrews and move on.

Eagles/Panthers Week 1 Inactives

The Eagles and Panthers have announced their inactive players for Week One:

Eagles: RT Shawn Andrews, DE Jason Babin, WR Reggie Brown, WR Brandon Gibson, OL Todd Herremans, S Sean Jones, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn

Panthers: FB Tony Fiammetta, DT Ra'Shon Harris, QB Matt Moore, OL Duke Robinson, RB Tyrell Sutton, DE Hilee Taylor, OL Garry Williams, DB C.J. Wilson

As expected, 2/5ths of the Eagles projected starting offensive line will be sitting out this week as Shawn Andrews and Herremans deal with injuries. That forces Nick Cole and Winston Justice into the starting lineup. While Cole should do just fine, whoever lines up against Justice for the Panthers (Julius Peppers) will be licking his chops. Not very many other surprises for the Eagles, I figured they would only dress 5 wideouts and that Brown and Gibson were the odd ones out. Jason Babin, everyone's favorite preseason defensive end, will have to wait to make an impact. The Eagles did not declare a third QB because they don't have one!

None of the Panthers inactive players are surprising, nor have I really heard of any of them. Sutton is the 3rd running back and his benching means that Jonathon Stewart is healthy enough to be the backup.

Just under an hour now until the Eagles season kicks off! Go Birds!

Shawn Andrews: To play or not to play?

It seems that we have a difference in opinions on when Shawn Andrews will return to the Eagles.

Andrews, who hasn't participated in any preseason activities since the first day, thinks he will be ready for Week One. Andrews is back in Philadelphia after going out to the West Coast and getting his back examined, and he appears to be in good spirits and believes he will be able to suit up against the Panthers on September 13th.

The Eagles aren't so sure, with Coach Andy Reid's mindset being that Winston Justice will be the right tackle until further notice. Reid says he has "no idea" when Andrews will be ready so he has to just go with what he has, no matter how scary it might be to think that Justice is a starter.

While the much-maligned offensive line is starting to come together now that Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews have now returned to practice, Shawn Andrews and his ailing back are still a mystery. While it could be plausible for Shawn to be ready for the first week, should the Eagles rush to get him into the starting line-up? On the one hand, he is a former Pro Bowler, but on the other, how in-shape could he possibly be if he hasn't practiced for months?

We've been through all of this before with Shawn Andrews. Last season, he battled depression all preseason and was MIA for training camp, only to show up and play in the first game of the season, proving he can get ready quickly. Of course, Andrews subsequently got injured in Week Two and was out for the rest of the year, so the Eagles would be smart to avoid rushing him back. Another factor in this situation is the fact that he is changing positions from right guard to right tackle. If Andrews doesn't even practice at his new position, how is he supposed to have any clue what he's doing out there?

So, will he or won't he play? While having Winston Justice start along the Eagles offensive line is not the best situation, if it's only for a few weeks while Andrews gets up to speed, that might not be so bad. Of course, an even smarter move would be to start Stacy Andrews at right tackle and have Nick Cole play right guard until Shawn Andrews is ready; hopefully the Eagles have looked into that.

Coach Reid has the right idea in this situation. Shawn Andrews can't be counted on until he actually starts playing, so the team has to move ahead with plans assuming he won't be suiting up. One thing we have all learned is that you can't rely on Shawn Andrews at all. If he plays, great, if he doesn't, make sure you have a contingency plan in place.

Don't count on Shawn Andrews to be ready for Week 1

The Eagles revamped their offensive line this offseason in hopes of getting younger and better, but so far the group has been long on talent and short on health. While Todd Herremans will be out until the regular season, Jason Peters has been in and out of practice and Stacy Andrews has had problems of his own, the most mystifying member of the Eagles offensive line has been Shawn Andrews, who has been MIA all preseason. Shawn has missed basically all of camp, and with the latest news, I wouldn't expect him back any time soon.

According to Andy Reid, and via Philly.com, Shawn Andrews is in Los Angeles right now, visiting the doctor that performed the surgery on his back last October. Apparently Shawn aggravated his back again and is getting treatment and advice out on the west coast. Needless to say, this is isn't good news. Whenever a player is going back to visit the doctor that performed the surgery on him, many times that leads to even more surgery.

It's nice that the mystery of where Shawn Andrews has been was solved, but from the sound of it, he still isn't going to be ready come Week 1. Whenever he is finally cleared to practice, Andrews will still need a lot of time to get into game shape, especially considering how fragile his back is. Get used to Winston Justice starting at right tackle, he may be there a while.

Another one bites the dust: Eagles lose Todd Herremans for preseason

What would the last day in Lehigh be without another Eagles injury? On Wednesday, the last day of Eagles training camp, it was announced that yet another Eagle had suffered an injury: offensive lineman Todd Herremans has a stress fracture in his foot. Head coach Andy Reid speculated that the injury was likely a "four week injury", meaning that Herremans won't take the field again until the start of the regular season.

Many are saying that this injury isn't that big of a deal because, really, who cares about preseason games anyway? Personally, this injury worries me because it means that the projected starting offensive line will not all play together until the games start to matter. Cohesiveness counts most along an offensive line, the guys in the trenches need to know what the tendencies are of the person next to them and they need to trust each other. The preseason is a time to start building that trust, but with the way the line has been banged up throughout training camp, they have barely had any time together.

Herremans isn't the only projected starter along the line that is injured, either. Each of the Andrews brothers, Stacy and Shawn, were already ruled out for the first game of the preseason. Stacy is just being sat as a precaution, but no one knows when Shawn Andrews will be back. Again, this is good for the backups because they will get time to earn a roster spot, but it's terrible for a line that has the talent to be a top line in the league if they can just get on the field together.

According to Philly.com, the complete list of players who will not play in Thursday's game against the Patriots include: DE Victor Abiamiri, OL Shawn Andrews, OL Stacy Andrews, DE Trent Cole, OL Todd Herremans, QB Kevin Kolb, DT Trevor Laws, TE Matt Schobel and RB Brian Westbrook

At least training camp is over so now we don't have to worry about which Eagle will get hurt next. Of course, now there are meaningless preseason games to be played, so cross your fingers that no one else goes down. You can bet Andy Reid will take every precaution and have the starters on the field as little as possible.

Eagles make some minor moves as they prepare for the Giants

The Eagles continue to ready themselves for the big showdown this coming weekend. It should be a great game between two NFC East rivals. The Giants have the homefield advantage but that likely won't mean much between these two evenly matched teams.

As they set their roster for the coming game, the Eagles made a few moves. First, offensive lineman Mike McGlynn, who has only suited up for 3 games this season, was placed on injured reserve with a torn hamstring. He wasn't an option to play this week anyway. The Eagles then used his roster space to sign cornerback Dmitri Patterson. Patterson was an undrafted player out of Tuskegee who has spent time in the Redskins, Vikings and Chiefs organizations. He has played a total of 23 games in the NFL in the last few years and figures to only be insurance should the Eagles secondary started racking up injuries.

One other piece of news from the Eagles today: Shawn Andrews has returned to practice! The Pro Bowl lineman has played only 2 games this season and is dealing with back issues. He won't play this week but could suit up in the NFC Championship game, if the Birds make it.

Eagles/Steelers Inactives: Brown in, Andrews out

The Eagles and Steelers have announced their inactives for this afternoon's showdown:

Eagles: DE Victor Abiamiri, G Shawn Andrews, WR Kevin Curtis, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn, DE Bryan Smith, TE Matt Schobel

Steelers: LB Bruce Davis, QB Dennis Dixon, T Trai Essex, T Tony Hills, DE Brett Keisel, WR Limas Sweed, CB Deshea Townsend, LB Donovan Woods

As expected, Andrews is unable to go, meaning Max Jean-Gilles will be the starter at guard. Reggie Brown is finally back, but all indications are that he won't be starting. The rest of the inactive list is pretty much the same, although Winston Justice will suit up this week and the Eagles have benched their third tight end, Schobel. Justice is probably needed for insurance along the line with Jean-Gilles starting. Mike Gibson and Bryan Smith have swapped every other week, Gibson gets the nod this week for more depth along the offensive line.

The Steelers don't have any big names out.

Enjoy the game, GO EAGLES!

Eagles News: Andrews still at home, Asante's back, Kimo cut

A pretty busy day of news today out at Lehigh. First of all, Shawn Andrews has been cleared to return to the Eagles, yet he did not show up this morning for practice. Andy Reid didn't seem too concerned, and he thought that Andrews would arrive sometime later today.

Asante Samuel made his return to the practice field today for the first time since late July when he injured his hamstring. Samuel's return forces Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown to rotate at the other cornerback spot again, something that I am sure makes Lito very happy. No word yet on whether Samuel will suit up for Thursday's game against the Panthers.

The last bit of news to come from the Eagles is that they released veteran defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen. von Oelhoffen spent last season with the Birds, racking up a whopping two tackles in limited action. The 15 year veteran's career is likely over and he will probably always be best known for injuring Carson Palmer with a low shot to the knee in the 2005 playoffs. The Eagles signed rookie free agent Mike Marquardt to replace von Oelhoffen. Marquardt, a defensive tackle, went to Arizone State and was recently cut by the Cincinnati Bengals. He's a long shot to make the team.

Updated: Depressed Andrews had gun pulled on him in Philly

People that have been wondering for weeks as to why Shawn Andrews was not in Eagles camp finally got their answer today: he's battling depression. The speculation all along was that Andrews was not in the proper mental state for training camp although some thought he was holding out for more money. Andrews said that "I'm willing to admit that I've been going through a very bad time with depression" and that he's "finally decided to get professional help."

Andrews doesn't know what is causing the depression, but he has problems sleeping and concentrating on anything. He is being find 15,000 dollars each day he misses camp but it is smart for him to stay away until he gets better. The last thing the Eagles need is for a 300 pound lineman to not be concentrating on what he is doing and getting someone hurt.

Andrews has given no timetable for a return although he thinks he might show up by the end of this week. Andrews is a Pro Bowler so the Eagles will welcome him back, but it isn't necessarily guaranteed that he will simply be given his starting spot back. By all reports, Max Jean-Gilles has been doing a fine job filling in at guard and may have proven that he can be a starter in the NFL. Gilles hasn't shown much in the past, but he was a fourth round pick by the Eagles in 2006 and has great size and athleticism. He has had problems keeping his weight down in the past.

UPDATED: Philly.com has updated their story to include information about Andrews having a gun pulled on him in Philadelphia. Here's a quote from the article:

"A lot of things in my life have happened even since I've come to Philadelphia," Andrews said. "Random people have pulled out a gun on me. One time during the playoffs, some guy walked from around a building and said, 'You're going to the Pro Bowl? [blank] him, he's not going to the Pro Bowl.' Luckily, I was talking to someone and I didn't hear him. If I heard it, I think I'd have been on the ground."

Not sure what to say about this bit of news. He's vague about how many times a gun has been pulled on him, but once is more than enough. Let's hope Andrews gets his mind right before coming into Eagles camp.