Posted: Monday, May 18, 2009, 3:15 PM | 47 comments |
 
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There are a couple of ways to interpret the Eagles' quiet little depth chart shuffle that the Post Patterns crew posted on Sunday.

Figuring out how Shawn Andrews will interpret it is another matter, of course. He has been working through personal issues and physical issues and it's been a confusing time for a kid who has always seemed to look at the world a little differently.

Shawn is now listed as the right tackle and brother Stacy is the right guard on the depth chart for the Eagles. Up until this point, the positions were always reversed, but Andy Reid is telling us, and the players, the new order is how he wants things to work.

Which interpretation would you choose for the move?

Interpretation 1: Shawn, we have confidence in you. Tackle is where you should be playing and you will dominate there. We think you are a great football player and this was our plan all along when either Tra Thomas or Jon Runyan lost one of the tackle posistions. We are not worried even a little bit that the added pressure will bother you, because we believe you have your Mohawk on straight and are committed to the task of playing football.

Interpretation 2: Shawn, we can't mess around much longer finding out if you are interested in playing football. We babied you along for a good while last season -- couldn't seem to get you out of California for a very long time -- and that approach didn't seem to work. So, it's going to have to be tough love. There will be no safety blanket, no going back to the more comfortable guard position. Either you make this football team as a tackle or both of us will move on to something else. Sorry, but that's how it has to be.

It doesn't actually matter what the Eagles intended. It matters how Shawn Andrews takes the news. He's got two ways to go there, too, and it might be that the front office just needs to know which it will be.

 

 

Posted by BOB FORD @ 3:15 PM  Permalink | 47 comments
47
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:24 PM, 05/18/2009
    Bob, if Shawn "not" listed at RT, then where is he listed?
    Jeff
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:30 PM, 05/18/2009
    None of the above? Shawn's more agile than his brother, especially coming off knee surgery. Tough love? Where are you getting this stuff? Maybe you see the world a little differently.
    baxter81
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:37 PM, 05/18/2009
    C'mon Bob, I know filling blog space is more demanding than writing articles sometime, but Andy Reid AND Shawn Andrews both specifically addressed this issue weeks ago and said that Andrews was preparing to play tackle and that's where HE wanted to be. Again, I understand the pressure to find news to report (and understand that that can be a serious challenge when you cover an Andy Reid team), but this recent plunge to the level of message-board rumor-mongering and speculation is disappointing. You're a darn good journalist; this is beneath you.
    Burrito_77
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:34 PM, 05/18/2009
    I think this will turn ugly in the future. You paid Stacy big money to play tackle and we all know tackles make more money, so after this season dont be surprised if Shawn comes out barking about his contract and how underpaid he is. I personally think Stacy is the tackle at the beginning og the season, Shawn is just getting the reps until Stacy's knee is right as a precaution.
    traugdog420
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:39 PM, 05/18/2009
    Good journalist? Read the first sentence in the third paragraph and tell me a good journalist would write like that. Is he on the depth chart or off of it? Confusing, ambiguous, dogs*** meant to rile up the mindless minions mired in their own feelings of helpless frustration. Luckily, most of Philadelphia is too dumb to know the difference. Hey, go write another article about how we let Dawk go so I won't have to beat myself in the head with a hammer.
    notojm
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:43 PM, 05/18/2009
    I'll bet they told runyan to be ready.
    svedka
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:44 PM, 05/18/2009
    according to Ford, Shawn Andrews is neither the RG nor RT: Shawn is not listed as the right tackle and brother Stacy is the right guard on the depth chart for the Eagles. so where is Sh. Andrews listed?
    heinz guderian
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:46 PM, 05/18/2009
    UNOFFICIAL Depth Chart. Maybe it means this. "I read with amusement where some in the media are wondering how much our unofficial depth chart means. Well, I can tell you that it means absolutely nothing. Fact is, we put the depth chart up solely for the interest of the fans. What happens now is that there are some in the media who make something out of nothing and then the coaching staff wonders if it is worth the effort and sometimes the depth chart goes away. So I'm telling you this: Chris McPherson and I fill in the names on the depth chart. There is no consultation with coaches. There is no approval from the coaches. The names are in place only for the fans to spend some time drawing their own conclusions. Truth is, though, the depth chart is completely unofficial and for fun only. Amazing the world we live in, where reporters just make up so much stuff for the sole purpose of filling space. We're just trying to provide a service for the fans." - Dave Spadaro. http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=17805&spadaro=1 (Please note: this is NOT advice to believe everything that Dave Spadaro speaks or writes, although in this case, his advice seems warranted).
    knighn
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:59 PM, 05/18/2009
    Bob, do you know Drop Dead Fred? I think he wrote this "article" while you were on the john.
    duuuuude
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:06 PM, 05/18/2009
    Once again: this does not really mean anything since the Depth Chart is UNOFFICIAL and just a figment of the imaginations of Dave Spadaro and Chris McPherson, not the Coaches of the Philadelphia Eagles. **** That out of the way: while Stacy Andrews salary is substantial, there is no reason to believe 100% that the Eagles projected him as RT. Stacy's salary compares very closely to Pro-Bowl GUARD salaries signed THREE YEARS AGO! Please note: the NFL Salary Cap has gone up significantly since early 2006. There is NO reason to believe, based on salary alone that Stacy was 100% meant to be a tackle. Jason Peters, on the other hand, was definitely paid to be a left tackle.
    knighn
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:12 PM, 05/18/2009
    Hey Bob seems your audience is brutal, maybe you should try a new position!!!!
    CURTCASH30N
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:22 PM, 05/18/2009
    Seeing that Shawn is listed as the 1st String RT on the depth chart the statement that he is not is moot.
    MidGreen
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:25 PM, 05/18/2009
    agree with knighn
    soliteryman


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About Bob Ford
Bob Ford has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 1981, and is still trying to figure it all out. A former beat writer covering the Phillies and the 76ers, Ford became a general sports columnist for the Inquirer in 2003, following in and occasionally falling in the deep footsteps of Bill Lyon, Frank Dolson and many distinguished others. He comes to the Philly.com blogosphere after award-winning success as designer/editor of the fabulous Pen & Pencil Club softball blog. Likes: Palestra, inside-the-park home runs, sunny days. Dislikes: phony people, cloudy days, rewrites.
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