Posted: Sunday, May 2, 2010, 1:21 PM | 9 comments |
 

And then there was Stacy Andrews
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One of the Andrews brothers is gone. But the other remains.

Stacy Andrews, after a disappointing 2009 on the field, is back at right guard for the Eagles -- the position his younger brother, Shawn, once manned for the team.

Last year at minicamp, Stacy Andrews was penciled in at right guard even though he didn't practice because of a torn ACL. This year, he's actually able to participate in all phases of practice.

"Last year, I was still rehabbing and really was getting no reps," Andrews said Sunday after the conclusion of minicamp. "The only thing I was getting was mental reps. This year, I'm there in it and going through everything. Getting a lot of reps, that's the main thing."

That's a good sign if the Eagles hope to have the one-time free agent they originally signed to a $38 million deal. Last year, Andrews hardly played. The Eagles said it was because his knee hadn't fully healed. Andrews had said it had to do with switching back to guard from tackle and learning a new system.

"It was a mixture of things," Andrews said. "It was me coming from an ACL [injury], learning a new a system and new technique. ... And I didn't get the off-season in."

Obviously unhappy with his production, the Eagles asked Andrews to take a pay cut this off-season. He agreed. 

"I got that out of the way," Andrews said. "I knew I wanted to be here. With the [pay] cut, that didn't bother me at all. I'm happy here."

It if weren't his brother, there's a good chance Andrews wouldn't have chosen the Eagles to play for last off-season. The two brothers wanted to finally play alongside each other, but it was not meant to be. Shawn injured his back during training camp, never played last season and was released in March.

"When he got released I was kind of down about it," Stacy said. "He's fine. He's doing good, so I'm doing good. Even though he's not here, I'm still upbeat about everything."

Stacy said that he spoke with his brother yesterday. He said Shawn still wants to play in the NFL. So far, there haven't been any takers as he continues to rehab. Stacy thinks his brother will catch on with another club.

"He will. No doubt," Andrews said. "He's a hard worker. He's been rehabbing hard. He's been putting in the work."

 
Posted by Jeff McLane @ 1:21 PM  Permalink | 9 comments
9
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:19 PM, 05/02/2010
    It's a shame Stacey will have to pay for what Shawn did. Fans will always feel that Shawn took the money and ran. Now Stacey will not only have to play, but play exceptionally or feel the wrath of the Eagle faithfuls.
    — dapmman
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:27 PM, 05/02/2010
    Stacy seems like a quiet, hard-working guy. Seems like a solid person with integrity. Why all the negativity towards him? It does take about 12 months to recover from an ACL injury. He did have to learn new blocking techniques. With regard to Shawn the guy did NOT take the money and run. He got a terrible back injury. Every football player is one major injury from the sudden end of his career. Maybe in basketball you can still play with a back injury like Larry Bird did in the latter years of his career. But in football you can't play with a back injury. Especially not a lineman who's job is to push.
    — soulman386
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:27 PM, 05/02/2010
    Stacey had an ACL AND an MCL, his whole knee is re-built. If he recovers enough, he'll show everybody that he can play. If you can't bend your knee or don't have the confidence to push off on it, it's tough blocking NFL D linemen. I hope he bounces back, he can help the Birds if healthy.
    — cletisvandam
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:10 PM, 05/02/2010
    People really need to back off of this guy and let him play. He shouldn't have to pay for his brother's actions. And speaking of his brother, I'd invite him back, but only if he's able to earn a roster spot during training camp. Sadly, the Eagles are very thin on the line.
    — beegal99
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:40 PM, 05/02/2010
    Its one thing to blame the Andrews brothers, its another to recognize that Stacy and Shawn didn't make their won deals with the Eagles. These deals have Andy Reid and Joe Banner's fingerprints all over 'em. And, you know Banner made sure that Eagles medical experts had also reviewed everything--just to be sure. Instead of blaming the Andrews--maybe folks should look at the docs who gave the big thumbs up and Banner who is always sniffing for a cheap deal. Occasionally big deals go bad...can't blame the Andrews 100% on any of this...
    — Smashmouth
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:21 PM, 05/02/2010
    Get your Stacy Andrews on!
    — riles1875
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:24 PM, 05/02/2010
    An all too familiar excuse from an Andrews Sister.
    — Shenkman3
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:25 AM, 05/03/2010
    Shawn can re-sign with Eagles. If no one takes him and he's healthy maybe the Eagles will give him another shot. Ike came back. Trott came back. AJ Feely came back. In Philadelphia you can come home again.
    — Drew777


9 comments
About Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari






Jeff McLane (left) began covering the Eagles in April 2009 after covering college sports and Penn State football in particular. Before that he wrote about high school sports and before that he worked in the mailroom (not quite). Find Jeff on Facebook and follow him on Twitter for instant updates on the Eagles.

Jonathan Tamari (right) began covering the Eagles in April 2010. He previously covered New Jersey state government and politics, reporting and writing about elections, policy debates and the many personalities that drive the Garden State, from three recent governors to the many musicians bidding to write the state song. He has been at the Inquirer since June 2008. Follow him on Twitter at @JonathanTamari.

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