IS GLAD SPRING TRAINING IS FINALLY HERE
The Eagles just announced the release of two-time Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews, who hasn't played since the second game of the 2008 season because of back injuries.
Andrews, the Eagles' 2004 first-round draft choice, has been optimistic about resuming his career, but that will have to happen somewhere else now.
In a statement released by the team, Eagles coach Andy Reid said he appreciated Andrews' efforts but "we have, however, decided to move in another direction."
The move brings a little more definition to a cloudy Eagles offensive line picture, as starting center Jamaal Jackson rehabs an ACL tear. The team recently reworked the contract of Andrews' brother, guard/tackle Stacy Andrews, ensuring that he will be in the picture this season.
So far, Shawn Andrews' only known reaction is a series of tweets (what a world ...)
"bye bye, birds."
"ANDY REID!!! Respekt!!!!!!
"Todays theme song: "Take These Broken Wings" Learn to Fly again learn to just soar free....... #ImGood"
and: "It doesn't hurt as bad when u expekt the un expekted! GOD knows what he's doing... Chuuuuch."
Andrews retweeted someone's question about whether he plans to continue his career, Andrews adding the response: "U bet chur sweet Bippy"
Andrews also retweeted, and indicated agreement with, a statement that he was a great talent who couldn't stay healthy.
Andrews' agent, Rich Moran, has not responded to a request for comment.
SHAWN ANDREWS TIME LINE
2004: Drafted 16th overall by the Eagles. Suffered a fractured right fibula in the season opener of his rookie year against the Giants. Underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve two days after his NFL debut.
2005: Started all 16 games and was named an alternate to the Pro Bowl.
2006: Started all 16 games and was named to his first Pro Bowl. Rewarded with a 7-year extension in 2006 that would have run through 2015.
2007: Started 15 games and was named to the Pro Bowl, plus All-Pro. Was inactive for one game with an MCL sprain.
2008: Suffered a back injury against Dallas in the second game of the season and was out for the rest of the season. He had surgery on Oct. 21 in Los Angeles and remained on the West Coast for five weeks before returning to Philadelphia. The Eagles held off putting him on injured reserve in hopes he would be able to play in the playoffs. He was able to practice during the Eagles’ run to the NFC title game but never appeared in a game.
2009: Tweaked his back during the conditioning run at training camp. Did not play in the preseason and was inactive for the season opener against Carolina. Was placed on injured reserve two days after the opener and then had a second back surgery on Dec. 9.
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To view our earlier post on Mike Bell's news conference today, click here.
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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