SO FAR, it doesn't seem that the 3 weeks or so of practice Shawn Andrews missed will keep him from starting the season as the Eagles' right guard. In fact, though no one will say so officially, Andrews is expected to start Friday night when the Eagles visit the Patriots in their third of four preseason games. The regular season starts Sept. 7, at home against St. Louis.

"He looks pretty good. He's an excellent player. I have noticed no rust," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said yesterday. "He is a natural player. He's a big guy - strong, very fast, very quick. He plays the game natural [meaning, with instinctive athleticism]. He plays it naturally low. He can bend his knees, and he plays the game low. It's good to have Shawn back. He's working hard and preparing hard. We'll see what happens here . . . I would expect him to play very well."

Mornhinweg deflected all talk of whether Andrews would play Friday to Eagles coach Andy Reid, who is expected to address that matter in his news conference today.

Andrews reiterated that he wants to play against the Patriots, but he, too, deferred to Reid.

"I'm not exactly where I would normally be at this point [in camp]," Andrews acknowledged. He returned to practice on Saturday, while continuing treatment for depression, which he said kept him from reporting on time last month. "I would [normally] be in better football shape. There's no type of running in the world that you can possibly do to match with football. I trained with a 20-pound vest this offseason. Still, once you put the pads on, and everything else, it's different. It's a lot different.

"I do feel like myself. I'm getting back into it mentally. I know all my plays. Physically, I feel pretty good. I'd like to think I'm playing [at New England], but we'll see."

YMCA? 'YSP?

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson was asked yesterday whether he was familiar with YPA, the stat Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie referenced in talking about what cornerback Lito Sheppard needed to improve upon from last year. (It means yards per attempt against him.)

"Yeah, I've heard of that before," Johnson allowed, smiling. Then Johnson added that he pays attention to only two stats: "Points allowed and turnovers."

Birdseed

Defensive end Trent Cole was excused from afternoon practice because of illness, the team said . . . Wide receiver Reggie Brown (hamstring) didn't practice and seems very unlikely to play at New England . . . Defensive end Victor Abiamiri said he didn't get any sort of timetable when he visited his wrist surgeon Monday for a follow-up chat. The Eagles have said Abiamiri will be re-evaluated at the end of the preseason. It probably will come down to how many weeks into the regular season he'll be sidelined, whether they feel they can save a roster spot for him or need to place him on injured reserve. "The appointment went well; things are progressing pretty good, as I thought they were," he said. "I'm healing up pretty fast, and I look forward to doing all the things the doctor said [would be required] for me to get back out on the field. It's just a week-to-week progression . . . Jim Johnson said Akeem Jordan is the Eagles' fourth linebacker right now. "We have three starting linebackers, but he's right in there as the No. 4 - and he could be No. 3 at any time," Johnson said. "You never know, with one injury. I have a lot of confidence in him. He's done a good job." *