Eagles' new-look offensive line runs into early injuries

BETHLEHEM - If you're headed up to Lehigh for the first full-squad, contact workout of Eagles training camp this morning, we have some bad news.

First, the construction along 309 is really a pain. Not entirely sure, but the town of Coopersburg seems to be installing a subway system, or perhaps an intricate series of roadside tunnels that citizens could take refuge in, should Hellertown acquire a nuclear capability and become belligerent.

Maybe a little more vexing, even, is that barring a miracle of healing, the starting offensive tackles this morning are going to be Todd Herremans and Winston Justice, which is not what the Eagles had in mind when they elected not to bring back steady pillars Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan this season.

The Eagles' new offensive line era is not getting off to a rousing start, after Shawn Andrews, the right guard turned right tackle, felt his surgically repaired back stiffen following yesterday morning's fitness testing. And Jason Peters, the new $60 million-plus left tackle, suffered what Birds coach Andy Reid called a "quad spasm" during his fitness run.

Reid didn't seem to think those injuries or any of several other tweaks he mentioned after yesterday's workout were very serious, but Andrews' back not feeling right, after so much rehab, certainly has the potential to become alarming.

"Nothing's easy in this life," Andrews said after sitting out the noncontact practice. "Nothing."

Andrews, ebullient when he checked into camp Wednesday, a year after missing the reporting date while battling depression, said yesterday: "I have confidence in Rick [Burkholder, the head athletic trainer]. I have confidence in myself . . . I've been busting my 'asphalt' all year, man, doing everything I'm supposed to do, mentally and physically. Left no stone unturned."

Asked if he thought he'd be OK in a few days, Andrews said: "We'll see."

The unspoken Andrews issue, ever since the depression fight, has been how much this tremendously gifted, two-time Pro Bowl athlete really wants to play football.

"Hell, yeah, I want to play," Andrews said. "I want to be out here, dude - other than my rookie year, this is the year I've actually looked forward to coming to training camp. I've just put out, honestly, so much hard work, just getting myself together all around. It's really tough, but that's life, man."

Andrews added that he is "at the happiest point in my life right now. I'm at peace right now."

Part of the testing is 16 "gassers," Andrews said, in which the linemen must traverse the width of the field in 20 seconds or less, 16 times, with 45 seconds to rest between attempts. He completed his running - and "did a nice job with it," according to Reid - but felt discomfort during a subsequent meeting.

Peters did not seem at all concerned about his injury - "ain't nothing a little ice and stim [electrical stimulation] can't take care of. I'm just going to rest it a couple days, then get back to work," he said.

Peters reported that he was told to stop running when he was obviously hampered, 13 sets into his session of 16. He said he had prepared well for the tests and felt he was in good shape.

Going on the physically unable to perform list along with Andrews and Peters are Brian Westbrook (ankle), Victor Abiamiri (pectoral), Trevor Laws (tweaked a hamstring getting ready for camp) and Asante Samuel (suffered a hamstring spasm during his fitness run. This injury has been oddly common over the years to veteran defensive backs with little to prove, toiling in the Lehigh heat). They all can come off the list at any time, but it protects their roster spots, should their injuries linger into the regular season - they would not have to be placed on season-ending injured reserve.

"It's very disappointing. I was kicking myself in the butt earlier today, but I went back out there and did some conditioning stuff [during the practice]," Peters said.

Peters said he had never been one to spend time in the training room "and I'm going to get out as fast as I can."

Peters, coming in from a different system, has a bigger transition to make than Shawn Andrews, but Andrews said yesterday that his former Arkansas teammate "probably knows more of the offense than I do."

"I study real hard, and [offensive line coach] Juan [Castillo] - I like to ask questions and get everything down," Peters said.

Before yesterday, the o-line question was whether the other big acquisition, right guard Stacy Andrews, would be able to take part in contact today, as he recovers from end-of-the-season ACL surgery. Stacy reiterated yesterday that he is full-go. Except, today he'll be lining up next to Justice, with Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles working in at left guard, while Herremans fills in for Peters.

Stacy said he "was looking forward" to lining up for the first time with his brother, Shawn, until Shawn's back started bothering him.

"Things come up and you've got to roll with the punches," Stacy said. "He'll be back out there. He'll be fine."

Obviously, one of the major themes of this camp is getting the new o-line in sync.

"From a coaching standpoint, you want them out there every snap. You want them out there and practicing," Reid said. "But at the same time, you want to make sure you're smart with this thing, and you don't want to make whatever they have worse. We all want to get going, we're all champing at the bit to get going, but at the same time you've got to be smart with it."

Shawn Andrews said Castillo's emphasis on repetition will make lots of stuff second nature for the line by the time the season arrives, even given the challenges of minor injuries.

"You have no choice but to do it, or dream about it, or see it in your sleep," he said. "See it on the ceiling when you're lying in the dorm. Juan is everywhere. Juan is omnipresent."

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