Shawn Andrews: "Big Depressed Kid"

Back on Draft Day in 2004, the Philadelphia Eagles took quite a gamble in moving up to 12 spots to a middle-of-the-road #16 to draft a mammoth offensive lineman out of Arkansas. Whenever a team spends its top pick on a lineman as the Eagles have done on numerous occasions, the way is made for skepticism, it's one of those quintessential hit or miss deals. While most teams address direct needs with their top pick, often going after highly-touted players at skill positions, Andy Reid has stockpiled his talent in the trenches, in hopes of building top walls on both sides of the football through the NFL Draft.
There was just something special and appealing about this particular player who big-manned his way through the best conference in college football, the SEC. The "Big Kid's" name was the 16th overall to be called on that Saturday afternoon in The Garden. In trading away a disgruntled John Welbourn on day 2 of the Draft, the Eagles made it very clear what their intentions were for this Arkansas native, starting right guard, a position in which Shawn Andrews would eventually relish and become a top interior lineman in the sport.
Reid's Eagles were then and still remain to be a team built to win upfront, thus this move had little, if any, shock value. Along with Pro-Bowlers Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan, Andrews was expected to come in and form one of the very best O-lines in the league, which would guide the Eagles to the top.
Despite different reports on Andrews' mindset/disposition towards playing in the NFL, most notably his laziness, the Eagles rolled the dice high.
Season one was a major individual disappoint for the rookie Andrews, whom saw his season end in an instant against the hated New York Giants in game one. Yet, the production to come was exactly what was expected all along.

A stellar '05 season in the midst of a disastrous one for the team landed Andrews as a Pro-Bowl alternate. Then adding in back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in '06 & '07 as an encore, playing as the cornerstone on a formidable line which helped land Brian Westbrook to his All-Pro caliber level. Andrews proved to be paying off and worthy of the move that the Eagles made back on the 24th of April 2004.

Depression proved to be a major setback for Andrews in the summer of '08, thus setting his Eagles career down an entirely different path. An eventual herniated disk in week 2 on MNF against the hated Dallas Cowboys was the final straw for Shawn in the '08 campaign.

In his holding out of the '09 camp, Andrews deemed unreliable, irresponsible, and was comprehensively viewed as having one foot out the door.

In the wake of losing both veteran tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas , Andrews' big brother Stacy was targeted to fill a void, eventually Jason Peters also to once again reignite a top line in the NFL. The only option for the Eagles was to move Shawn back to his college position at tackle.

A joyous Shawn jumped at the opportunity to play with his big brother and looked to put past issues to rest once and for all and re-solidify himself as a top blocker, all of this despite not playing a snap of pre-season.

The opener, in which the Eagles annihilated the Carolina Panthers 38-10, saw a new look protecting QB Donovan McNabb. Peters-Nick Cole-Jamaal Jackson-STACY! Andrews-Winston Justice, where's Shawn you ask? Trying to find himself once more in his up-down enigmatic stint here in Philadelphia.

A tenure which now appears to be all but over. Should Reid have seen this one coming? The free-spirited Andrews in an example of how NOT to handle certain situations, just like T.O., Brian Dawkins, Andy's own children, The Stewart Bradley injury, and Mike Vick, the Eagles, with Andrews,h ave once again wrote a chapter in "How NOT to Handle Issues 101."

There were different roads optioned in all these situations, but maybe in this latest one, we can give management the benefit of the doubt. Who wants to deal with a headache, depression or back pain anyways?

Shawn "Big Kid" Andrews is clearly a monkey off of the Eagles' backs, while they will miss his talent greatly on the line, he's all sizzle no substance.

Even with five years remaining on his contract, the Eagles appear prepared to continue with Stacy as the only Andrews in the trenches. Reid bought into Shawn's talent , all baggage inclusive back in '04 and the honeymoon is coming to a halt as Reid has suddenly given up on his most productive #1 pick in this decade (except for maybe Lito Sheppard, give or take his issues also) in a flash. Once again proving Reid's vulnerability when it comes to player/media issues off of the football field.

Shawn Andrews is far too large of an ego than even his body can hold at this point. Andrews reminded us of his ego in his giving up on this football team once again, not neglecting to collect his $$ might I add. Pain or NO pain, Andrews' contractual agreement to the Philadelphia Eagles' organization has been deeply severed, but is this the final time?? Only time will tell, but for right now, there's far too much offensive weaponry on this offense to worry.

So now, new YouTube/Twitter star Shawn Andrews will have to live with his selfish actions and realize that he's not mature enough and is still as his nickname implies, "The Big Kid."