There's a very long and in depth interview with Shawn Andrews in the Inky today that everyone should read, but I'll just quote this one excerpt that jumped out at me.

"A lot of things in my life have happened even since I've come to Philadelphia," Andrews said. "Random people have pulled out a gun on me. One time during the playoffs, some guy walked from around a building and said: 'You're going to the Pro Bowl? [Expletive] him, he's not going to the Pro Bowl.' Luckily, I was talking to someone, and I didn't hear him. If I heard it, I think I'd have been on the ground."

Fame and success is clearly a double edged sword. For every thousand screamings fans that love you, there's bound to be one moron who doesn't and wants to bring you down. It sounds like learning how to deal with that type of stuff is going to be a large part of Andrews gettnig himself better.

Andrews says he's scheduled to see a psychiatrist in Philadelphia this Thursday. Hopefully that's a positive step for him and helps him get himself straight and back on the field quickly.

Definitely check out the whole piece and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

In a conversation with the Daily News Eagles pro bowl G Shawn Andrews said that a long battle with depression has kept him away from football.

    Shawn Andrews says not to believe any of the salacious rumors about his absence from the Eagles. Don't even believe the more mundane "speculation that I just don't want to go to camp," Andrews said in a phone conversation with the Daily News from his home in Arkansas Monday afternoon.

     "I'm willing to admit that I've been going through a very bad time with depression," the Eagles' two-time Pro Bowl right guard said. "I've finally decided to get professional help. It's not something that blossomed up overnight. I'm on medication, trying to get better."

    Andrews didn't want to go into the origins of his depression, which he said began a little more than a year ago and steadily worsened. "I really was kind of at my end," he said. "I've really had a lot on my mind, really (been) contemplating a lot of things."

    Anyone who has been through such struggles knows the symptoms he is dealing with -- a frantic, anxious feeling, inability to sleep or concentrate.

    "In the state that I'm in, (had he reported), I would be at training camp physically, but mentally, I could have gotten myself hurt or gotten one of my teammates hurt," Andrews said. "But I have a meeting with my doc on Thursday, and hopefully, I'll be up that way on Friday."

The Daily News promises a major feature on Andrews and the story tommorow. I feel bad for Shawn, but at the same time he could have avoided a lot of the ill will and frustration on the part of fans and the team if he had simply let us all know what was going on in the first place.

If he is back by this weekend and has his head in shape... it can only mean good things going forward.

AJ Feeley has earned his own place in the Urban dictionary. His name now has something to do with couches and hoes... (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

HHR also has an interesting take on the Brian Westbrook contract situation. Really, who owes who here? (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Is it possible that we could see the fade pass entered into the Eagles offense this year? (Iggles Blog)

We all know how Eagles web guy Dave Spadaro feels about the Eagles... but what about entertainment and politics? (Poor Sports)

The word is that Victor Abiamiri's wrist injury could end his season, but what happened to the days of putting a club on your hand and playing? (Eagle Scout)

I'm sure Winston Justice really appreciated Osi Umenyoria's kind sentiments... (Bounty Bowl)

Just because you're a multi millionaire pro football player, doesn't mean you don't need online dating to find love. Right Mr Herremans? (Eaglesville)

At least we know that Desean Jackson knows how to take a hint. (Bleed Eagles Green)

If this year was last year... The Eagles would have won the Bears game thanks to a new rule change. (700 Level)

Santa may have deserved it, but LJ does not. (Santa Deserved It)

Here's a headline about Brett Favre I think we can all agree on. (Huge Tiny Mistake)

Speaking of Favre... if he went to Tampa Bay, Madden 2009 thinks he'd lose a playoff game to the Eagles (SI.com)

If Shawn Andrews is especting sympathy from his teammates at Lehigh, he's not getting it. At least not from Jon Runyan. (Eagletarian)

You know how I titled this edition of The Linc "Pacman forgot something?" Well what forgot was how to cover a WR.  Seriously, I don't know if I've ever seen someone faked this bad! (With Leather)

Finally. hands down no possible argument can be made... This is the hottest Bar on earth. (WWTDD)

So far Shawn Andrews has texted little tidbits about his situation to Dave Spadaro, Reuben Frank, and NBC's John Clark. So far he has yet to speak publicly in anyway about his.. situation.

But he continues to text. This time, ESPN Radio 950.

"You can let them know all the rumors are not true.  From contractual to retirement, and GOD knows whatever else is being said!!  I'm prayed up right now and trying to get right."

Surely the likes of Les Bowen, Howard Eskin, & G Cobb are all waiting with baited breath for their Andrews text...

Shawn, since it seems to be the only way you communicate these days... here's my text to you.

OMG! Y RU not in camp? CMON 2 LeHi. MUSM

Hit me back Shawn.

Some highlights from Brian Westbrook's press conference at Lehigh today.

- Says he has no specific timetable for when a new deal gets done. He just knows that currently his agent and the Eagles are working on it and that they're going back forth with numbers.

- Says he wants to work out a deal that both he and the Eagles will feel comfortable with.

- Asked whether he would play in a preseason game without a new deal, he said that's a bridge you cross when you get there.

-Talked about other RBs who played a long time in the NFL and stayed productive.

- Asked whether he was looking for a contract extension or whether he was simply looking for more money over the next 3 years of his deal. He says his agent and Joe Banner are exploring several different ways to make the numbers work but haven't found one yet. He's not looking for any specific way.

- Said several times he wants to "compensated like a top RB in the NFL should be"

- Said he was impressed with Booker and thinks he can only help the team. The more athletes the offense has the more of an advantage they have and Booker will help there. Doesn't know whether Booker's presence will affect the amount of touches he'll get. Says he just has to be productive as he can with the touches he gets.

- Asked whether he's talked to Shawn Andrews(this is straight from the Eagles site) "'ve talked to Shawn. Shawn's a great player, and just like I was saying before, you want to get the 11 best players on the field at one time to be the best team that you can be. I think that we definitely need him here. He's a great player, he's a great guy, he's a Pro Bowler. For us to miss him, we're going to miss a lot, and I'm hoping he gets back home."

So we get no closer to figuring out this Shawn Andrews saga...

*cough* First, injuries *throat clear*

Asante Samuel had an MRI yesterday and has been listed as "day to day" with a "mild strain" of his hamstring.

Bad news for Victor Abiamiri

E Victor Abiamiri injured his right wrist in Sunday morning's practice and may miss a significant amount of action in training camp, according to coach Andy Reid. He is going to undergo further tests and evaluations by doctors today. Heading into his second season, the 2007 second round draft pick from Notre Dame is slated to play a big role in the Eagles defensive line rotation.

It's one thing for Asante Samuel, a NFL vet and proven pro bowl player to miss parts of camp... but for a young player entering his second year hoping to play a significant role on this team this could be very bad.

Shawn Andrews drama update

Just when you thought we'd got all the bizarre and cryptic news possible on the situation...

Channel 10's John Clark reported that when he asked Andrews, in a text message yesterday, when the two-time Pro Bowler thought he'd be in camp, Andrews texted back: "I can't predict that."

Andrews also sent a text to Reuben Frank who asked Shawn if he was thinking about retiring "“I'm trying to shoot for the Hall of Fame, why would I do that?” Andrews said last night via text message. “My journey is just rough right now.”

His agent would only say that he's "working" to get Andrews up to Lehigh. This is annoying.

Speaking of Shawn Andrews, his abscence has given a trimmed down Max Jean-Gilles a chance to impress at right guard.

The defense might be ahead of the offense at this point in camp - and the defense was ahead yesterday morning, way ahead - but Jean-Gilles, now in his third season out of Georgia, looks pretty comfortable so far. It was his block that sprang Brian Westbrook on a 60-yard touchdown run during one of the two live periods of the practice. All together, the Eagles did 57 minutes of live hitting yesterday morning, a bunch.

Max also had the quote of the day...

Jean-Gilles got himself noticed Sunday with a couple of photo-worthy blocks. Using all of his 357 pounds, Jean-Gilles collapsed 240-pound linebacker Pago Togafau on a screen pass thrown to Brian Westbrook. Togafau deserves a star for staying on the field.
"I really didn't put much effort into it," Jean-Gilles said. "He just ran into my belly."

All the Lito Sheppard news that's fit to print!

For anyone wondering whether there's tension between Lito Sheppard and new signing Asante Samuel...

Sheppard has been driving injured teammate Asante Samuel, who was handed the left corner job and $57 million to play it, around the Lehigh University campus. Maybe Shep was picking the brain of Samuel, who contentiously played out his last year with the New England Patriots.

This doesn't mean Lito is happy. In fact, our pal Drew Rosenhaus was up at Lehigh yesterday and had a sit down with Joe Banner, Andy Reid, and Lito. Andy Reid was the only person who spoke about the meeting and he really didn't say much telling the Eagles web site, "they were able to express their feelings and we were able to do the same. It was good, open communication.

When Lito was asked about the meeting he got a little defensive with reporters...

"I'm still practicing," Sheppard said, when asked about the situation.

"I'm going to ask y'all a question," Sheppard said to two reporters, as he climbed into his 4x4 pickup. "Y'all posted this - y'all said I'm trying to prove I'm a starter. I'm not trying to prove I'm a starter; I am a starter. So I think y'all need to recorrect that quote."

I actually agree with Lito here. I've been writing this for months. The beat writers in this town have written over and over about how Lito has lost his starting job which just isn't true. It's true that he usually occupied the starting spot on the left side, which will now be patrolled by Asante Samuel but there's been no indication that Lito couldn't earn a starting spot on the other side. In fact, if he's healthy there can be little doubt in my mind that he'd beat out Sheldon.

Shock of the day

Les Bowen has awarded his hit of the day to none other than... Sean Considine! Connie blew up full back Jason Davis on a play that doesn't bode well for Jason Davis...

The Eagles held their first full team practice this morning and the news was no so good... Asante Samuel limped off the field after grabbing his hamstring. Samuel missed several days of minicamp earlier this year with a injured hamstring, but this is not the same hamstring...

Is that good news?

On the Shawn Andrews front, we continue to get more cryptic and bizarre responses out of the Eagles regarding the situation.

"It's a personal situation, and we'll respect that," team president Joe Banner told reporters Saturday. "I just want to respect his privacy."

You all may remember last year when Shawn Andrews missed a good portion of training camp due to an ankle injury. The Eagles insisted it was a simple sprain and nothing to worry about whereas Andrews was getting teary eyed an asking people to pray for him... The whole thing led Les Bowen of the Daily News to find some unnamed doctor to talk about some sort of serious ankle condition that Andrews could possibly have. It was all very dramatic...

In the end, Andrews was fine and claimed he was just joking with everyone.

If you like to re-live last year's Andrews drama, check out my 4 part coverage of it from that time.

Is Shawn Andrews just being dramatic?

Is Shawn Andrews just being dramatic" Part 2

Is Shawn Andrews just being dramatic" Part 3, seriously it looks like he is

and of course the penultimate...

Was Shawn Andrews just being dramatic? Part 4, he says yes

This year, it's starting to feel eerly similar. Marty Morningwheg was asked if the "personal reasons" that kept him out of some offseason mincamps were the same that were keeping him out now"

"I can say this is a little bit related to that," Moran said. "It's not 100 percent related, but there's a little tie-in."

What is he talking about? What does that even mean? Then we get this cryptic stuff from Dave Spadaro

Andrews' story is a strange one, and in the coming days I'm sure the reasons for his absence will become clear. I spoke to him on Thursday night, wished him the best of luck and hoped everything works out for him.

"In time, it will be," said Andrews.

This story better be real strange and we better find out what is was real quick... Either that or he needs to get into camp and cut this nonsense. If it is really something serious, then I feel bad for the guy... but most reports suggest that whatever is going was not bad enough in the Eagles mind to warrant him missing camp. He's been placed on the injured/did not report list and presumably will be fined by the team for every day he misses.

34 year old Jon Runyan was downright giddy in his assesment of Andy Reid's newly formed "30+ plus club" which is intended to give some older veterans extra rest.

"Can I get my years retroactive?" he said, jokingly. "I wouldn't have to practice at all; I'd take the whole year off."

"Just going through it myself, there's a limit to what your batteries have left in them," Runyan said. "You liken it to the whole rechargeable battery. You keep trying to recharge it too many times, it doesn't come back the same."

Kevin Curtis was also happy, having just celebrated his 30th birthday

"I just turned 30" on July 17, Curtis said. "I never thought I'd be so happy to be 30."

Curtis was asked whether Reid knew he had just turned 30.

"If he doesn't, I'll remind him," the Eagles' No. 1 receiver said.

Brian Westbrook showed up on time for camp, but left no doubt as to his unhappiness with his contract

"I'm here," Westbrook said. "Whether I'm reluctant, I'm still here. I'm coming here to be here with my teammates, to compete for a job, and do everything I can to help this team win."

Shawn Andrews' reason for not showing up to camp remains a mystery, but his agent is adamant it has nothing to do with his contract. It also seems that the Eagles do know what that reason is.

"It's for personal reasons," agent Rich Moran said. "He's been in contact with the Eagles, and we're working on getting him there. This has absolutely nothing to do with his contract. He talked to Andy Reid, and we're working through it."

Andrews also missed the final week of the Eagles' spring camp at the NovaCare Complex for what the Eagles described as personal reasons.

"I can say this is a little bit related to that," Moran said. "It's not 100 percent related, but there's a little tie-in."

Sheldon Brown spoke about the crowded corner situation.

From my standpoint, the key is coming out of training camp with three guys," Brown said of the logjam at cornerback. "There's always injuries. You need depth. That's how I look at it from my personal standpoint."

"You have to put your ego aside," he said. "It depends on the player and how long the player will accept that. Anything's possible as long as we continue to communicate."

I couldn't agree with Sheldon more. The last thing we want is a failure to communicate.

Earlier today a "league source" told Pro Football Talk that Shawn Andrews would hold out of Eagles camp "apparently due to displeasure with his contract."

The "league source" was apparently not anyone from the Eagles or anyone representing Shawn Andrews... from the official site

The Eagles have confirmed that Pro Bowl right guard Shawn Andrews and his agent have told the team that Andrews will not be present for the start of the team's training camp for "personal reasons."

Early reports indicated that Andrews was seeking an adjustment to his current contract, which runs through 2015, but neither Andrews nor the team has talked about the situation publicly. Andrews' agent, Rich Moran, told the Philadelphia Daily News that it is "100 percent wrong" to suggest that the absence is related to Andrews' contract, and that Andrews has talked to head coach Andy Reid today.

Obivously we'd rather Andrews be in camp that not, but it's nice to hear his absence has nothing to do with his contract.

Les Bowen gave PFT a little shot after doing some actual reporting on the story.

Your Eagletarian immediately called Andrews' agent, Rich Moran (which is the sort of thing we old-media types still like to do, rather than just throwing rumors up on the internet to raise sand). Moran said Andrews will not be at Lehigh tonight, but it is "100 percent wrong" to say his absence has anything to do with his contract. Moran said Andrews is dealing with a personal matter. He would not elaborate, other than to say it isn't the kind of personal matter where you check into rehab, or anything.

    "Shawn has been in contact with Andy Reid a couple of times today," Moran said.

You may remember last year when Andrews had some training camp dramatics...