Andrews’ absence gives Jean-Gilles a chance

By John McMullen  |   Thursday, July 31, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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When you fail to disseminate information, you sometimes encourage some outrageous thinking.

Look no further than Philadelphia Eagles training camp and the curious holdout of All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews to prove that point.

Rumors abound, but no one knows for sure why Andrews is absent from camp. As an organization, the Eagles are rarely forthcoming with the truth even when its readily available, but in the case of the "Big Kid," the franchise really doesn't know what's going on. For that matter, neither do his teammates or agent.

Most want to believe Andrews just doesn't want to show up for the brutal heat and humidity during two-a-days in the Lehigh Valley.

Bu, Andrews spooked everyone with a few rambling text messages. In one to SI.com football writer Peter King, Andrews wrote "my journey is just rough right now." In another to a Philadelphia radio station, Andrews indicated he "was prayed up right now and trying to get right."

Scary stuff that had people thinking about Dimitrius Underwood and throwing out terms like "depression" and "bipolar disorder."

Meanwhile, linemate and team leader Jon Runyan tried a little tough love, recently ripping Andrews, and coach Andy Reid seems to be losing his patience with his best offensive lineman.

"He’s not here and he wasn't excused, and that’s as far as I'm going with it," Reid recently snapped.

Still, even in the worst circumstances, you can find a silver lining. For the Birds, that's third-year guard Max Jean-Gilles.

Philadelphia was already expecting bigger things from Jean-Gilles this season. The club thought he would be pushing the incumbent at left guard, Todd Herremans. Instead, the former Georgia All-American is running with the first team at right guard and excelling.

"I'm not really concerned that much," quarterback Donovan McNabb said earlier this week when asked about Andrews' absence. "I think Max is doing a really good job in his place right now. (This) gives Max a great opportunity to step in there and get the reps and get confidence in what we do. For us to get confidence in Max, we're really benefiting from it."

At 350-plus pounds with an SEC pedigree, the strength of Jean-Gilles' game is run blocking, but the Eagles' offense under Reid is predisposed to the pass.

Barring a disaster Andrews, considered by most as the second-best guard in pro football behind Minnesota's Steve Hutchinson, will be in uniform by the opener. So, if Jean-Gilles plans to stay in the starting lineup, he must provide an upgrade over Herremans. Already a better run blocker, the Miami native has to prove he possesses the footwork and quickness to excel as a pass blocker.

The longer Andrews stays away, the more opportunity Jean-Gilles has to prove exactly that.

Training Camp: An entirely new kind of fantasy game!
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About John McMullen

John is the managing editor of The Phanatic Magazine, the assistant managing editor of The Sports Network and the co-host of the highly rated 'Johns on Sports' radio show on WTBQ in New York. Every Saturday from 6:30-9 p.m. (et) you can hear John along with his co-host, John Gottlieb, talk to the ...
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