Shawn Andrews

Infobox NFLactive
name=Shawn Andrews


currentteam=Philadelphia Eagles
currentnumber=73
currentpositionplain=Guard
birthdate=birth date and age|1982|12|25
birthplace=Camden, Arkansas
heightft=6
heightin=4
weight=335
debutyear=2004
debutteam=Philadelphia Eagles
college=Arkansas
draftyear=2004
draftround=1
draftpick=16
pastteams=
* Philadelphia Eagles (2004-present)
status=Active
highlights=
* Pro Bowl alternate (2005)
* All-Pro selection (2006)
* 2x Pro Bowl selection (2006, 2007)
statweek=5
statseason=2008
statlabel1=Games played
statvalue1=50
statlabel2=Games started
statvalue2=50
nfl=AND725489

Shawn Cornelius Andrews (born December 25, 1982 in city-state|Camden|Arkansas) is an American football guard for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Eagles 16th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arkansas.

Andrews has earned two Pro Bowl selections in his career, in 2006 and 2007.

Early years

Shawn Andrews was born on Christmas Day in 1982 to his mother Linda Andrews. He was raised, along with his two brothers, Stacy (who also plays in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals) and Derrick, in the city of Camden, Arkansas. Shawn would go on to attend Camden Fairview High School where he would be exceptionally successful as an offensive lineman for the football team under head coach, Marion Glover.

Andrews would earn numerous accolades including "Parade", "USA Today" and Prep Football Report All-American first team honors. He also participated for the high school track team in shot put and discus.

College career

Andrews' outstanding high school career garnered him a lot of attention from colleges across the nation. He ultimately decided to stay close to home and play college football at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. There he started as a freshman and made an instant impact.

Andrews improved each year and was a consensus All-American selection during his junior season. He was also a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy that same year. He earned the Jacob's Award during the 2002 and 2003 season as the Southeastern Conference's best blocker. In his thirty-five games played, he only gave up a total of two sacks.

Andrews decided to forgo his senior season at UA and enter the 2004 NFL Draft because he did not want to see his mother struggle with financial problems anymore.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Andrews' pre-draft statistics: [ [http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/shawn_andrews NFL Events: Draft Player Profiles ] ]
*40 yard dash - 5.41 seconds
*Bench press - 425 pound
*Vertical jump - 28 inches
*Leg sled - 825 pounds

Philadelphia Eagles

Andrews was chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles as the 16th overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft, [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6775 Shawn Andrews - Philadelphia Eagles - NFL - Yahoo! Sports ] ] after trading up with the San Francisco 49ers. The day after selecting Andrews, the Eagles traded John Welbourn to the Kansas City Chiefs, officially making Andrews the team's starting right guard. He responded with a strong preseason although his season was short-lived. Shawn would break his leg in the opening game of the season against the New York Giants and would miss the remainder of the Eagles' Super Bowl season.

Andrews returned to the starting lineup for the 2005 season, and started all 16 games for an injury-plagued Eagles team that finished with a 6-10 record. Andrews played well enough to be named an alternate for the NFC Pro Bowl team. Shawn came into the 2006 season as one of the Eagles' top offensive linemen and it showed as the Eagles awarded him a seven-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2015. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=2480692 ESPN - Guard Shawn Andrews signs seven-year deal with Eagles - NFL ] ]

At the end of the 2006 season, Andrews was selected as a starter to the Pro Bowl. During a divisional playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, Andrews went down late in the second quarter with a neck injury and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The injury was later revealed to be a contusion and will not impact his status for 2007 season. [ [http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/football/16462953.htm?source=rss&channel=philly_football] ]

Andrews was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl in 2007.

Andrews mysteriously departed the Eagles Organized Team Activities (OTAs) at the end of June 2008 and was excused for "personal reasons". Later he failed to report to the teams training camp at Lehigh University, without notice and without being excused. He again cited unexplained "personal issues" in various text messages with reporters.

In a newspaper article released on August 4, 2008, Andrews claimed he was suffering from depression and was seeking professional help. [ [http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/Andrews_Battling_Depression_Plans_Return_Soon.html] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/player3.html Philadelphia Eagles bio]