Andrews: "Best Guard In Football"...

[PhillyPhreak54]

Says Ravens DC Rex Ryan

The Ravens (0-1) drafted the 340-pound Ngata with the 12th overall pick because they needed bulk in the middle of the defensive line. He's still got a lot to learn, and it's likely he will receive a few lessons from Philadelphia's Shawn Andrews.

"He's going against the best guard in football, so if he plays well against him that's going to be a great sign of things to come," Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said.

Nice praise.

[The BIGSTUD]

Steve Hutchinson? I love Andrews, but I wouldn't call him that just yet. I think he has the ability to become that though for sure.

[reese125]

sometimes when your a coach, you start to believe everything you say to your players to get them psyched up for a game

[shorebird]

I don't know were Ryan came up with that quote. We didn't even play the Ravens last year except for in pre-season. I think it well be as good as test for one as it will be for the other.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Steve Hutchinson? I love Andrews, but I wouldn't call him that just yet. I think he has the ability to become that though for sure.

Holy shteinballs.  Bunkley, the voice of reason?  I must be sleep-deprived.

[rjs246]

I don't know were Ryan came up with that quote. We didn't even play the Ravens last year except for in pre-season. I think it well be as good as test for one as it will be for the other.

They play the Ravens tomorrow night, smart stuff.

[Feva]

Andrews vs. Ngata... that's a helluva ham sammich.

[Sgt PSN]

I don't know were Ryan came up with that quote. We didn't even play the Ravens last year except for in pre-season. I think it well be as good as test for one as it will be for the other.

They play the Ravens tomorrow night, smart stuff.

I think he's referring to the only time Ryan would have gotten a look at Andrews in person.  Or, in other words, he's saying great things about Andrews without having really seen him play.  Or, in other words, his IGY'ing the shtein out of Andrews.  Princess. 

[ice grillin you]

if andrews stays not fat hell be the best going into next season

other than killa hes my favorite eagle by far

all around good guy shawn andrews

[SunMo]

here's hoping some other players' friends die so they become awesome as well

[General_Failure]

Andrews is the new Favre.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I love the way the "big kid" plays the game.  He really looks like he's having fun out there.

[GangGreen4Eva]

 I think that Ryan was just being overly respectful of an opponent, for the most part. That being said, Andrews' name does pop up frequently amongst NFL sources, as being one of the more promising OL in the league. If he can keep that weight down so he can get out on the edge and pull, he is on his way to being a pro bowl G. It was evident from the first regular season game he ever played, against the Gints. It was actually the play he broke his fibula on. Not too many guards in this league can blow a large DT like Norman Hand, 7 yards off the line of scrimmage when the run play is called to their side. Along with his outstanding rookie preseason, I was very impressed from then on.

[vicsportsaddict]

I think he's referring to the only time Ryan would have gotten a look at Andrews in person.  Or, in other words, he's saying great things about Andrews without having really seen him play.  Or, in other words, his IGY'ing the shtein out of Andrews

[SD_Eagle5]

Link

Friend's death motivates Eagle to change
By Joseph Santoliquito
Special to ESPN.com

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Eagles guard Shawn Andrews says opposing defensive linemen didn't take him seriously his first two seasons. But motivated to change by the death of a friend, Andrews has transformed himself from a 385-pounder barely able to get down in a stance to a Pro Bowler who often knocks opponents 10 yards off the line of scrimmage.
"This is, hands down, the best I've ever felt in my life and the best season I've ever had," said the 6-foot-4, 340-pound Andrews, whom Philadelphia has locked up with a seven-year contract extension through the 2015 season.

"The Big Kid" has played a major role in the resurgence of the Eagles, who have won six straight. Led by Andrews at right guard, center Jamaal Jackson and right tackle Jon Runyan, Philadelphia may have the league's best offensive line. The right side carved the way for Brian Westbrook to get the yards needed to set up David Akers' winning 38-yard field goal that beat the Giants 23-20 in a wild-card playoff game Sunday.

Expect the Eagles to lean right again when they play the Saints on Saturday night in the divisional playoffs in New Orleans.

Andrews is from Camden, Ark., a rural town of about 12,000 where everyone knows everyone.

He went back home last spring, weighing nearly 400 pounds. He was depressed and felt like he was losing control over the weight battle he has fought his entire life. But he was always able to turn to his childhood pal, a friend Andrews refers to simply as Willie.

Willie, who had a heart condition, was 6-0 and 320 pounds, Andrews said. The two friends confided in each other.
"It was great; I came back home for a weekend and we were hanging out in this local park, reminiscing and just talking about what we did and what we were going to do," Andrews said.

The friends parted, thinking they'd hook up later.

While Willie went home, Andrews made his way to a sandwich shop. Fifteen minutes later, Andrews received a call. It was from one of Willie's relatives, screaming frantically. They found Willie collapsed at home, dead at 23 of a heart attack.

Andrews threw the sandwich in the trash and went back to the park where he had just sat with his friend only a short time ago. He found a secluded area and cried, partly for Willie and partly for himself.

"I just decided I had to make a change. I wanted to live a whole life; I didn't want to die at 25," Andrews said. "I kept thinking I'm not going to be one of those fat guys who eats himself out of a professional sports career. If I had to lose the weight and lose my job in the NFL, it was no big deal. I've been poor before. I grew up poor. I know how to be poor. "

After Willie's death, Andrews returned to his home in New Jersey and reflected. He purchased a cardiovascular exercise machine. He watched what he ate. Almost 400 pounds in early March, he cut close to 70 pounds in four months.

The Eagles signed Shawn Andrews to an extension through the 2015 season.

"Willie's death really hit Shawn hard," said Bengals offensive lineman Stacy Andrews, Shawn's brother. "I knew Willie and went to school with him, too. That was the turning point for Shawn. He started to watch his weight because he didn't want the same thing that happened to Willie to happen to him."

Philadelphia's first-round choice in 2004 and the 16th player selected overall, Andrews looked promising his rookie season. He earned the starting job at right guard with an impressive training camp on a Super Bowl-caliber team. But his first season ended after just one game when he suffered a fractured fibula in his right leg against the Giants.

"Someone fell on my leg from behind and I just heard a snap and had this warm feeling," Andrews recalled. "I just thought, 'Wow, there goes my year.' Part of me said 'uh-oh,' because I never had an injury of that caliber before."

He quickly dropped 12 pounds after the injury. The broken leg prevented Andrews from being able to get up and eat regularly. "Once I was back on my feet," he said, laughing, "I was able to get back to my cheesesteak places, and I put the weight back on again and then some."

It has taken Andrews two years to recover and reach the promise he showed his rookie season.

In a season of ups and downs for the Eagles, Andrews has been one of the Eagles' few constants. He keeps saying to himself, "This is the best time I've ever had playing football." And he is enjoying himself, including the "little snacks we get before games," Andrews said.
"But there is a big difference," he said. "Every Friday at work, we have junk food Friday. But every day was a junk food day for me. If I do eat, I work it off later that night on the treadmill out of guilt.

"This season is for Willie."

Joseph Santoliquito is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.

I knew he had a friend that died that inspired him to lose weight, but I never knew the details behind it. Talk about a blessing (for us) in disguise.