On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Eagles released former Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews after "missing the better part of two seasons." ESPN 97.3 interviewed Andrews, who more or less expected to be released. He says that he "really stepped up" his " training in the last few weeks" and he's getting stronger. "I'm ready to go to whoever is ready to take me and kick some butt again," said Andrews.
The Philadelphia Daily News' Rich Hofmann wrote, in a headline calling Andrews "such a waste".
He was such a good player when his back was right, and his head was right. He was as good an athlete as they've ever had play the guard position. Andrews could have been a cornerstone for this team for a decade -- quirky, yes, but a cornerstone. But now he's gone.
This comes at a very interesting time. If, and that's a bigger if than a James Cameron movie, Andrews has his head on straight and if he's working back towards his old form, the Bengals very well could be interested. This is why John Thornton said that Bobbie Williams should go ahead and sign with the Bengals and get what he can.
There's been no report of any interest from the franchise as of this posting. But we know the Bengals. We tend to like those aging veterans who have hit a bump in the road and give them a little encouragement, a second opportunity, for a cost that would be much cheaper than retaining, say Bobbie Williams. As Thornton points out, Andrews is the brother of former Bengals lineman Stacy. Andrews is six years younger than Bobbie Williams.
It goes without question that Williams does bring other virtues that Andrews probably doesn't. Veteran presence that's been in Cincinnati since 2004. Lockerroom leadership. Knowledge of the system. Those things will (and probably have) weigh heavily on the team's decision to bring Williams back -- which they claim is their first priority.
Still, you can't really put it past the Bengals front office to at least perk up with eyes wide open and have those epic internal discussions, can you?
Your turn. Shawn Andrews. Yes or no?