It’s Doomsday for You, Shawn Andrews

I know nothing about football. I only pay attention if the Eagles are doing well, and then I batten down the hatches for heartbreak and loss, since that’s my lot as a Philly sports fan. This season I’m pulling for Shawn Andrews, who went to training camp despite struggling with clinical depression.

John Smallwood, the Philadelphia Daily News‘ sports columnist, doesn’t have much faith in Andrews’ teammates to know how to deal with the situation. It’s as if Andrews has some foreign illness they’ve never heard of.

And, again, let’s be honest, Andrews’ return is bound to cause a buzz in camp as his teammates try to figure out how they should relate to him.

Clinical depression isn’t something most people know how to react to, so just going back to the way things were could be a lot easier said than done.

“Quite a few of the players know the situation and have been in communication with [Andrews],” Reid said when asked if he felt the need to talk to the team about Andrews. “We’ll address that down the road.

“He’s got some guys here that really care about him.”

Yes, but is that going to be enough?

That final question is kind of grating, as is the tone of the rest of the article. If you substitute “clinical depression” with a different chronic illness that has acute flare-ups, it would seem ridiculous. Let’s give it a try:

BETHLEHEM – It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall when Andy Reid has his sitdown with wayward guard Shawn Andrews. …

Andrews has missed training camp and most of the Eagles’ offseason training programs because, he says, he is suffering from Type I diabetes.

I don’t know enough about Type I diabetes and its treatment to even hazard a guess as to what should be done, but I do know that the Eagles are probably only going to get one shot to get this right.

Whenever Andrews returns to work, whether it be a day from now, a week from now, a month or year from now, he shouldn’t be placed out there unless everyone has a full grip of the situation and is sure his issues will not prevent him from doing everything necessary to be a professional football player.

The worst thing the Eagles can do is put Andrews on the field and have things appear to be back to normal, only to have him relapse to the point where he has to sit down again.

There has to be apprehension – apprehension about Andrews’ health and the impact his return will have on a team that is less than a month away from starting the season.

What’s the protocol for dealing with something that might not show any recognizable outward signs but could suddenly become devastating?

It’s not as simple as, “Andrews is back, OK, let’s play.”

… What is the potential impact if Andrews physically returns to form, is incorporated back into the offensive scheme, and then four games into the season can’t deal with things?

That absolutely has to be a consideration that Reid takes into account when deciding what to do with Andrews.

And, again, let’s be honest, Andrews’ return is bound to cause a buzz in camp as his teammates try to figure out how they should relate to him.

Type I diabetes isn’t something most people know how to react to, so just going back to the way things were could be a lot easier said than done.

“Quite a few of the players know the situation and have been in communication with [Andrews],” Reid said when asked if he felt the need to talk to the team about Andrews. “We’ll address that down the road.

“He’s got some guys here that really care about him.”

Yes, but is that going to be enough?

liz | 10:52 AM | Uncategorized