It was never a foregone conclusion that Shawn Andrews would be on the field against the Carolina Panthers when the Eagles' regular season opened. He missed all of training camp with an injured back, and only returned to practice last week. But Andrews has been working hard since then, and he says he's both prepared and excited to play his first NFL game at right tackle.

"It's going to be fun," Andrews said. "I've been really looking forward to it. I've had this one circled on my calendar ever since I went out to Los Angeles and Dr. (Bob) Watkins told me I was going to be all right ... So I'm definitely excited."

Andrews said he feels as close to 100 percent physically as possible.

"It feels good," he said. "I'm just doing some extra cardio to make sure I'm in tip-top game shape and I know that I'm going to be ready.

"Football is football. I'm physical. I'm athletic. The big thing is being physically and fundamentally sound and the rest of it will take care of itself."

Andrews is also enjoying playing alongside his brother, right guard Stacy Andrews.

"Our humor is kind of alike, so we help each other through this thing," Shawn Andrews said. "Taking care of business (together), but also having fun ... There's going to be some tough times out there on the field, but we'll have to rally together."

Andrews also said he's looking forward to the challenge of blocking Julius Peppers, one of the game's premier pass rushers. Peppers normally lines up as a left end, but the Panthers have traditionally moved him around on the defensive line to create favorable matchups.

"I look forward to it," Andrews said. "I'm all for the challenge. Just to be able to fire off on some people that are pretty much strangers, it's going to be fun.

"It's not a me-and-Peppers deal, it's a team thing. But since you asked about the individual battle, I'm a beast too. Let the beasting begin."

-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 4:38 p.m., September 7