Stacy Andrews signed a six-year deal on the opening weekend of free agency. Of course, Andrews was expected to make an immediate impact for the offensive line. That comes with the territory of signing a big contract.
However, Andrews has started just two games this season at right guard. He was inactive for Sunday night's 24-20 win over the Chicago Bears.
Andrews did undergo surgery this past January to repair a knee ligament that he tore late last season with the Bengals. And while he had experience playing guard, he was a right tackle in his last two seasons with Cincinnati. Between recovering from the injury, adjusting to a new offense and becoming familiar with the guard position again, Andrews has not been able to showcase his athletic talent combined with his massive 6-7, 342-pound frame.
"My leg feels pretty good, no swelling in it at all," Andrews said. "My thing here now is to keep getting better in the things that I'm doing."
It is unknown whether Andrews will be able to crack the starting lineup this season. But one thing is for sure, Andrews is going to do everything in his power to prove that he was worth the investment made by the Eagles.
"Ever since I came in the league in 2004, I've always had to work my way into it," said Andrews, who didn't play football until college. ""I've always had to work for what I've got. Why not keep doing it now?"
Andrews said that as the week leading up to the Bears game progressed, he "had a feeling" that he would be inactive. Andrews started and played the entire game against the Chargers the week before. He said that the feedback from the coaches provided some good news and some things that he needed to work on.
"There were some good things in there and a couple of things that I slipped up on technique-wise, but I'm going to get better from here," Andrews said. "I'm feeling comfortable at guard and I'm just going to keep fighting."
Andrews said that at one point or another he expects to win the starting job.
"No doubt. I'm going to come in full-fledged and give it my all," Andrews said. "My thing is to stay focused on working hard and getting everything down."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 2:05 p.m., November 25
