The Philadelphia Inquirer's John Gonzalez (AKA: "The Mexican No-Show") scribbled this little Andrews anecdote into his cuaderno and, thankfully, it made the grown-up paper:

Shortly after Shawn Andrews declared he was at his "zenith of my happiness" and that "hell, yeah" he expected to be on the field for the Eagles' season opener, a strange scene unfolded in front of his locker. Andrews revealed that he texted Andy Reid recently and told his head coach that he was "ready to sell out like a Michael Jackson concert." When one reporter asked whether that's sort of a bad omen - since MJ is dead now - everything screeched to a halt and Andrews shook his head.

"What are you trying to say?" Andrews asked. "That I'm going to die?"

Awkward.

The two parties stared at each other in silence for a second while the rest of us just stood there and tried to act invisible. Eventually, the reporter assured Andrews that, no, he didn't think Andrews was going to die anytime soon.

More blinking. More silence. More weirdness. Then everyone just sort of slowly backed away and dispersed.

I think "More Blinking. More Silence. More Weirdness." is the perfect title for Andrews' inevitable autobiography that he'll write from the safety of his supervised work station at some mental health facility later in life, most likely penned in goose feces and blood on the back of a diner menu.

Bad Guys Just Now Bad [Gonzo (second section)]
The Shawn Andrews Experience [Phil Sheridan/Inky]

"I'm fine. I'm good,'' Young said. "I just needed (time) … to get through some things. But now I am OK. I was never depressed; I just hurt a little bit. … When it happens again, I'll know how to handle it.''

All of the buzz is around statements made to the Tennessee police by the therapist that talked to Vince on Monday.

“I asked him, ‘What made her worry about him?’ Lt. Andrea Swisher wrote. “He stated, ‘His mood, his emotions, he wants to quit, and he mentioned suicide several times.’ He went on to state that he left the house with a gun

Vince is claiming otherwise. He says everything is fine. Just your typical ups and downs of the NFL.

The spin is reminiscent of the $25 million dollar job that Terrell Owens PR flak tried to run past us after Terrell's infamous pill popping episode down in Dallas. Terrell depressed? Please.

According to Philadelphia Eagles stud lineman Shawn Andrews, who missed much of this year's training camp due to personal issues related to depression, mental health is much more prevalent than you'd think in the National Football League.

The Big Kid, as Andrews is known in Philadelphia, has managed to avoid the national media's wrath, something Vince Young can't seem to do. Shawn says that many players he's faced this year have offered their thoughts and support and Andrews told reporters on Friday that if Vince Young needs someone to talk to, he's there to listen.

"When we faced the Patriots, those guys were really concerned, and when we played the Jets, a couple of guys were inquiring - told me if I wanted to talk or needed to talk [to contact them]," Andrews said. "A lot of guys, you'd be surprised, are going through what I'm going through and don't admit it. I think guys are sensitive to it. If they haven't been through it, they know somebody who has."

Andrews doesn't know Young and doesn't know what might have happened to the QB, but he does know, he said, how "you can put that mask on," denying that anything is wrong. He said he would never presume to try to contact Young himself, but that if Young knew of Andrews' situation and ever wanted to talk, Andrews would welcome that.

Who knew the NFL was so full of 275 pound teddy bears?

Friday eye opener: Not everyone is buying Vince Young's story [USA Today]
Andrews reaches out to Titans QB Young [Philly Inquirer]

"I'm willing to admit that I've been going through a very bad time with depression," the Eagles' two-time Pro Bowl right guard said. "I've finally decided to get professional help. It's not something that blossomed up overnight. I'm on medication, trying to get better."

Andrews didn't want to go into the origins of his depression, which he said began a little more than a year ago and steadily worsened. "I really was kind of at my end," he said. "I've really had a lot on my mind, really (been) contemplating a lot of things."

Andrews' absence at camp is still "unexcused" and he's paying $15,000 a day in fines. So far most of his teammates have publicly supported him, as has the press, because when someone goes public with depression, it's almost inhumane to be skeptical. But in Shawn Andrews' case, it shouldn't be. Andrews, right now, is still in Arkansas seeing his own doctor, but has yet to come back to Philadelphia to be diagnosed by the Eagles physicians. The lovable wackiness and emotional highs and lows in his personality may make this a plausible story — he could very well be clinically depressed — but he also could be a man discontent with his contract (which he supposedly is) whose maturity level hasn't quite caught up to his ballooning weight. For example, last year Andrews had a sprained ankle injury that for whatever reason became potentially, bizarrely "career threatening" based on his doctor's diagnosis and what he told the press. Even though the Eagles personal physicians gave Andrews a relatively clean bill of health on the ankle, this is what Andrews told a befuddled pack of reporters:

• “When the doctor said what he said to me about different situations, it was a tearjerker. Sometimes things happen when you have a 300-pound body on a leg that's been broken. It's tough. ... Pain's not the issue. It's out of my hands. It's out of my doctor's hands.”

• “I don't know what the future holds.”

• “Just pray for me if you care about me.”

One Eagles writer anonymously summed up that incident this way: "I would never say this publicly, because I'm not sure it's what I believe, but I think most teammates felt he was being a bit of a drama queen, seeking attention. He [Andrews] said afterward he'd been kidding, but I really don't think he was. He is an impulsive, child-like person, really a good guy, I think, with issues that might go beyond depression."

In fact, when word of Andrews' holdout first spread through camp, Jon Runyan, the Eagles' press-friendly right tackle, gave a curt, almost eye-rolling response that Shawn just needed to get into camp. Sal Paolantonio of ESPN, who's covered the Eagles extensively throughout his career, agrees that the Eagles are playing the Andrews situation properly so far, even if it seems a little heartless given this recent revelation. "They have the right to be skeptical until he comes in and gets diagnosed by their doctors."

What also makes this Andrews story a bit suspicious is how open he's being about it. On the surface, it's a brave step to take — a big, burly lineman publicly admitting that he's got some issues that need to be dealt with — but his approach seems very calculated. Andrews isn't just reaching out to one local reporter he feels comfortable with — he's talking to EVERYONE about his problems, including sports radio and television. Yesterday on WIP sports talk, Andrews said this:

“I definitely am doing a lot better than where I was even a week or two ago, because I was at the end of the road I felt like,” he said. “I felt like I needed to talk to someone before things got out of hand. I had some horrible thoughts on my mind. But just when I was thinking those bad things a picture of my son came through and it was like he was looking me and questioning, "Why daddy?' And that just tore me up.”

And the origins of his depression also appear to be all over the map: from his weight, to his friend's death, to having guns pulled on him.

It'll be interesting to see which issue gets resolved first — Andrews' contract troubles or his "depression." Just remember that Shawn Andrews isn't tough: He needs your prayers. He wants your attention. He's hurting inside. Believe that — but also consider the source.

Reid reached out to Andrews [PhillyBurbs]
Eagles' Andrews reveals his struggles with depression [Philly.com]
Andrews Does The Philly Media Rounds [The 700 Level]