Vandervelde eager to ride to the Eagles' rescue

SOUND the trumpets.

The rescuers are just beyond the horizon.

OK, he's not exactly the cavalry, but guard/center Julian Vandervelde does offer a measure of security and familiarity to an Eagles offensive line that remains under siege.

The Eagles released Vandervelde, a 2011 fifth-round pick of the Eagles out of Iowa, with an injury settlement in late August. He suffered a herniation of his L5-S1 disk in training camp and underwent surgery in early August by Dr. Alex Vaccarro, a Rothman Institute spine specialist.

Vandervelde, who turned 27 last week, was available to speak with teams only last week. The Eagles did so yesterday. They released veteran lineman Wade Smith.

It was not a long commute.

After his release, Vandervelde remained in his Philadelphia apartment, rehabbed at Rothman . . . and watched, incredulous, as his former teammates were felled like cornstalks at harvest time.

The offensive line that started every game intact in 2013 didn't make it through the first half of the first game in 2014.

"It's insane," Vandervelde said. "Last year, there were times in games where 'Stout' [offensive line coach Jeff Stoutman] would want to get the second team some reps, but the starters were just so robust that no one wanted to be the first guy to come out.

"To see the grenade that's hit the offensive line meeting room this year . . . "

Every explosion created a hole into which Vandervelde might have slipped.

"It would have been nice to be here, from an experience and playing-time standpoint," Vandervelde said.

He saw Allen Barbre's ankle collapse in the season opener, which presented a problem at right tackle. Barbre, a career backup like Vandervelde, was playing in place of Lane Johnson, who missed the first four games with a PED suspension. Right guard Todd Herremans eventually played right tackle; Vandervelde, of course, can play guard.

In that same game, Pro Bowl left guard (and fellow counterculture brainiac) Evan Mathis suffered a knee injury and was lost until at least Nov. 10.

Two weeks later, center Jason Kelce was lost for about 2 months with a sports hernia. That prompted the signing of Smith . . . but likely would have been Vandervelde's best chance at seeing significant playing time.

Vandervelde was Kelce's backup last season. He competed with David Molk for that job in training camp. Molk, a seventh-round pick for the Chargers in 2012, spent 2013 out of the NFL. Molk has started for Kelce since Kelce's injury.

There also was the lingering ankle injury to reserve guard/tackle Matt Tobin.

So, until Tobin returned to play left guard in Game 4, five of the top seven linemen - Mathis, Kelce, Johnson, Barbre and Tobin - lost time to injury or suspension.

"To see the epidemic of injuries that swept over that room is tragic," Vandervelde said.

For him to be unavailable either to help or to profit was frustrating.

The silver lining: Somehow, the Eagles went 5-1.

"The team's been doing well," Vandervelde said. "I've been watching all of the games, tracking the plays, trying to keep myself mentally invested in Eagles football. To be back with an organization where I know the system and I know the people and I know what they're going to expect from a practice and performance standpoint is good.

"If, God forbid, something else happens - I don't know what else could happen to this offensive line - I could be ready to step in."

Well, as ready as possible. It takes months of offseason work and weeks of training camp for a lineman to prepare for an NFL season, let alone for coach Chip Kelly's uptempo offense.

"You can run sprints and run shuttles, but playing the game gets you ready," Vandervelde said. "I know what it takes not only to play in the NFL but to play within Chip's system in the NFL. It's a completely different level of conditioning than anywhere else. I don't expect to be game-ready for practice No. 1."

To his credit, Vandervelde was creative in his preparation. He enlisted giant lineman Michael Bamiro, who also was released in training camp, to help him return to form. Bamiro also retained his Philadelphia apartment.

Bamiro is 6-8 and 340 pounds. Vandervelde is 6-2 and 300.

They trained in public.

"We would go to local parks and work on fundamentals and technique and run drills and things like that. We got some bizarre looks," Vandervelde said.

"We met some weird people. We met an MMA fighter from, I think, North Philly, when we were out training one day."

They escaped unscathed, and Vandervelde was able to test his back in dramatic fashion.

"He is a large individual. If there was one thing I could not simulate in training or rehab, it was having someone bigger and heavier than me pushing on me, pulling on me," Vandervelde said. "To have him as a resource was really beneficial."

Other teams were interested, but until last week Vandervelde neither was physically ready nor contractually available to rejoin the league because of rules surrounding his settlement. That's when the Eagles called.

He spent yesterday immersed in film study at the NovaCare Complex. He might have an apartment in town, but he essentially will live at the complex for the next week, in near solitude, since the rest of the players are out of town to enjoy the bye week.

"I'll stay here, get myself back mentally into the system - lots of film study, lots of strength and conditioning, getting back into the speed of the offense," said Vandervelde, overwhelmed after 3 hours of film review, even having spent more than a season in the offense. "It's unlike anything else you can prepare for."

As for him being the cavalry - well, that's farfetched.

The Eagles love Tobin's size (6-6 and 290) and his potential at left guard, so they will keep him there until Mathis returns.

Molk, generously listed at 6-1 and 290, has acquitted himself acceptably at center as a blocker and signal-caller. He has developed a rapport with quarterback Nick Foles and chemistry between Tobin and Herremans.

Vandervelde is more insurance than cavalry. He played both guard spots in college but played almost exclusively at center since Kelly took over last season.

"Mentally, that's more familiar to me within this system," Vandervelde said.

Still, these days for the Eagles, even an insurance upgrade is something to trumpet.

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