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PHILADELPHIA - Eagles tackle Winston Justice really did see the writing on the wall.

The team had just completed its final offseason workout in June. On his way out of the locker room, Justice took a look at the depth chart that was pinned to the bulletin board. He was listed as the backup right tackle behind Shawn Andrews.

Unless something changed, Justice was not only going to have a tough time getting playing time, he was a candidate to get cut at the end of training camp. He turned around and marched into coach Andy Reid's office.

"He came in and said, 'Don't count me out. I'm going to start for you,'" Reid said Wednesday. "I was surprised because Winston doesn't say much. That might be as many words as I've seen him put together since he's been here."

Justice backed up his bold prediction, however. With Andrews out for the season with a back injury, Justice has started every game at right tackle this season. He's played so well that the team signed him to a four-year, $18.5 million contract extension last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Andrews' future with the team is even murkier: The former Pro Bowl lineman announced on his Twitter feed Thursday that he will have additional back surgery next week. He also had back surgery in 2008.

Justice's emergence is quite a turnaround from early August, when he reported to Lehigh University expecting to work with the second-string offense.

"I think it's well-deserved," quarterback Donovan McNabb said Wednesday. "Winston is a guy who has battled through some tough times and has continued to stay strong and work hard.

"His work ethic, bar none, is one of the strongest on the team. That's the way he approached this season and that's what you are seeing on the field. I'm so happy for him."

Justice, a second-round draft pick in 2006, is one of the more popular players on the team but also one of the quietest. Off the field, he is laid-back, a native of Long Beach, Calif., who spends his spare time surfing. He is so religious that he chose to spend the Eagles' open week last month getting baptized in the Gulf of Mexico during a trip to his offseason home in Naples, Fla.

On the field, he is different. Justice got into several fights during training camp and drew a league fine earlier this season for a late hit. But his most aggressive move was his decision to go into Reid's office.

"I know I'm kind of quiet," Justice said Wednesday. "Sometimes that can be misconstrued as me not being ready to play or not being physical enough on the field. I thought (Reid) knew that I wasn't that way on the field, but I felt like I had to step out of my realm and let him know."

He got his opportunity at the start of training camp. Andrews' lower back started hurting soon after he completed the team's conditioning test. He wound up missing all of training camp, was eventually placed on injured reserve and had been rehabbing in Marina Del Rey, Calif., before his announcement of additional surgery.

Justice opened the season with an impressive performance against Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers and has maintained that effectiveness throughout the season. He enters Sunday's game against Washington as the team's steadiest lineman.

"I don't remember telling (coach Reid) that I was going to start," Justice said with a laugh. "I just said, 'Don't count me out. I'll be ready to play.' "

Extra points: Linebacker Akeem Jordan (hyperextended knee) and cornerback Asante Samuel (strained neck) missed practice for the second straight day Thursday. .... Cornerback Sheldon Brown (strained hamstring) was limited for the second day. ... Wide receiver Kevin Curtis (knee surgery) and running back Brian Westbrook (concussion) will not play Sunday against the Redskins.

Contact David Weinberg:

609-272-7186

DWeinberg@pressofac.com

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