Smith ready to reclaim his place in Birds' nestBy Bob Brookover
Inquirer Staff Writer
A scene that almost never took place during the Eagles' Lehigh University portion of training camp unfolded yesterday at the NovaCare Complex.
Tight end L.J. Smith and six-time Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins both were on the practice field at the same time.
For Smith, it was his first practice since Aug. 9, when he had to leave the field with a groin injury that initially made him fear the worst. Dawkins, meanwhile, practiced in team drills for the first time since Aug. 1, the first time the Eagles had full contact at Lehigh. The following day, Dawkins was listed on the injury report with Achilles tendinitis and he did not practice again at Lehigh.
Dawkins declined to speak after yesterday's practice, but he is scheduled to talk today. Smith, on the other hand, spoke for the first time since suffering his groin injury at Lehigh. He reiterated coach Andy Reid's report that the groin injury was not related to his May 31 sports hernia surgery that had kept him out of contact during the early practices at Lehigh.
"I thought it was directly related to the sports hernia, but I've come to find out that it's really not," Smith said before he participated in some individual drills and the offensive installation portion of practice. "I never really had a groin problem, so it's kind of weird for that to happen right then. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary other than running a route, and I just pulled up.
"I was just frustrated and scared, thinking I may have hurt it bad again. The MRIs showed it to be a separate injury."
Nevertheless, it has been an injury that has forced Smith to miss the first two preseason games. In his absence, tight ends Matt Schobel and Brent Celek have combined for 12 catches and 185 yards.
Schobel had a 58-yard catch from Donovan McNabb to set up a touchdown during the Eagles' 27-10 exhibition win over the Carolina Panthers on Friday. Meanwhile, Celek, a rookie fifth-round draft pick, has caught eight passes for 104 yards in his first two preseason games.
"They're playing well," Smith said. "I'm sure they wish that their stats counted, but they're playing well and I'm all for them playing well. Me, personally, I just wish I was out there, also, but I'm happy for those guys. Everybody needs confidence going into the season."
Smith, who will be eligible for free agency after this season, said the success of the Eagles' other two tight ends hadn't forced him to think about his contract status. He said he had some initial thoughts about his contract when he first suffered his sports hernia, but that time has passed.
"I felt like that, but I don't anymore," Smith said. "Everything happens for a reason, good or bad. I'll look back on this and maybe I'll find the reason. Right now, you probably won't believe me, but I don't think about the contract much because by the end of the season, I'm going to have done everything I could to bring a positive light to that situation. Until then, I have to get better every day."
Though Celek could be the primary reason Smith ends up playing somewhere else next season, he still wants to help the rookie in any way possible. He said that was the way former Eagles tight end Chad Lewis treated him.
"One of the most honest, sincere guys I ever met was Chad Lewis," Smith said. "He just helped me and any questions I had, he answered them for me. He was just an honest, kind dude, so I just take that and I'm trying to be a role model for Celek, also."
Smith said he would like to play in one of the two remaining preseason games, but his primary objective is to be ready for the Sept. 9 season opener in Green Bay.
"I would like to get out there and take some reps, but it is the preseason, so the goal of mine is to definitely be 100 percent for the first game of the season," Smith said. "I've never been in this position before. I always looked at the preseason as a way to get the rhythm of the quarterback, so in that aspect, I think it's necessary. But guys do it all the time. They don't take snaps in the preseason and they do well in the regular season."
