Tight end L.J. Smith knows exactly what happened to the offense during Sunday's loss to Green Bay.

"I thought we were a little tight going into the game," said Smith at his locker following Thursday's practice. "We didn't have that swagger going into the game. Once you relax, everything kind of falls into place.

"Were we a better team and should we have won the game? I think so. I don't think any phase, the run game or the pass game, really was bad. I just think we need to relax and play our brand of football."

The league's No. 2 offense last season added even more firepower with the return of quarterback Donovan McNabb and the acquisition of wide receiver Kevin Curtis. However, the offense never quite got on track against the Packers. The Eagles had 283 yards of total offense, but only one touchdown and seven penalties which helped stall other potential scoring opportunities.

Smith believes he is in the lineup because the coaches think he can produce.

Without any preseason reps, Smith had two catches for 14 yards against the Packers. Smith underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia in the offseason and during training camp he suffered a non-related groin injury. At full potential, Smith has proven to be one of the best tight ends in the league. He had 50 receptions last season for 611 yards and five touchdowns. He was a second-alternate to the Pro Bowl. He also improved as a blocker and helped pave the way for running back Brian Westbrook's 1,200-yard rushing campaign.

Smith admits that he's not 100 percent and has wrestled with the decision to not play and rest.

"If the coaches didn't feel like I could contribute than they wouldn't put me out there, even with me being 75 percent," said Smith. "With that being said, I feel like anybody who is a starter on offense, when they're out there, should be able to contribute.

"I don't know how to relax and take it easy. I'm going to keep going until people say it's pointless for him to be out there. I feel like we have a great situation with our team right now. I think we can really get this thing turned around early."

The fact that there are only 16 games makes the decision to play that much easier to make. Smith only wishes the Eagles weren't already behind one of the teams that could be there in the playoff hunt.

"In the NFC for some reason, Green Bay has always been in it at the end of the season," said Smith. "You never know which game is going to count and which game is going to matter. You want to take every game seriously."