Player Bio - Philadelphia Eagles

An athletic, playmaking tight end with good pass-catching ability, L.J. Smith has posted 194 receptions and 15 touchdowns over his five-year career in Philadelphia. The team's second round draft choice out of Rutgers in 2003, Smith earned a full-time starting job in 2005 and has since registered 133 catches and 9 scores in that role.

2007 HIGHLIGHTS:

Caught an 8-yd. TD pass from Donovan McNabb at Was. (11/11)

2006 HIGHLIGHTS:

Ranked 2nd on the team in receptions (50) and t-2nd in receiving TDs (5), while ranking 4th in receiving yds. (611). Was named as a second alternate to the NFC Pro Bowl squad
Hauled in a career-long 65-yd. pass (QB Jeff Garcia) at Dal. (12/25/06)
Posted 7 recepts. for 111 yds. vs. NYG (9/17/06) for the second 100-yd. receiving game of his career

2005 HIGHLIGHTS:

Finished with 61 receptions for 682 yds. (both career highs) and 3 TDs, the best performance by an Eagles TE since Chad Lewis posted a 69-735-3TDs receiving effort on his way to the Pro Bowl in 2000
Tied a career high with 9 recepts. for 67 yds. and a TD at KC (10/2/05)
Set career highs in recepts. (9) and yds. (119), and caught a 6-yd. TD pass from McNabb vs. SF (9/18/05). Was the first Eagles TE to top the 100-yd. receiving plateau since Chad Lewis (12/10/00 at Cle.) and the first to catch 9 passes since Lewis (12/24/00 vs. Cin.).

2004 HIGHLIGHTS:

His TD total (6; 5 reg. season, 1 playoff) in 2004 was the most in a season by an Eagles TE since Lewis posted 6 in 2001
Made an impressive diving reception in the back of the end zone for the Eagles 1st TD in Super Bowl 39 vs. NE (2/6/05)
Bowled over Vikings' defenders to reach the end zone vs. Min. (9/20/04)
Snagged his 2nd career TD on a 14-yd. toss from McNabb vs. NYG (9/12/04)

2003 HIGHLIGHTS:

Led all drafted rookie tight ends in yards per catch (11.9 - min. 25 recepts.)
Led the Eagles in recepts. in 4 games (all wins)
Made a diving, 24-yd. reception vs. NYG (11/16/03) that set up a TD
Had a breakout game with 6 recepts. and 97 yds., including a 36-yd. recept. at Atl. (11/2/03).
Recorded a 25-yd reception from McNabb at NYG (10/18/03) and ran over FS Omar Stoutmire on the play, to set up a TD

BIRDSEED:

Growing up in the small town of Highland Park, NJ (2 square miles, population 14,500), Smith graduated from the local high school as part of a 115-person class. He thought about a career in basketball, but turned down interest from Division I hoop schools to settle on a football tenure at Rutgers. Although Rutgers won just seven games during his 4-year career with the Scarlet Knights, Smith persevered and earned attention from NFL scouts
Partook in Russian Kettlebell training once a week during the 2008 offseason under the direction of Carlos Bradley, a former Chargers and Eagles linebacker. "I could only do it one day per week. It's tough. I wouldn't recommend doing it twice or more in a week. You just can't do it. Sometimes I just wanted to quit during the workout. It's a total body workout."
Served as a sideline reporter for the television broadcast of the 2008 NY-NJ All-Star Classic, a football game between the best high school players in those states
Aspires to one day produce his own music and would like to learn more about the audio and technical parts of the business. "The world would be a boring place without music. Music can inspire people in many different ways."
Favorite artists include Biggie, 50 Cent/G Unit, Brian McKnight, and T.I.
Started playing the guitar during the 2006 offseason. After mentioning to a friend that he wanted to learn to play, his friend gave him his first acoustic guitar

PERSONAL:

Single and lives in Cherry Hill, NJ, in the offseason
Considers himself a very family oriented person. Has very strong relationships with his mother, Kathy, his younger brother, Nate, and sister, Alisha
Credits his mother for being the player and person he is today. "She was always there to help with any problem. She was tough, but very understanding as well. I will always remember when she drove me to AAU camps that were hours away."
Remains close with his father, John "Bud" Smith
Is the proud owner of a miniature English bulldog named "Jiggz"
Attended Highland Park (NJ) HS where he caught 10 TDs and had 143 tackles, 11 sacks and 5 INTs at LB as a senior
Never played football until he was a 140-pound freshman defensive end in high school, registering 8 sacks. "We played a 5-2-4 defensive scheme and they just let me go after the quarterback." After playing linebacker as a sophomore, he was converted to tight end during his junior season. He initially wanted to focus only on basketball during his junior year until his football team begged him to return
Was a tremendous basketball prospect who drew interest from a number of Division I programs, including Florida State and various schools from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Set up the L.J. Smith Scholarship Fund, which provides an annual scholarship for underprivileged children who aspire to go to college
His first reception in college was a touchdown, a 16-yard leaping grab from former Eagles QB Mike McMahon at California in 1999
Is a good friend of former Rutgers teammate Gary Brackett, a linebacker with Indianapolis
His favorite football player growing up was Jerry Rice
Enjoys watching "The First 48" and "Family Guy"
Earned a degree in labor studies
Full name: John Smith III; L.J. stands for "Little John"

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS:
A four-year starter, finished second in Rutgers history among tight ends with 122 receptions for 1,458 yards and 10 TDs, surpassed only by Marco Battaglia (171-2,221-16TDs). Earned All-Big East honors as both a junior and senior. Served as team captain as a senior, leading the Scarlet Knights with a career-high 32 receptions for 384 yards and 3 TDs. Posted a team-leading 30 catches for 282 yards and 3 TDs as a junior and also carried the ball 16 times for 74 yards. Was 34-374-1TD receiving as a sophomore after contributing 26-418-3TDs receiving totals as a redshirt freshman.

INJURY HISTORY:
Was inactive for the final three games of 2007 with a knee injury suffered vs. NYG (12/9/07). Was inactive vs. Chi. (10/21/07) after reaggravating a groin injury. Was inactive at NYG (9/30/07) and vs. Det. (9/23/07) while recovering from follow-up surgery on 9/21/07, to repair scar tissue in his groin. Underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia by Dr. William Meyers on 5/30/07. Had low back disc surgery by Dr. Frank Cammisa on 2/16/05. Suffered groin and leg injuries at Mia. (12/15/03) and was inactive the following week vs. SF (12/21/03).