All is right. All is good. Kevin Curtis feels like he is 100 percent for training camp. That is a positive development for the Eagles, for Curtis. Two years ago he was the go-to receiver in the offense, catching 77 passes by creating space with his speed and quickness, with his excellent route-running skills, with his sure hands.
In 2008, Curtis went through his own personal agony in his return from sports hernia surgery and was never the same player he was before.
Now? Now Curtis is ready to go, and that is an exciting prospect for the Eagles offense.
The state of the wide receiver corps has changed a lot since Curtis' first year here. He gets ready for training camp knowing that DeSean Jackson is an emerging talent who is capable of exploding in his second NFL season. Jason Avant has established himself as a standout in the slot. Jeremy Maclin is a first-round draft pick hoping to make an impact as a rookie. Reggie Brown, the starter with Curtis in 2007, is looking to re-establish himself in this group. Hank Baskett made fine strides last year and wants more this time around.
And then there is Curtis, kind of the forgotten player in the group. Having him healthy and on point could and should be a huge, huge positive for the passing game. Curtis gives the Eagles another weapon to get down the field with his speed, and his ability to shake off coverage in the short- and intermediate-passing game is key. Curtis has the quickness to shake a corner showing press coverage, and he is going to make somebody miss on the way to converting a third-and-4 play.
When you consider teaming Curtis -- fully healthy, all sorts of speed and quicks -- with what the Eagles have in place, it should be an exciting prospect. Think about the Eagles spreading the field with Curtis, Jackson, Avant, Maclin and Brian Westbrook. That's a whole lot of speed for any team to cover. The Eagles can do so many things off of their personnel groupings and having Curtis intact and ready to go is a vital part of the blueprint.
He has kind of been the forgotten player in this offense. We're all about Donovan McNabb and Jackson and Maclin and Westbrook and the tight ends and fullback Leonard Weaver. What about Curtis? The Eagles get him back, all the way back, after he cleaned up the sports hernia injury during the off-season and then he worked through the kinks in the post-draft camps.
Heading into training camp, only a couple of weeks away now, Curtis is good to go, ready to make his way back to the top of the wide receiver pecking order. That is an added plus, an addition to the offense that really isn't considered one since Curtis was in the lineup last year, but one that is important to consider. Curtis was never Curtis last year. He had the sports hernia surgery before the season and then played through the crackle and pops all season. After his off-season clean-up procedure, Curtis is back and as good, fingers crossed, as ever.
And that could mean huge, huge things for the offense, as a player that not many are thinking about aims to be a major contributor and a player to account for in a gigantic way for the Eagles.
