Gunzlingr
09-21-2007, 03:28 PM
Starting tight end L.J. Smith (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6397), a key receiver in the Philadelphia Eagles (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=phi)' passing game, underwent surgery Friday to clean out scar tissue surrounding his injured groin. Smith will miss Sunday's game and the team said his rehabilitation will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nfl/profiles/players/mugs/65x90/4519.jpg Smith
A fifth-year veteran, Smith underwent surgery in late May to repair a sports hernia and he missed much of the Eagles' offseason program.
Smith aggravated the groin injury in training camp, missed time again, and was bothered by it over the first two weeks of the season. This week, the team said in a Friday news release, the discomfort reached a point where Smith could not practice.
"He seemed like he was getting a little bit worse, so we referred him to Dr. [William] Meyers, who did the sports hernia surgery on him," Eagles head trainer Rick Burkholder said in the release. "It was a 20-minute procedure in which he opened up the sheath around the muscle, which gives him a little more room. It allowed fluid to drain out of the muscle that was injured in training camp."
In two games, Smith had only four catches for 26 yards -- and the Eagles felt the injury was definitely a factor in his lack of productivity.
Sixth-year veteran Matt Schobel (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5953) and rookie Brent Celek (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=8416) will replace Smith for Sunday's home game against the Detroit Lions (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=det).
More... (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3030597&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines)
http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nfl/profiles/players/mugs/65x90/4519.jpg Smith
A fifth-year veteran, Smith underwent surgery in late May to repair a sports hernia and he missed much of the Eagles' offseason program.
Smith aggravated the groin injury in training camp, missed time again, and was bothered by it over the first two weeks of the season. This week, the team said in a Friday news release, the discomfort reached a point where Smith could not practice.
"He seemed like he was getting a little bit worse, so we referred him to Dr. [William] Meyers, who did the sports hernia surgery on him," Eagles head trainer Rick Burkholder said in the release. "It was a 20-minute procedure in which he opened up the sheath around the muscle, which gives him a little more room. It allowed fluid to drain out of the muscle that was injured in training camp."
In two games, Smith had only four catches for 26 yards -- and the Eagles felt the injury was definitely a factor in his lack of productivity.
Sixth-year veteran Matt Schobel (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5953) and rookie Brent Celek (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=8416) will replace Smith for Sunday's home game against the Detroit Lions (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=det).
More... (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3030597&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines)