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After suffering a surprising sports hernia injury in the 2008 preseason, veteran Wide Receiver Kevin Curtis has made serious strides in regaining his popularity and production in Philadelphia. Although the injury was recovered from roughly halfway through last season, Curtis underwent follow-up procedures earlier in the offseason to insure that he will be in top shape come September. These operations forced the 7-year player to sit out of the post-draft mini-camp, and practice only sparingly in other OTAs.

But now blanketed with joy and excitement, Curtis said at a recent charity golf event that he was "100 percent" healthy and ready to hit the field. "I'm feeling good and should be ready to roll."
With a sturdy Curtis (see picture) back in the mix at the WR position, the Eagles are now arguably sporting one of their best receiving corps in a long time, and perhaps one of the best in the league right now.

An average bystander would typically not be able to pick out Curtis as a professional football player, for he weighs in at 186 lbs. and appears no more than an average guy who keeps himself physically fit. But after sprinting one of the fastest recorded 40-yard dash times at the annual NFL Combine, Curtis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2003 out of Utah State. Playing under the shadow of potential Hall-of-Fame WRs Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce for 4 years until signing a 6-year deal with the Eagles prior to the '07 season, Curtis posted one of the best statistically recorded years for a Philly receiver in 2007, catching 77 passes for 1,110 yards and 6 TDs.

His success from 2007 unfortunately was not experienced in '08 because of the injury, and he was only able to record 33 catches for 390 yards and two scores. Despite this, Curtis is looking forward to the upcoming season so that he can get back to the '07 days when he was praised as a contributor.

Now positioned beside a cluster of newcomers that include 1st-round pick Jeremy Maclin and various other rookies like Brandon Gibson, Brandon Robinson, and Marcus Thigpen, Curtis has been thrust into a "leadership" role at his position. On July 17, Kevin, who has also been nicknamed "White Lightning" by teammates, will hit the age of 31, and with 6 years of NFL experience under his belt, he has the knowledge--and ability--to teach the younger players how to play the game right. And by instructing the others, he hopes not only for them to experience a great deal of success, but for he himself to play at a Pro-Bowl caliber level.

Overall, Curtis is a talented football player, and is undoubtedly an under-rated star in the league, as well as a kind-hearted man willing to do anything for anyone. I know I can't wait to see him in action in Training Camp (and preseason, and the regular season, and hopefully the postseason, and...), and I hope that you're just as excited too.

Picture source: online image. http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0819/nfl_g_curtis1_300.jpg