The Eagles have not played the Rams a whole lot the past few years, so it makes sense that beyond the numbers we can see, most Eagles fans don't really know what we've got in our new WR Kevin Curtis. Numbers can only reveal so much about a player. To get the real dish on a guy, you need to talk to a fan who has seen probably every game of his pro career. I'd like to thank VanRam from Turf Show Times, our SBNation Rams blog, for taking the time to talk with us about former Ram and new Eagles WR Kevin Curtis.
Curtis' skill lies in his sticky hands that would make most centerfielders Eagle-green with envy and field-level intelligence; he's a great route runner. He's speedy enough to beat most LBs and safties in one-on-one coverage, and he can definitely take a hit.
His skills should fit in with Philly's west coast like offense pretty well, as Curtis specializes in those mid-range passes in the slot.
Personally, I always liked the way the guys plays. The Rams, now under Linehan, didn't sour on him. Linehan wanted a bigger guy for his slot receiver - Curtis is 5' 11" 186 lbs, and Drew Bennett is 6'5" - after having some trouble in the red zone with short passes last season.
I always liked the guy, and perfectly understood his desire to go somewhere and play a big time role; that's why these come into the league in the first place.
Curtis' name won't make a surprise appearance in the Philadelphia Inquirer's police blotter. The Utah State product approaches chior boy status in today's NFL. Accordingly, the only "fun facts" about Curtis are keys to the city and other stuff for the 45 second human interest story at the end of local newscasts that I missed to watch Seinfeld reruns. Here's the best I can do: Curtis is listed as having 5 years of NFL experience, but because he broke his leg in the preseason (damn, stupid preseason!) in 2003, immediately after being drafted, he only played in 4 games, essentially giving him only 4 full seasons of experience. Hm, how 'bout that?
Again, much thanks to VanRam from the excellent Turf Show Times Rams blog for giving us the inside dish on Kevin Curtis. After reading Van's thoughts, I feel pretty good about Curtis and the Eagles WR corps as a whole moving forward. This unit was begging for a guy with "sticky hands."