--Wide receiver Kevin Curtis underwent surgery for a sports hernia Thursday, although there was no immediate timetable for Curtis' return. Coach Andy Reid said on Wednesday that Curtis will "for sure" be back this season, but said it "will probably be a little bit longer" than the start of the regular season. "I'll know better after they get in and take care of it," Reid said. "This happened in the game, in our last game. He tried to work through it, but he's unable to function very well with it during practice, so it looks like we'll go this direction." Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis are expected to rotate in Curtis' spot.
--Rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson continued his impressive preseason play. He had seven catches for 71 yards in the Eagles' 24-13 win over Carolina, and also had a 27-yard punt return. A week earlier, he had five receptions for 51 yards against Pittsburgh.
With both Reggie Brown and Jason Avant sidelined with injuries, Jackson has been getting a lot of work with the first-team offense.
"I feel pretty comfortable with everything," said Jackson, a second-round pick out of Cal where he played in a pro-style offense. "Coach Marty (Mornhinweg, the Eagles' offensive coordinator) has a lot of things in the offense for me. I'm just trying to do my best and get open as much as possible."
--Defensive end Victor Abiamiri, who is recovering from a broken wrist, expects to play again soon.
When Abiamiri had surgery on the wrist two weeks ago, coach Andy Reid said a worst-case scenario would have the second-year lineman sidelined for four months. But the 6-4, 287-pounder thinks he'll be back much sooner than that.
"I'm trying to prepare myself by going to all the meetings and staying mentally sharp," Abiamiri said. "There's are looking good. I feel that things have gotten progressively better since the first day it happened. A lot of things, as far as doing every-day tasks like going in and lifting, I can definitely tell how my body functions and how much better I am getting."
Before the injury, Abiamiri was projected to be the team's starting left end. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson also planned to move him inside as a pass-rusher in the team's nickel package.
--Running back Tony Hunt, who is competing for a roster spot, is scheduled to start at fullback Friday night. "We have enough of a gauge where we feel he can start the game there, and we'll see how he does," coach Andy Reid said. "We feel comfortable enough with that, and we'll give him an opportunity to get in there and bang it a little bit and see what he can do."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We all know the history of rookies playing here in Philadelphia. So you don't want to put too much pressure on him. I'm sure we'll have packages for him to be involved in." -- Quarterback Donovan McNabb on rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who has 12 receptions in the team's first two preseason games.
Play FOX Fantasy Football Today >
