Kevin Curtis to have sports hernia surgery

Donovan McNabb finished 2007 very strongly. In the last 4 games of the season, he completed more than 65% of his passes and threw for almost 1000 yards. He also made good decisions with the football as threw 6 TDs to only 1 interception.

Finishing up so strongly last year, McNabb was one of my sleeper picks that I was targeting in my fantasy football drafts. Well, there is a wrench thrown into the plans. Kevin Curtis is going to sports hernia surgery today and will be out for significant time.

The full extent of the injury will not be clear until the surgery is performed, so no timetable was given for a possible return, but expect it to be a while, given the history of the injury. A reasonable timeframe probably would be six to eight weeks from the surgery, which Curtis told the Daily News will take place Thursday morning. The regular season starts Sept. 7. There is little chance the Eagles' leading 2007 receiver (77 catches, 1,110 yards) will be full-strength before October, at best.

Curtis becomes the third Eagles player to suffer a sports hernia in the last few years. Donovan McNabb had surgery during the 2005 season after trying to play through the injury. L.J. Smith had offseason surgery in the spring of 2007 but the injury lingered, especially after he suffered another injury to the area during training camp. Smith cautioned yesterday that Curtis should not try to come back too soon. Previously, cornerback Sheldon Brown played the 2003 season with the injury, something Brown said yesterday he would not do again.

The Eagles drafted DeSean Jackson, who will help the Eagles in the return game to a greater degree than the passing game. But their WR corps with Kevin Curtis was the weakest in the NFC East.

I still think Donovan McNabb will have a strong year in 2008. However, more of the burden will fall on his and Brian Westbrook's shoulders. And, now the Eagles need Jackson to step up and contribute more than previously required.