L.J. Smith will be back as the Eagles' starting tight end Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field, and he knows that a lot of people believe coach Andy Reid should have given Brent Celek the nod for this vital NFC East game against the New York Giants.
"I heard stuff,"
Smith said after practice yesterday. "I hear a lot of stuff about job security, and . . . I'm going to come out and play no matter if it's a start or what. If Coach Reid thought I was hurting the team, I wouldn't be starting. He owes me nothing. He's the coach, who makes the decisions that are best for the team. That's why I'm starting."
The idea that Smith shouldn't start arose because Celek, a second-year tight end, caught six passes for 131 yards Sunday filling in against Seattle. Smith has 12 catches for 106 yards in six games this season.
Reid, however, said Monday that Smith would remain the starter if he had recovered from the concussion that kept him out of the game against the Seahawks.
"Coach looks at film 20 hours a day, and he knows,"
Smith said. "There's been a couple of opportunities, and sometimes the ball is not there or whatever. . . . Some of the plays Brent Celek ran I ran, and defenses gave different looks. He had man [coverage], and they put a lot of people in the box trying to stop the run. He was manned up, and a lot of times I'm going to get past a guy and a safety cuts toward me. It's different looks, and he took advantage of the looks he saw. I was happy for [Celek], contrary to what some might believe."
Smith said team doctors had cleared him to return. It will be interesting to see how often the Eagles use two tight ends against the Giants. Smith has had some good games against New York, including seven catches for 111 yards in a 2006 game.
"This is a game that means something,"
Smith said. "It's not just another game."
He appeared surprised that Atlanta safety Lawyer Milloy was not fined for the hit that caused his concussion and knocked him out of that Oct. 26 game.
"I don't think people understand that I actually got hit in the head on that play,"
Smith said. "From the highlight, it looks like all body, but I got rocked in the head. They probably couldn't see that from the angles they had. But I'm not unhappy that money didn't come out of his pocket, and the 15 yards helped get us a field goal, so it helped."
Secondary concerns
Three Eagles defensive backs - safety Brian Dawkins and cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Joselio Hanson - did not practice yesterday.
Dawkins was out with a hamstring injury, Sheppard remained sidelined by a groin injury he suffered Sunday, and Hanson was bothered by a hamstring injury he suffered in practice Wednesday.
There was no nickel cornerback to play with starters Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown during practice, and the only extra safety behind Quintin Mikell and Sean Considine was rookie Quintin Demps.
