PI: No Worries About Simon's Foot Inflammation (Eagles)

[China]

No worries about Simon's foot inflammation

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=knight-noworriesaboutsimonsfooti&prov=knight&type=lgns

By Bob Brookover, Inquirer Staff Writer

The Eagles casually announced yesterday that Corey Simon's trip to the foot doctor in Maryland on Monday revealed that the starting defensive tackle has plantar fasciitis and that he will not play in tomorrow's exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

An ominous development for a team already decimated by injuries?

Not according to Mark Myerson, the foot specialist who treated Simon.

"His foot was very inflamed," Myerson said last night by cell phone. "He'll be back in training next week. He's been immobilized and taken care of."

Myerson said Simon's injury is not the same as the one that sidelined cornerback Bobby Taylor for nine games last season.

"Bobby's was more in the middle of the foot and a slightly different kind of problem," said Myerson, who also treated Taylor. "I think this is going to get better and be resolved fairly soon."

Myerson said he also told the trainers that Simon needs to lose weight. He is listed in the media guide at 293 pounds but reported to training camp much heavier.

"The weight is not the cause of this, but it doesn't help it," Myerson said. "It won't hurt him to lose some weight."

Art Bartolozzi, the former team physician, said linemen generally can return from plantar fasciitis faster than skill players.

"Skill players have a tough time with plantar fasciitis," said Bartolozzi, the chief of sports medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital. "It's much more disabling. With linemen, there is stuff we can put in their shoe so the arch is not stretched. You try to do that to someone like Bobby Taylor and they cannot play their position, but you can do it with linemen because they are generally moving straight ahead."

Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson suggested that even if Simon is ready for the Sept. 12 season opener against the New York Giants, he may be used in a limited capacity.

Simon, 27, has missed only two games in his four-year career, sitting out consecutive games in 2002 with a high ankle sprain. Back and foot injuries, however, have forced him to miss all but nine practices during training camp, and he also boycotted a seven-day voluntary minicamp in June to protest his contract. Simon is in the final year of the five-year contract he signed after the Eagles drafted him with their first-round pick in 2000.

Johnson said he is concerned about all the practice time that Simon and free safety Brian Dawkins have missed.

"Hopefully, next week we'll get something out of [simon]," Johnson said. "It's a concern. It's like Dawk. They need to get in football shape. They know the system. I know they'll perform, but it's just a matter of them being in hitting shape. That's what you kind of worry about. The mental part of it, they're both excellent football players."

Johnson said the Eagles are set up so that Simon can play himself into shape.

"The nice thing about it is that if we get all of our tackles back healthy, we have some guys in a rotation," Johnson said. "[simon] might have to work his way back into shape. He might not get as many plays in the opening game as we thought. I don't think he can go 40 plays, so that's when you say, 'Hey, we have to cut his playing time down in the first game.' "

The only defensive tackle missing now besides Simon is Sam Rayburn, who aggravated an ankle injury Monday that he suffered in the preseason opener against New England.

Dawkins went through a full practice yesterday, but won't play tomorrow and doesn't figure to play in the preseason finale Sept. 3 against the New York Jets.

"I'd like to see him play a series or two [against the Jets]," Johnson said. "But we might just say we're going to hold back."

After playing last week's game against the Baltimore Ravens without five defensive starters, the Eagles will be without four defensive starters tomorrow: Simon, Dawkins, linebacker Dhani Jones (ankle sprain) and defensive end N.D. Kalu. Kalu, of course, is done for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and has been replaced as a starter by Derrick Burgess. Weakside linebacker Nate Wayne will return to the lineup.

Dawkins doesn't think the defense's inability to play together in the preseason will be a problem once the regular season begins.

"As long as those guys learn the defense, we'll be fine," Dawkins said. "The thing is, week to week we have game plans and we need to master that game plan every week. If we do that, we'll all be on the same page."

[bird_1972]

Well, sounds like the Eagles dodged a bullet this time. They sure have had more than thier fair share of injuries in the preseason. Wonder if this is why they haven't looked so good thusfar.