Offensive tackle Winston Justice said that after undergoing a cleanout procedure of his left knee on February 22 the surgery was "a success" and that he expects to have "no issues at all"" next season.

The initial injury happened in the fourth quarter of the December 2 win over the Houston Texans. Described as a hyperextended knee by head coach Andy Reid the following day, Justice missed the next two games. Justice played through pain for the remainder of the season and returned to his home in Naples, Fla. after the season to rest the knee with the intention of it getting better.

The pain persisted, however, and it was determined that surgery was the best course of action. Justice returned to Philadelphia to begin rehabbing the knee prior to surgery. Despite a report that the surgery could have been career threatening, Justice is confident that he will be 100 percent effective next season.

"I just need to rehab these next couple months and then get back as soon as I can," Justice said. "That's why I'm hitting the rehab so hard."

Justice has been working out at the NovaCare Complex. In the event of a work stoppage, Justice will continue to rehab at the office of Dr. James Andrews, who performed the surgical procedure, in Pensacola, Fla. As the Eagles' representative for the players' union, Justice has been trying to tell his teammates to be proactive and prepare for the work stoppage. Even Justice admitted that it's hard for football players, by nature, to plan ahead.

"The thing is with football players, and I'm the same way, we live in the moment," Justice said. "We're thinking about that practice. We're thinking about that play. We're thinking about that game. It's hard to look that far ahead."

Justice has his plan in place. He will rehab with his eyes set on bouncing back next season and being an outstanding blindside protector for quarterback Michael Vick.

-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 10:30 a.m., March 4