Tony Curtis spent the last three seasons on the Dallas Cowboys, looking across the sidelines at the Eagles twice a year as enemies. After signing with the Eagles last week, the tight end is looking forward to getting on the field as a member of his new team.

Curtis did not play last week against the Jaguars as he was still recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered when he was in camp with Kansas City. But Curtis has been a full participant in practice this week, and expects to play for about a half in the preseason finale against the Jets.

"I just want to show the coaches that I can pick up on the offense and just get in shape," Curtis said.

Curtis has been studying hard since arriving in Philadelphia.

"When I first got here, I got the training camp playbook, the big one," he said. "Since the first day, me and my position coach would go over one installation a day.

""I would meet with him before practice in the morning and then after practice. Then, I'd go home and study. That was last week. This week I got the game book, so it's a little smaller."

Curtis found himself in an unfamiliar position after he was released from the Chiefs as a result of his injury - he actually missed training camp.

"When you're in camp you're thinking you'd rather be anywhere else," he said, "but when you're not there, you feel like you're missing out on something.

"That couple of weeks was kind of hard not being able to go through camp and all the fundamental things. But I'm trying to catch up now and get my endurance back up and get back to game speed."

Curtis spent his time off rehabbing and working out, but he's glad to be back in an NFL locker room.

"I'm excited to come here," he said. "Since (the Cowboys) played against (the Eagles) so many times, I feel like I know some of the guys."

And he'll only get to know them better from here on out.

-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 4:10 p.m., August 31