NFL Eagles' Staley seeks to reach 1,000 yards for third time

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Duce Staley knew he'd return from his injuries. He couldn't have predicted he'd be a better player.
After two injury-plagued seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Staley is on track to reach 1,000 yards for the third time in his six-year career. He enters Saturday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys with 945 yards rushing on 233 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per rush.
"Reaching 1,000 yards is big for a running back, especially dealing with the injuries," Staley said Tuesday. "Once you have two serious injuries, you start questioning yourself if you can play at a high level, so that means a lot."
Staley was off to a solid start in 2000 before a foot injury ended his season in Week 5. He returned last season, but his workload went down, getting more than 17 times in a game just twice. Staley finished with a career-low 604 yards rushing and 3.6 average yards per carry, but he tied for the team-high with 63 receptions. He missed two games early in the season with a shoulder injury, and wore a harness to protect the shoulder the rest of the year.
Staley worked hard in the weight room in the off-season, improving his upper-body strength to decrease the chances of another injury. He has worked diligently on his lower body since the foot injury.
"He had a great training camp," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He came back in great shape. He was four pounds less than what he was the year before. He was strong and I just thought he looked explosive out there."
Staley nearly lost his job before the season when Philadelphia considered signing free agent Warrick Dunn. But the former Tampa Bay running back went to Atlanta, and Staley returned to the Eagles.