Sturgis' resurgence gives Eagles a leg up

Caleb Sturgis couldn't have made a worse first impression with the Eagles, leaving many wondering whether there would be a second chance.

Signed after placekicker Cody Parkey suffered a season-ending groin injury against the New York Jets, Sturgis missed his first field goal attempt from 33 yards with this new team and then botched his first extra point attempt during a 23-20 loss to the Washington Redskins. That dropped the Eagles' record to 1-3.

Sturgis kept his job, but he drew groans at Lincoln Financial Field when he missed an extra point the next week in a 39-17 win over the New Orleans Saints. Sturgis, however, also hit all four field goal attempts in that game and since then has continued to produce.

Now Sturgis faces a chance at redemption when the Eagles (4-4) host the Miami Dolphins (3-5) on Sunday. Sturgis played his first two seasons in Miami after the Dolphins drafted him in the fifth round from the University of Florida.

After Sturgis' first Eagles game, even he wondered whether he would earn a second chance with the team.

"That thought crossed my mind a little bit, but mostly I felt bad that I let the team down, and I was upset by that," he said this week after a practice. "I thought all I could do was concentrate on not letting it happen again."

Eagles coach Chip Kelly said that Sturgis' difficult start was a collective effort.

"I think a lot of the blame sometimes just goes on the kicker, but if the snap isn't exactly where it needs to be, or if we don't get the laces out of the way, sometimes it's not always on the kicker," Kelly said. "I think we cleaned up some things in the operation aspect of it, and he kicked the ball really well in the last couple of weeks."

During his two seasons with Miami, he connected on 55 of 71 field goal attempts and made all 74 conversion attempts. (This year the conversion kicks have been moved back to 33 yards from 20).

Sturgis got on the wrong track in the offseason when he suffered a left quad injury during a team-organized kickball event.

"The injury held me back a little the first few weeks of camp, when I wasn't 100 percent. But by the end, I thought I was hitting the ball well," he said.

The Dolphins thought otherwise, and now he gets to face his old teammates while on quite a roll.

After hitting a 52-yard field goal in the Eagles' 27-16 loss at Carolina on Oct. 25, Sturgis made his biggest kick with his new team in the 33-27 overtime win at Dallas on Sunday. With 1 minute, 46 seconds left in regulation, Sturgis hit a 53-yard field goal that gave the Eagles a 27-24 lead.

"I thought I made good contact with it," said Sturgis, whose career high was a 54-yarder during his rookie season at Indianapolis. "It was staying a little bit right, but I thought it was going in."

Now he gets to face some awfully familiar faces

"I look forward to seeing all the guys on the sideline," said Sturgis, whose brother Nathan plays for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. "I am still really good friends with a lot of the players down there and will be friends with them for a long time, and I hope the players do well, but this Sunday I definitely want to get the win."

His former teammates feel the same.

"It was tough to see him leave here, but I am happy to see him get another opportunity because he can play, obviously," Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill said this week on a conference call. "Kicking is a big element to any football team, so I wish him the best and hopefully we will keep him off the field this week."

As for wanting revenge on the Dolphins, Sturgis smiled, but he remained diplomatic, saying, "I would feel good it we were 5-4 after this week."

Notable. Eagles left tackle Jason Peters, who missed the Dallas game with a back injury, is listed as questionable. Peters was a full participant in practice on Friday after being limited the previous two days. . . . Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews was fined $5,787 by the NFL for throwing the ball into the stands after his game-winning touchdown against the Cowboys. Players are allowed to hand the ball to fans, but they cannot throw it into the stands, for safety reasons.

mnarducci@phillynews.com

@sjnard