Eagles Staley out for season

PHILADELPHIA (AP) â€” Philadelphia Eagles running back Duce Staley will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair his injured right foot. <br><br>Staley was injured in a 38-10

Wednesday, October 11th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PHILADELPHIA (AP) â€” Philadelphia Eagles running back Duce Staley will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair his injured right foot.

Staley was injured in a 38-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 1. The surgery was performed by specialist Dr. Evan Ekman in Columbia, S.C.

Staley had not missed an NFL game, and started 29 consecutive games before missing Sunday's game against Washington.

Also Tuesday, the Eagles signed running back Amp Lee to a one-year contract to replace Staley on the roster.

``We expect Duce to have a full recovery and be ready to go for the 2001 season,'' coach Andy Reid said in a statement. ``His loss puts us in a situation where we needed to add another running back to the roster and we chose to bring in a proven veteran in Amp Lee.''

Staley rushed for 201 yards in a 41-14 season-opening victory over the Dallas Cowboys, but had been slowed since that game. In five games, Staley gained 344 yards on 79 carries.

Brian Mitchell, Darnell Autry, Stanley Pritchett and Lee will attempt to fill the void created by Staley's absence.

Lee, entering his ninth NFL season, was a member of the Super Bowl-champion St. Louis Rams. He has played in 113 career games (14 starts) and rushed for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns, while catching 334 passes for 3,079 yards and 15 touchdowns.

``Amp has been a quality running back in the NFL, not only as a third-down back, but when he has been used in normal situations as well,'' Reid said.