Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry had what many would consider a disastrous season last year, playing far less than expected and not performing up to the level he has played at in the past when he did see the field.

Speaking this past weekend on 94 WIP, Curry gave one surprising reason for his poor play.

"I messed my MCL up," Curry said Sunday. "I tried to play through it, and in the long run it ended up hurting me. It is going to be a better year, everything has been perfect so far."

Curry said he suffered the injury before the team's Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns, and seemed to imply the MCL bothered him all of last season. He was listed on the injury report with a knee injury prior to Week 1, but he never specified how serious the injury was. He stopped appearing on the injury report after Week 3.

Despite the injury, Curry appeared in all 16 games and played 436 snaps. Curry finished last season with only 2.5 sacks and 26 tackles. The 2.5 sacks are the lowest for Curry since 2012, his rookie season, when he had zero.

The fact Curry's disappointing year came immediately after he signed a five-year, $46 million deal with the Eagles only added to the frustration from fans.

Curry, however, said he was confident he was going to have a bounce-back 2017 season.

"I see myself striving," Curry said.

Although the sack totals weren't there, last season wasn't a complete disaster for Curry.

Of the 436 snaps Curry was on the field, he rushed the passer on 282 of them, and totaled an impressive 40 quarterback pressures overall. Pro Football Focus had Curry as the ninth-most effective pass rusher in the NFL last season.

Although the numbers might not be as bad as the perception of his play is, the reality is that the Eagles are going to need more from Curry this season considering what they are paying him.

Curry's $9 million cap hit for next season is the fifth-highest on the team next season, and is a number that is way too high for what Curry gave them last season.

It will be interesting to see how much Curry plays in 2017, given the team drafted defensive end Derek Barnett with the No. 14 overall pick and signed free agent Chris Long.

Now healthy and fully recovered from his MCL injury, however, it is clear Curry sees himself playing more next season and coming closer to giving the Eagles the kind of production they expected to get from him when they gave him $18 million in guaranteed money.

What else does Curry see? An Eagles run at the playoffs.

"I actually do. I really do. I'm exited to see where it goes," Curry said. "I'm excited to be a part of it. There is nothing but positive energy.

THE NO-HUDDLE SHOW: Did Eagles improve enough?

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Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.