On how healthy he is and how excited he is to be back after injuring his ribs: "I feel pretty good and I'm excited about getting back out there on the field, moving around a little bit and getting this offense going. It's a process, obviously, that you go through when you injure your ribs and patience is something you have to build into your everyday life. The thing about it is that I gave it an opportunity to rest, the bye week came at the right time and gave me an opportunity to get back out there this week."
On whether he is wearing any extra padding to protect the injury: "I will be wearing some things to get used to it. I'll be trying out different rib guards and some padding because I haven't really worn any in the last six or seven years. I will be trying different things out."
On whether he will have to be more patient with the extra padding than he was with the knee brace he wore after suffering a knee injury: "I don't know. We'll see how it goes."
On whether he expects to be feeling pain from the injury for the rest of the season: "No. When it comes to rib injuries, especially with fractures, it's probably about a six to eight week deal before it fully heals. I don't think I will be going through this type of deal for weeks. In due time it will heal up and I'll be able to get back to 100 percent. As far as right now, it's something that you battle with and you continue to grind, but nothing that will restrict me in any way."
On what it was like to come back from the bye week and see LB Jeremiah Trotter: "I see Trotter almost every week anyway. I knew about this for a while, so the thing about it is whenever you can add another piece to the puzzle and add more guys that can help on the defensive side, and a leader who's been there and done it it's going to help in so many ways."
On when he still feels discomfort in his ribs: "You still go through it when sleeping and quick movement while you are laying down or any other type of activity that you maybe involved in. It's nothing [compared] to how it was weeks prior."
On whether he feels that he will still be able to effectively throw the ball downfield: "Absolutely."
On how painful having a fractured rib is and when it hurts: "Laughing, coughing, sneezing affects it. Laying on your side is tough. You have to adjust to sleeping on your back and after a period of time you have to move because it starts to bother you. Sitting down for a period of time, it begins to bother you. Standing up for a period of time, it begins to bother you. That's why you see me sitting down a little bit on the sidelines because it felt like it was starting to tighten up a little bit and you just want to get off of it. Any type of movement that involves your back or lower body it really just starts to – it's like a stinging sensation – it really starts to bother you."
On whether there is any chance of going back to square one if he gets hit during the game: "No. Not at this point. It will be four weeks come Sunday and the bone is definitely healing. You obviously have to take a lot of calcium and zinc and iron and vitamin D to give that bone an opportunity to heal and the calcium to build around it. It's really healed fast. You just want to continue going through the right regimen of staying on it."
On how mentally difficult it is to deal with suffering an injury during week one: "It's tough. It was tough in that situation because you go through training camp, you go through preseason, the way the first game went and for you to take a shot like that to put you back and for you to miss the next three weeks is tough in any way. For the work that you put forth you have to pretty much put it on pause. Now it's sort of like I am starting the season back over again. I know at times in the game there is going to be an adjustment period, but again I just want to continue to prepare like I was in the first week and go out and try to play well."
On whether he has any discomfort throwing the ball downfield or if he feels okay throwing the ball 20 or 30 yards: "No, I can let it go."
On whether there is any chance he won't play on Sunday: "No, I'll be there."
On the reports that Rush Limbaugh is trying to become the owner of the St. Louis Rams: "If he's rewarded to buy them congratulations to him, but I won't be in St. Louis anytime soon."
On whether he would play for the Rams: "I'll be here."
On whether he feels that his injury was the result of a late hit: "He did [come in late], but there is nothing you can do at this point. Maybe I should have jumped up like [Patriots QB] Tom Brady did and asked for the flag. It's over, that was weeks ago. I guess I started something, then [Seahawks QB] Matt Hasselback got hit, it's over. I won't be the last that it happens to."
On the play of QB Michael Vick in his debut against the Chiefs: "I thought he did well. You have to remember it's not the preseason, it's the regular season. It was a big deal for him because he's been waiting for this opportunity for so long and you don't want to – not rush him into it but kind of work him in slowly. I thought he did a great job in his first game and the second game as well. He's trying to get his feet back under him and he's going to do a lot of good things for us."
On whether he got a different perspective on how Vick will be utilized by having to watch the Chiefs game: "We ran some of the same plays when we were out at practice."
On whether he got a different perspective on how Vick will be utilized in a game as opposed to practice or the preseason: "I knew how it would go even in the preseason when we ran it. You would give him an opportunity to kind of get a good feel with his reads and his keys and he's getting comfortable in it and it gives us an opportunity to open up the package a little more."
On whether watching from the sidelines gave him a different perspective on the team: "Not at all, I've seen this team throughout the minicamps and OTAs as well as during training camp and in training camp. As you all know, we turn up the heat out there [in training camp] and guys are battling and completing. What you are seeing right now is the younger guys are really starting to mature and develop into the players we know they can be. The veterans have really refined their game throughout the training camps and preseason and now it gives them the opportunity to open it up a little bit more. The [WR] DeSean Jacksons, the [TE] Brent Celeks, [RB LeSean] McCoys, [WR Jeremy] Maclins and on the defensive side it's the same way. Guys are really starting to step up and make plays for us."
On the way the officials have been calling quarterback contact, and whether quarterbacks who have a reputation of being able to run around don't get the benefit of the doubt: "I don't know. Guys move if they have to. I don't think that there is a restriction or some type of limit of what you can call, what you would call if a guy is a mobile guy or not. It's a decision that the ref has to make. Sometimes he's right, sometimes he's wrong. But that's how life goes."
On whether he thinks guys like Colts QB Peyton Manning and Patriots QB Tom Brady get calls that other guys like himself don't get: "I don't know. I'm not those guys. That's not my decision to make or for me to even answer that."
On how open and patient he will have to be with using QB Michael Vick in the Wildcat: "I'm fine with it. I said I was fine with it before. I think a lot of things get blown way out of proportion when something new occurs. We've been at this thing now for, I believe, the last six weeks or five weeks or whatever it might be. There is a trial period. There is a transition period. I think we are at a point right now where we see the different things we can do with it. I'm excited about it. The fun thing about it is that we haven't even touched the surface of what we will do with it. It's going to be something that is going to benefit us and put pressure on defenses, and with our offense being able to improve and really play at a high level in our passing game as well as in our regular run game, that's just another added dimension."
On whether he has the freedom to check out of the Wildcat and go back to the regular offense: "(Jokingly) Why would I do that? To give you more stuff to talk about? (Serious) The thing about it is that if I recognize it, or if Mike is back there, or if a running back is back there, we'll prepare for everything that we'll be faced with. There is a reason why we called the play. It gives you different options. If we have to check, then Mike will. (Jokingly) I've been open a lot of times that we've run it, so I would like for him to check to a pass. Just watch the film, I've been open down the sideline."
On whether he has a problem with the Wildcat taking the ball out of his hands 15 times a game: "(Jokingly) If we're passing the ball 50 times and we're running 75 plays, I think I'm alright."
On whether he would have a problem with using the Wildcat in the red zone: "I'm all about scoring touchdowns. I'm all about winning ball games. You guys have said that we have problems in the red zone, if we're scoring touchdowns it doesn't matter. Again, it goes back to just an added weapon that we have. If it causes me to go in motion and we do some trick plays and we find ourselves in the end zone, I'm all for it."
On head coach Andy Reid saying that RB LeSean McCoy will still have a prominent role in the offense even with RB Brian Westbrook back healthy, and how that can help the offense: "It takes pressure off Brian because now you're not asking him to do everything. I think we're all so accustomed to seeing Brian out there rushing for a 100 [yards], catching for 80, picking up blitzes, playing 65 plays a game – that's tough for any running back, that's tough on any player. I think that when you can rotate different guys in and still keep that same attack mode – we know what McCoy is capable of doing and the sky is the limit for him - it takes pressure off him. We have both guys still playing at a high level all throughout the season, it's a long season ahead of us. It all matters that you can maintain and stay playing at a high level from the beginning to the middle and then you're playing great at the end, that's all that matters."
On why he thinks Reid has had so much success coming off the bye: "I don't know. We've been able to really get things going at the right time. Guys can get back healthy and kind of restart this whole thing over. Early on we were upset about having the bye early on, and now we're pretty excited that it happened last week."
On whether he expects the team to take a mental lift in having McNabb back this game: "A mental lift? I would rather for the guys to just kind of stay even-keeled, play the way they played in the New Orleans game as well as in the Kansas City game, and I don't expect anything different. We are somewhat two different quarterbacks but still running the same offense and doing the same things, and I think Kolb really did play well. He really played well and the offense really rallied around him and guys stepped up and made plays for him and that's all you want. You want guys to not rely on you so much to make every play. At some point, somebody else has to step up and make plays, and they really did that."
On why both he and Kolb have been able to work the middle of the field so much: "I think a lot of teams try and take [WR] DeSean [Jackson] out of the offense and try to go into a coverage that forces us to work the inside of the field, the tight ends, the receivers who have worked on the inside, and running backs. When you see teams going to a man coverage or whatever, you work the outside. Just taking what the defense gives you. [TE] Brent Celek has been able to really flourish in this offense because of that. We have the players who can make plays for you. You just want to give them that opportunity."
On what WR Jason Avant's best attribute is: "I think so many people rely so much on speed and seeing speed, but if you have an ability to create separation with moves or your first step or just having a great feel, that's what Jason has. Jason is a lot faster than people think, but he's a smart player. You look at guys who weren't fast, guys like the Chris Carters and guys who can work in the slot, and being able to get the ball six to eight catches for 80 yards and still pick up five first downs, that's what you need. You need guys like that. Then, you put the guys on the outside who are your so-called burners to make plays downfield. Jason has had a lot work in the slot as well as the outside, but the team has the utmost confidence in Jason."
On whether he has to be in tune with his body this Sunday since it's his first game back: "I don't even focus on the body aspect of it. I just kind of try to get myself into a great rhythm and do the right things for this team. If it's looking downfield and if nothing is there, checking down to the back, or pick up with your lanes, whatever it might be. I think it's important on offense to keep the chains moving and score touchdowns. At the end of the day when you see that, then hopefully we'll come out with a win."
