QB Kevin Kolb
On how different it is for him going into this week's game knowing that he is the starting quarterback compared to filling in as a starter when QB Donovan McNabb was hurt in 2009: "It's a little bit different. It's a lot alike, as well. Green Bay's a good team, just like New Orleans was. So I'm trying to pull off a lot of the things we did last year against them, but it's going to be a 16-game run here with the regular season, so we want to get it started off on the right foot."
On whether he has reached out to any quarterbacks this week for advice: "I reached out to a few of them. (Packers QB) Aaron (Rodgers) and I exchanged phone calls yesterday, and I look forward to talking here pretty quick."
On how Rodgers has helped him during this process: "The big thing I pull from him is how he handled everything. The whole picture, that's with (QB) Brett (Favre) leaving, similar to me with Donovan, also, in my opinion, it's taking over a good team, it's not like young guys who come in and they're doing a rebuilding thing, we both had good teams coming in to, so success is demanded right off the bat, and it's no different here."
On what type of advice Rodgers has given to him: "We have just exchanged text messages, it really hasn't been a full-fledged conversation yet, so like I said, that will come."
On what has impressed him with the way Rodgers handled taking over for Favre: "Just how steady he is. Nobody ever questioned his confidence. They've always known he had the ability, but the way he has just shown solid confidence through the whole thing, not only is that solid for the fans and the media, and everybody looking from the outside, but it's important for his own teammates. They never want to see their quarterback waver. So that's something that I can pull from, and obviously use."
On how he is approaching this first game considering that he does not want to get too amped: "Well, you don't want to get yourself too amped, too early. We've all been chopping at the bit here for the last four or five days to get out here and practice. (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) always tells us the game is on Sunday, but we have to play within ourselves. We know what we have, and we've got a great game plan, and I'm looking forward to putting it on the field and see what we've got."
On whether having the experience of making two starts last season will help him from getting too amped: "Yeah, sure. You pull off of what you've done, and that's the two games that I've gone in and started. So I know what I need to feel like come game time. And now I have my routine down for the preparation during the week, and it's all stuff that I have to learn as I go, but I can pull off those two games from last year. We obviously want it to be a little bit different than New Orleans. We want to go out there and win."
On who stands out on the Packers defense: "Collectively, they are pretty solid all the way around. They give you a lot of different looks. They ended up the year on a strong run defensively. (Packers CB Charles) Woodson's always been a great player, I think all around the secondary they're pretty savvy, so we have our work cut out for us, but we're talented too, but like I said, I look forward to putting it on the field."
On how prepared he is for this experience: "I'm very prepared. We're very prepared as a team. The coaches do a great job here, I think we have the best coaching staff in the NFL, so preparation won't be an issue. And I know energy won't either. It's getting out there and executing against a good defense and putting it all together."
On how anxious he is to get his first game as starting quarterback under his belt: "Very anxious. Very anxious for not only my first game, it keeps going from there. First road game, and going to Jacksonville and all of that, so there's a lot of first times this year for me, obviously. I just try to take it one step at a time, and right now I want my first win today, and we'll work from there and don't get ahead of yourself. That's how you get behind, in my opinion. So, looking to forward going and playing the Packers and seeing what we have."
On the challenge of having a high excitement level as a team because of the many young players: "We have a lot of energy. That's never going to be an issue with us. It's a lot of first times for a lot of guys, and especially us as an entire group. I think our big thing is going to be calming everybody down, making sure we execute, and we stick to the details that we worked on all week long, and that starts today. Practice will have a lot of energy today, as well, and it'll be the leaders job to kind of calm things down and make sure we play within ourselves."
On how this game compares to his first career start against New Orleans last season: "It's similar to New Orleans, because it's a tough game, but at the same time, I know I have a 16-game run here with this team and we're looking to do things for the next 16 weeks, but I don't want to get caught up looking down the road. I want to focus on this game right now, and then we'll get a "w".
On how important it is for the team to get C Jamaal Jackson back on the field for week one: "It's very important. Jamaal's a key ingredient to our offense. He's kind of a stronghold in there. He's an intelligent guy, and him and I are clicking on all phases. There are no issues there."
On how McNabb put his own "spin" on the offense, and what it means to him to be able to have the opportunity to do the same thing: "My play's a little bit different than Donovan's. For us, we're just all about execution and consistency. That's what we want to try to preach, and run the gameplan the best it can be run. That's what, not only I bring, but all of the ingredients of the team bring, so we'll just keep focusing on that and hopefully we'll get rolling Sunday."
On playing behind an offensive line that did not play at all together during the preseason and how long it will take for it to gel together: "Hopefully today. There's no room for error, so we'll work our tails off, make sure preparation-wise we're there. Get the extra work needed throughout the week, and the chemistry will be there. I have no issues, no worries about it."
On whether he has spoken to McNabb at all or if that line of communication is shut off: "It's still open, but I haven't talked to him in the last couple of weeks."
On whether he sees any similarities between himself and QB Aaron Rodgers: "I mean, I'd like to say there are some similarities there. He gets the ball out fairly quickly and he's got a good, quick release. And of course his execution is the main thing I look at, along with the success he's had the last couple years. So, there are a lot of things to pull off from him and I look at him very closely. But again, you're in a different system, a different situation, and of course you're two different players. But there's definitely plenty to take from Aaron and I like the way he handled the situation."
On whether it is important to get Celek and Avant involved in the middle of the field: "Yeah, it's very important. They have good corners, so we're looking forward to getting them going in the middle of the field, anywhere on the field and they're key ingredients to our offense. I think that's the best thing about our offense is that it can be anybody's game at any time and we have the talent at every position to take over. So, everybody will get their shot."
On whether he remembers his first game at Houston: "Yeah, sure do. That was a good one. We got after them pretty good and we executed well. So, those are experiences that I lean back on all the time, and that's definitely one of them."
On whether anything is going through his mind after waiting so long for this opportunity: "One day at a time. That's all I keep telling myself. That's the only way I've learned up to this point; that's what's great about sitting. If you try to get ahead and you start looking at the year, your career, where we're going be in week eight, you just get caught up in it and it hinders you. So, my big deal this year is to just take it one game at time, one play at a time and one practice at a time, which is what I'm about to go do."
On how he always seems to keep a calm demeanor and whether there is a fire inside to play: "Yeah, I call it like a duck on the water. Up above, it's always smooth, but inside you're churning and I'm as amped and ready as anybody. I have to control my emotions just like anybody else. But being a quarterback and your teammates looking at you – anybody who gets looked at – you have to be able to just keep a steady hand. And so, that's whenever we play the best, when I play the best, and that's the way that I train myself to play."
On whether it would have been better to play a different team than Green Bay because of the comparisons between him and Aaron Rodgers: "No. I mean, look, we know they're a great team and I like that we're going out and we're testing ourselves right off the bat. There are a lot of questions around the league – we don't have questions in here – but there are a lot of questions around the league of what we have and again, we look forward to putting it to the test this weekend against a good football team."
On whether he has to temper his own expectations and the expectations from the fans of a Super Bowl: "I have the blinders on anyway. I just try to focus in on what we do here and try not to listen to them too much. I understand what you're saying, but that's where we want to go. Those are the expectations. Although, it may not happen right away, we're going to go through some rough patches, that's our expectation. So, we're on the same boat as what other people are thinking."
On whether he has to be prepared to have some disappointment: "Yeah, I mean you have to play those scenarios out in your head because they're going to be there. But, I'm thinking positively and just dealing with them upfront and trustworthy and taking the blame for what happens is the best way I've learned to do it. And then you just forget about it, move on, and go make something positive out of it."
On how growing up in a household where his father was involved in football helped prepare him for the NFL: "Well, like I've said before is when my Dad taught me that all eyes were on me whenever I was 10 years old, that meant a lot to me, that there were varsity kids looking at me and how I was handling myself. So, now that I'm in a bigger situation it's somewhat similar. Like I said, you have to be ready to keep a steady hand in a pressure situation. All those experiences I lean back on."
On whether his father was the biggest influence in his life: "Absolutely, yeah. I was with him day in and day out in the locker room. He instilled those things in me from a young age, so it's never been a change as I've gotten older and gone through the different levels."
On what he thinks about the Green Bay secondary: "They're solid and obviously have some Pro Bowl players there. They have a lot of playmakers and they have some young kids that are going to play also. So, it's going to be a challenge for us and we look forward to going out there and answering the test."
LB Stewart Bradley
On whether he believes he will be seeing a lot of Packers TE Jermichael Finley: "We'll see how that all plays out."
On what the Packers offense does so well: "Their quarterback is super accurate, obviously. One of the most accurate in the NFL. They have a lot of weapons."
On the Packers' receiving corps: "They're all sure-handed guys, they run good routes. They're definitely a handful, for sure."
S Nate Allen:
On whether it feels surreal that he is starting as a rookie: "Yeah, it does. Once you get onto the football field, all of that has to go away. You just have to focus on playing and just trying to play ball."
On what the most eye-opening experience has been for him during the past couple of months: "Just the mental part of everything. The transition going from college to being a pro. It's your job now and you have go at it that way, when you're tired, fatigued, you just have to fight through all of that."
C Jamaal Jackson
On having to go up against a 3-4 defense in his first game back and whether it is a big difference to have a nose tackle in his face the entire game: "It is. What I worked on a lot was trying to handle the bull rush a little bit. I did that a few times last week and I think we'll continue to work on that type of speed and what they like to do."
On whether it is better to play at home against Green Bay: "It can be a little bit of an advantage for us, but you still have to play the game, whether you are home or away you have to put your best foot forward."
On how the team can duplicate going up against DT B.J. Raji in practice to prepare him for Sunday: "I don't know. We're going to try to do the best we can, as far as duplicating him, but we've got some heavy guys here on our defensive line, they're going to give me a pretty good look today."
