On whether he anticipates getting more touches this week if QB Donovan McNabb doesn't play: "Hopefully not. I think we have a core group of running backs that can carry the load a little bit. Me, (RB) LeSean (McCoy), and (FB) Leonard (Weaver), add (RB Eldra) Buckley in there a little bit, we definitely can get it done. In the past when Donovan has been hurt, we tend to run the ball a little bit more. I think that they have a little bit more confidence in (QB) Kevin (Kolb), just from what he's been able to do in the preseason, what he's been able to do in practice, so hopefully, he'll be able to spread the ball around a little bit too."
On whether having QB Jeff Garcia back helps put everybody's mind at ease: "Jeff's been doing a good job playing quarterback for a long time in this league. We know what Jeff can do as a player. We know what he can do as a leader for this team. Hopefully he won't be in a position where he has to play. Hopefully Kevin goes out there and lights things up and does his thing. But if Jeff really is called upon to play, we know what Jeff can do."
On what he can do to make things easier on Kolb:"Just help him out, different reads, continue to protect well, give him some time in the pocket, continue to support him. That's what players on this team have to do and everybody has to step up a little bit more. Kevin is a very good player. He's a very smart player. He knows the offense very well, so we're excited about him being in there, but at the same time, of course, he's probably going to need a little bit of help from the other guys on the offense."
On whether he thinks Kolb needs an entire game to show what he can do: "I think just a little bit, from the Baltimore game, how he's done in preseason, so it's a little bit different. It's a little bit different when you prepare for a team for a whole week, again being the second-string guy and not really preparing as much. I have a lot of confidence in Kevin. I know he'll go out there and do his thing. That's what the team expects from him as well."
On how tough it is to come back the next week from a broken rib and not miss any time on the field:"It's tough to do it. Like I said before, it's all about how much pain you can take and tolerate. Donovan, he is a tough guy. He might be able to take a little bit more pain than I can. Hopefully we'll have him back, but if not, it's just because of pain. It's painful when you get hit, when you breathe, when you run. It's painful every time you move."
On whether he thinks that having a broken rib affects a quarterback differently than a running back: "I have no clue. I know how it feels for me, it hurts."
On whether McNabb not practicing all week and then playing in the game would throw off the offense: "I don't think it would throw us off, it would just be our regular quarterback back in there. If we have Donovan in there we're excited. If we have Kevin in there we're excited. As far as the offense, we just need to be prepared to go out there and win the football game. The other ten guys, other than the quarterback, on the team have to be ready to play and make a contribution. If we do that, we'll be fine."
On when he started seeing a difference in T Winston Justice's play: "I think in camp he started playing very well. He's aggressive. He went out there and played like we knew he could, I guess when they drafted him. I think that he added a lot of confidence to his game, that happened through mini camp as well as training camp, and you could tell out there on the field. I told him today, 'You did a good job in the game, continue to get better.' I think as he plays more and more he'll do nothing but get better."
On where his body is at in terms of recovering from the first game: "I feel pretty good. You get dinged up a little bit when you get hit, but for the most part I feel pretty good."
On what the strengths of the Saints defense are: "They have two good guys coming off the edge. They have a linebacker core – two of their linebackers have been there for a long time. You add (LB Jonathan) Vilma in there, he can run around a little bit too. Then they have the secondary, their leader really is (S) Darren Sharper. They have some players across the board that can play. I think, for us, it'll be important for us to protect – I'm sure with Kevin in there, whoever is going to be in there, they're going to try and come after him a little bit, for us we have to protect him and make sure that he's able to step up in the pocket and throw the ball down the field. Other than that, we have to be able to run the ball too. Any time that you go into a game you have to be able to run the ball as well as throw the ball down the field. I think it's more important now, if Kevin is going to play, that we have a running game too."
On whether his contract is what he expected it to be when he signed it: "Yup. That's true."
On what made him comfortable with the contract structure: "I think the contract, really for me is old news. I think when I signed it I knew what it was, the Eagles knew what it was. It is what it is. I can't change it. I don't think the Eagles want to change it. I wouldn't want to change it either. I accepted it as it was at that point when I signed it, that's what it is."
On whether the new contract puts an emphasis on him needing to have a good season: "Really, I've read it in the newspaper. You have to sign the paperwork. I signed it a week and a half ago, so for me, I think it's been kind of blown out of proportion as far as the way it's been covered in the newspaper. For me, I just continue to play football and let the chips fall where they may."
On whether he is friends with T/G Shawn Andrews and how he feels about losing him for the season: "I am friends with Shawn. I continue to support Shawn whether he's playing or not playing. Of course it's disappointing when you lose an important ingredient in your team, an offensive lineman that was a Pro Bowl caliber player. It's always tough when you lose somebody like that. Of course I'm disappointed that he's not going to be able to play. Of course I'm disappointed that he worked so hard to come back and he wasn't able to quite get right with his back. But at the same time, it's an injury and in football you're going to have injuries and you have to move onto the next guy, and Winston is the next guy."
On how there is a perception out there that Andrews is not as hurt as he says: "I'm Shawn's teammate and I'm his friend as well. If he tells me that he's hurt, who am I to question that? I can't question whether he's really hurt or whether he's not. I support him no matter what. I support him as a person. I think as a player you want to go out there and play as much as possible. You don't want to sit on the sideline. You might not want to practice as much but you definitely want to play in the games. I don't think that he's to the extent that he would fake something like that, but at the same time, as his friend I'm going to support him. If he needs anything he's still going to call upon me for whatever. It's been kind of tough on him because everybody thinks he's faking and everybody thinks he's kind of messed up in the head as far as his depression last year. There's been a lot of pressure on him as a person lately and hopefully he'll be able to make his way through."
On whether the offense feels pressure to put up extra points because the Saints have such a high-powered offense: "Hopefully our defense can show up like they did last week. They did a great job of getting turnovers and giving us the ball, scoring points, special teams scoring points. Any time that you can have a contribution from your defense and your special teams it's very good. For us, offensively we have to start a little bit faster. We can't have the penalties early in the game. We can't have the drops early in the game, but we still have to be able to move the ball up and down the field, whether it's against the Saints or anybody else."
On how long he sees himself playing for: "I take it one day at a time. I go out there and try to play every single day. Hopefully at the end of this contract I'll be able to play again. It really just depends on how healthy I am when I'm done."
