On whether he expects to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday 8/8: "I guess so. Coach said the starters will probably play about a quarter and a half. So, I would expect so."
On whether he has any thoughts of not playing at Pittsburgh: "Not at this present time, no."
On whether there's been any progress made on his contract negotiations: "They continue to talk. They continue to talk, trying to discuss the structure and numbers and things like that; trying to get it done. Hopefully, they'll be able to get it done soon."
* On whether he worries about getting injured playing in preseason games:*
"I don't really go into the game thinking so much about injuries. I just go out there and try to play my game. Hopefully, things will work out before then. If not, I'll have to see how things go when game time comes."
On owner Jeffrey Lurie's comments at his press conference on 8/4 that he doesn't "have a problem when a player outperforms his contract" and whether that makes Westbrook happy: "It does. He's the owner, so it definitely makes you feel good. Hopefully, things get done sooner than later. I'm positive, I'm really optimistic about how things have been going. Hopefully, they'll continue to go good."
On whether he has any thoughts of not playing at Pittsburgh: "No, I'm ready to play. I mean, I'm ready to play the game of football. You want to do things in the proper way. Of course you would want the contract before the game starts. That's how things work. Hopefully, that's how things will work out this time."
On how much attention he has paid to St. Louis RB Steven Jackson's holdout: "None."
On whether Jackson's negotiations will have any impact on his own: "If I am correct, I think he's working off of his rookie deal. It's a little bit of a difference, there. He's a great running back. There's a little bit of an impact, but the situation's a lot different between mine and his."
On whether he is more encouraged now about his contract negotiations: "I wouldn't say I'm more encouraged. I just think things are going well. I think they continue to communicate, continue to talk and, hopefully, things will be resolved soon."
On how much he played in the first preseason game in 2007:(Jokingly) "It wasn't very much, I don't think."
On what he's expecting from playing the game: "I don't know. That all depends on [head] coach [Andy] Reid and how he wants to do things. It just depends on what he wants to do."
* On whether he enjoys playing in preseason games more than practice at training camp:*
"Not really. I think that it's a great opportunity for the younger guys to get out there and show what they can do. For the older guys, if you've been around the block a couple times, you know what you're going to have to do when you get out there. Play a couple series in the preseason and be healthy for the regular season."
On what he looks to accomplish in preseason games: "I think more important are the live periods that we've done out here on the practice fields; for me. Preseason, it's tough because you're not really gameplanning very much. Most of the time, during the year, you're going to gameplan for a whole week, and then play a game. Preseason is a little bit different because you're just putting all your plays in and you're not really gameplanning. It's hard, sometimes, to compare offenses and defenses like that. We'll go out there, we'll play, we'll compete, and, hopefully, we'll win."
* On whether he's excited about the addition of RB Lorenzo Booker:*
"There's no question, there's a lot more weapons on offense, with the addition of him. [WR] Jason Avant has come around a lot. [WR] Hank Baskett is catching the ball, and [WR] DeSean Jackson as well. Lorenzo brings a different aspect to the game where we're going to be able to have two running backs on the field that have speed, have the ability to make people miss, as well as catch the ball. It's exciting to have a guy like that out there on the field with you."
* On whether he's seen anything in camp that excites him about the offense:*
"I just think the guys have come out and shown what everyone expected them to be able to do. We knew that Lorenzo could catch the ball out of the backfield. We knew he was quick, fast, and we knew almost the same thing for DeSean as well. Those guys have continued to work on their game, continued to do the things that we already felt they were going to do well. It's no surprise, we've just been impressed with the work that they've been able to do."
* On whether he's noticed a difference in QB Donovan McNabb at this camp:*
"Yeah, of course. He looks better. With his knee, it looks more solid. He's throwing the ball down the field very well. He continues to do that. He's just being Donovan McNabb."
* On whether, in hindsight, he's happy he came to training camp:*
"I feel good that I'm here with the guys, [that I] had the opportunity to get ready for the season, and, hopefully, my contract situation will work itself out soon."
* On what it was like for him in his first preseason game when he was a rookie:*
"I was nervous. I don't think I prepared myself enough for my first preseason game. I didn't know what it took to be a NFL player. As you continue to grow, as you continue to get older, you know what it takes to prepare yourself for a game. Things are just happening so fast. Hopefully, those guys, they'll learn from this experience, their first preseason game, and get better by the second game."
* On whether he enjoys watching the younger players get into the preseason games:*
"Yeah. I definitely enjoy it because guys talk trash. They say they can do this, they say they can do that, but you never really know until it's live out there, full go. I like to see those guys have success. We know what they can do in shells and pads and just helmets, but we want to see what they can do out there on the field when live bullets are being thrown around. It will be exciting to see those young guys play."
* On the collective bargaining agreement and how it affects his contract:*
"They continue to communicate about it. I can't really go [into too much detail], because, to be honest, I don't really know all the different rules in depth. I know the titles of them, but I don't know them very much in depth. I can't really elaborate too much on that. That's why I have an agent. That's why he's there to try and get things done."
* On whether he thinks the front office's hands are tied as a result of the CBA rules:*
"I think to a point their hands are tied. I also know that there is a way that things can get worked out. Through the research that my agent has been able to do—we've been talking to the NFLPA and things like that—I do know that there is a way that things can work. It just comes down to whether it's going to happen or not."
