Eagles chatter

Comments from Eagles coaches and players after the game, transcribed by the club's media relations staff (click on full entry below for complete comments):

Head Coach Andy Reid
(Opening statement)
“On the injury side, [Richmond] McGee, our backup punter and kicker, had a little back spasm before the game and couldn’t go. [Brian] Dawkins has an ankle strain. He will have an MRI tomorrow morning. [Jamaal] Jackson has a concussion. Ryan Moats sprained his ankle right at the end of the game.

“All in all, I thought it was a good game in some spots. In others spots, we need to pick up and do some work. We have a couple of weeks to get ourselves ready before the season starts. I was glad to see we tackled better and caught the ball better than we did last week [vs. Panthers]. We still have to work on the penalties. Too many penalties. I thought our special teams played better. We have to continue to get better on our coverage team. Our coverage team has been good all camp but today we gave up a couple too many yards. It was good to see the young returners do some things.”

(On if he knows how serious safety Brian Dawkins’ ankle injury is)
“I don’t. We X-rayed it and there wasn’t a break there. We will see what the MRI says.”

(On how well the receiving corps did tonight without Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown)
“I thought they played well. I will have to analyze it on the film. I thought they caught the ball well and it looked like Donovan [McNabb] gave them a chance to do some things and the O-line did some pretty good things.”

(On his thoughts on free safety Quintin Demps and wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s returns for touchdowns)
“Well, they have to continue to work at it. Once we get things settled down here and we get that front line the way we want it on both sides, then they will get used to a group and do an even better job. I think they are both explosive players. They are different in their game but they are both explosive, young and have a lot of energy. We have to keep one eye on each of them. They have some personality. They love to play and they bring great energy to the football team.”

Quarterback Donovan McNabb
(On how the game went tonight)
“Well we thought the weather was really nice. The lights were pretty bright. The fans were excited. It was a great opportunity for us to bounce back after last week [vs. Panthers]. Last week, we had a lot of key mistakes. There were dropped balls, miscues and some miscommunication. It is easy to sit and blame the weather but I thought this week we were able to come out and play our style of football with being able to establish the run and play-action pass. We were able to move the ball consistently.”

(On where he feels his progress is if this is his last preseason game this season)
“I feel very comfortable with the guys and where we are at right now. I thought in training camp that we were all on the same page and we continue to get better each day. I think where we are at right now shows a lot of progress.”

Cornerback Asante Samuel
(On coming back to Foxborough)
“The first initial feeling when I came out on the field, I wasn’t really thinking about it. I went over to see some of the guys and say hello.”

(On getting a hit on Randy Moss)
“It was fun. I have something to call him and joke about with him. I’ll tell him he doesn’t have any moves on me.”

(On the reception from the fans)
“It was all good. They love me; they hate me. They miss me, but I’m not playing for them anymore, so they hate me.”

Quintin Demps, Free Safety
(On punt return)
“I trusted my blockers and hit the hole. I saw it forming behind the wedge and just went for it. I have to give credit to my blockers.”

(On playing defense)
“I have a lot of work to do. I was feeling a little comfortable out there, but I have a lot of work to do at the position.”

Kevin Kolb, Quarterback
(On his performance)
“I thought it was alright. We moved the ball well but we didn’t put any points on the board and that is what we are out there for. We have to do better in the red zone but we did a good job of moving the ball up and down the field.”

(On if he is ready to start the season)
“Yes, definitely. After the last two games, and our number one offense has played well the last three games I feel everyone is pretty prepared. We will be ready to roll for St. Louis. We know it is preseason but we still want to go out and execute.”

Lito Sheppard, Cornerback
(On Asante Samuel and the Eagles defense)
“That’s my homey. We have a lot of depth back there right now. We have some playmakers back there. We can do some things. We feel like we will have some opportunities. We have to play sound football and hopefully things will work in our favor. It is what you hope for in a defense, some great up front play and some playmakers in the backfield.”

Brian Westbrook, Running Back
(On the regular season)
“I was ready to start the regular season after the first game. I think the preseason is to tune things up a little bit and then let the young guys prove themselves. We executed pretty well.”

(On his team playing the Patriots)
“I was excited before this game about the team that we have. We just have to go out there and handle the business that we have. We know the Patriots were in the Super Bowl last year so for us it is a measuring stick of how we are doing and where we are at. We looked pretty good tonight.”