Donovan McNabb emerged from the locker room with an air of ease Saturday morning before the inaugural practice of the 2007 training camp. The quarterback played to the infantry line of cameras assembled to film his entrance, joked with any and all around him and, most of all, McNabb smiled.

But recovering quarterback was slightly more serious after practice, speaking to the media about the health of his knee and his future in Philadelphia.

McNabb revealed that while he would have no way of knowing exactly what percentage of health his knee is at until his first game action, he speculated that he was "probably still at 75 percent."

But with that diagnosis, the franchise quarterback also included a disclaimer.

"At 75 percent, I personally feel I can be one of best quarterbacks in this league," McNabb said.

Yet McNabb sounded both parts confident and cautious during his address. McNabb's overriding theme with regards to his recovery was patience.

McNabb said that between counseling from players who have recovered from knee injuries, including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, as well as past injury experiences had given McNabb a better sense of how to treat his knee during his recovery.

"The main thing for them was to know when your body was ready and then you can go out there and do what you have to," McNabb said. "I think any time you come off an injury you want rush things. I did it after my ankle and I kind of did it after my groin … So coming into this situation I know what I have to do once I step out on the field."

The signal caller was mum on what his status during the preseason would be, but insisted he would continue "to be smart" in terms of when to push himself and when to hold back. McNabb, who said he slimmed down prior to this camp to take pressure off his knee, admitted that his recovery, like most, has not been completely without hurdles.

"Unfortunately there are times when there is soreness and swelling," McNabb said. "I know I have to be prepared for that and take time to warm it up a little bit more. And also the other phase of this is when you continue to grind and push it more than usual there are going to be times when it's sore and you have to back off. We're prepared for that."

McNabb did don a black brace on his right knee during practice, despite training throughout the offseason and June's OTAs without the brace. McNabb, who said he wore a similar brace back in 2000 when he suffered an MCL sprain, revealed that the decision to wear the brace was his, and that he could sport the brace into and all the way through the regular season.

McNabb said that while he could play without the adornment, it was simply another way to cope mentally with the injury.

"Mentally you have to be able to know the knee is fine," said McNabb. "It's not just strengthening it in the weight room and keeping in flexible. You have to continue prepare yourself for mentally what you will face first."

Speaking of the mental game, McNabb also addressed questions as to whether the addition of Kevin Kolb in any changed his approach to the season. McNabb downplayed the new quarterback's immediate impact, but acknowledged the business aspect of the NFL, but also appeared in no hurry to leave Philadelphia any time soon.

"It didn't look at it as he's going to take my job," McNabb said. "It probably could end up that way. In this game that we play you can't play for a long time. I mean this is the NFL – "Not For Long." If you look at it, not many quarterbacks stay with the teams that drafted them. Those that have, they're fortunate.

"But I'm not old. I'm old-der. Thirty is still young and I'm still dancing with the young kids. I don't look at it that he's taking my job, so it's not a motivating factor to me. I'd like to stay here for another six to eight years."