PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Brian Westbrook isn't satisfied no matter how often he gets the ball.

The versatile running back is the primary threat on offense for the Philadelphia Eagles. He gets his share of carries, catches more passes than many wide receivers and even returns punts when needed.

In Philadelphia's season-opening 24-10 victory at Houston, Westbrook ran 17 times for 71 yards, caught four passes for 61 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown reception, and returned three punts for 25 yards while fair-catching two others.

It still isn't enough to keep Westbrook happy.

``We're moving in the right direction, but as a running back, I would like to get the ball more,'' Westbrook said Thursday, before leaving practice with swelling in his knee.

Westbrook is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the New York Giants, but his latest ailment only fuels critics who think he's too fragile to be relied on like other No. 1 backs in the NFL.

``I keep proving people wrong,'' Westbrook said.

A speedy and elusive runner, Westbrook had a breakout year in 2004 when the Eagles went to the Super Bowl. He had 812 yards rushing, 73 catches for 703 yards and nine TDs in 13 games. Westbrook ran for 617 yards, had 61 receptions for 616 yards and scored seven TDs in 12 games last year, before missing the final four games with a foot injury.

In 61 career games, including the playoffs, Westbrook has had 20 or more carries in a game just twice. He did it once in 2004 and once last season, rushing for more than 119 yards both times.

He wants to be the type of featured back who averages 20-25 carries per game, but coach Andy Reid is a pass-first coach who prefers to spread the ball around and likes to incorporate other runners in the mix. Correll Buckhalter had eight carries for 50 yards against the Texans.

``I'm always trying to do better things and get better at what I do,'' Westbrook said.

Though he's a dangerous returner with two punt returns for TDs on his resume, Westbrook would rather avoid playing special teams. Reid has no problem keeping him on the sideline. He considers Westbrook too valuable and was so concerned about keeping him healthy that he limited him to only 10 returns over the past two seasons.

Westbrook was forced to return punts in the opener because of injuries to Reno Mahe and Lito Sheppard. The addition of Dexter Wynn this week means Westbrook probably won't handle those duties against the Giants.

``He doesn't need all those touches,'' Reid said.

Westbrook agrees if that applies just to returning punts.

``In a football game, there are only so many plays you can play per day. If you play them on special teams, it kind of takes away from your offensive capability,'' he said. ``I would rather have touches in the offense, but I think I'm qualified to do those type of things. I think I can make a difference on the team and do special teams as well. So if they called upon me to do it, I have no problem doing it.''

Westbrook has overcome odds since starring at Division I-AA Villanova, where he set the all-time NCAA record with 9,885 all-purpose yards. He was considered too small - he's 5-foot-8 and 203 pounds - to be more than a third-round pick. But the Eagles took a chance and he's developed into one of the team's most indispensable players.

Westbrook's biggest challenge is staying healthy. He missed an entire season in college with a torn ACL, and has sat out eight games in the NFL with various injuries, including a torn triceps tendon that kept him out of the 2003 playoffs.

Now he's banged-up again. However, it appears his knee injury is a minor problem.

With New York coming in, it's natural to compare Westbrook to Tiki Barber, another smaller back who has been very successful in the NFL. Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said the two are ``much different'' players, but Westbrook welcomes the comparison.

``He's a very good running back so you never get tired of hearing it,'' he said. ``Hopefully, Tiki has a bad day this week.''

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