Once again, the fine folks in the Broncos’ media relations department were kind enough to pass along quotes from team headquarters today, so here you go:
HEAD COACH JOHN FOX
On K Brandon McManus
“He’s fine. He’s got a very strong leg and as I mentioned before, in the regular season, I believe statistically he’s 1-of-1 on field goals so, so far so good.”
On TE Jacob Tamme
“He is a tight end as listed in the program. I’m not going to go into kind of how we’re going to use him at this point, for obvious reasons.”
On having a kicker without much regular-season experience
“Right now we all have two games experience in the 2014 season. So he’s tied with a lot of people.”
On the offseason additions
“I can’t speak for them but I know we have 17 new starters, nine on defense, five on offense [three] on special teams. Their team is different, our team is different; it’s a new season. We’re not spending time looking in the rearview mirror. We’re looking out the windshield and we have a huge test coming up Sunday.”
On Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch’s strengths
“I think obviously his skillset and his size. So much that I’ve seen with difference makers in this league regardless of position is their mindset and attitude and the way they play the game. He runs and plays very physical.”
On if WR Wes Welker was more involved in practice today
“Yeah, he’s building up and we’ll kind of see what we have and evaluate that as the game approaches.”
On having film on Seahawks WR Percy Harvin
“Believe it or not, we were actually prepared for some of that stuff [in the Super Bowl], but didn’t execute very well. That usually occurs when you don’t play well and win. So hopefully we’re better ready and can execute better come gameday.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JACK DEL RIO
On what kind of game plan a team needs to beat Seattle
“Just play well. It’s a good team and we have a good group. And we expect to go up there and play well.”
On where the defense two games into the season
“We’re a real good unit. It’s early in the year. We’ve played well in spurts. We’ve played well in big moments. We’ve contributed to two wins. But we feel like there’s a lot of work yet to be done and our guys all understand that. But we have a good group and we’re working hard.”
On what he made of the penalties against the Chiefs
“There is not much to make. You don’t like to see it. You like to have it corrected and we’re working hard to do just that.”
On if the defense is concerned with the Super Bowl
“The guys that are here are. And the guys that aren’t get a feel for it. But I think it’s a new year. It’s another game, it’s a new season, it’s a fresh start. We’re going up there to play a good team. We know they’re a good team. The first three games are all against teams that were in the playoffs last year, so it’s another good opponent. We’ve got to go in there and play well to have a chance to win the game. And we expect it. We’ll do that.”
On LB Von Miller
“He got a nice sack last week at the end of the half and like all of the guys that are coming back from injuries, he gets better with time. I think [CB] Chris [Harris Jr.] was a week better. I think Von was a week better. And I think they’ll continue to get better, and we’re monitoring that. We’ve got depth and we’re going to utilize the depth to make sure we’re being smart with those guys as we’re bringing them along, so we’ll continue to do that.”
On who sets the tempo for the Seahawks’ offense
“There are several guys I think that have a chance to kind of get them going. Obviously, [WR] Percy [Harvin] is a dynamic, playmaking kind of guy that opens things up. [RB] Marshawn [Lynch] is the bell cow. A terrific running back, really talented, and they like to run him a lot. And then the quarterback (Russell Wilson) makes it all go.”
On the development of the defense
“We’re going to improve as we go through the year. We’re going to continue to stress fundamentals. We expect to get off blocks and tackle and things like that better as the year goes on. Obviously, playing together over time, experience with each other, that will benefit us over time. But at the same time, we expect it to be really good right now. So it’s not like we’re waiting. We’re working hard and we expect it to be really strong right now. And where it’s not, we correct it and move on. Where it’s good, we praise it and move on.”
On the “bend-but-don’t-break” defense through the first two games
“I’m not looking for any bend (laughing). But at the end of the day, we want to make plays. It just so happens that we’re giving ourselves a chance and then coming up with plays to stop people from scoring in key moments. So that’s the good part: The resiliency, the determination, those are the good things. And we want to clean it up and not let it get like that. But it’s a constant battle. In every week, you look at things, and no matter how good it looks to the outside world, there are things we’re correcting, we’re not happy with. And then no matter how bad it looks, there are always positives in a game. So like I said, we’re hard at work. We’re aware of things that need to be better. We’re working hard to make sure they get better.”
On if it’s hard to hold two-touchdown leads
“I thought that was a great sack [by DE DeMarcus Ware that was ruled an incompletion]. I don’t know how many people are standing here right now but I would bet you to say that it would be a strong majority, maybe 100 percent, would agree with that (laughing). So things like that happen and you just move on. The one thing I like about where we are and who we are as a unit is we don’t blink. Our guys keep fighting, keep playing hard. I’m proud of that. Being perfect and cleaning it up and being more impactful, more dominant, we will get there but I like the resiliency, I like the toughness, I like the mentality of they’re not in [the end zone] yet, they’re not getting in, that type of thing. That’s been good for us.”
On what he came away with on third down against Kansas City
“They need to get off the field more. I would say Seattle’s thinking the same thing right now. Who would think they’d be 32nd in third down defense? I think it’s an early sample of where they are and I think it’s an early sample of where we are and where we’ll be. We’re a good defense, we’ll get off the field more often, they’re a good defense, so will they. But we’re sitting there toward the bottom and they’re at the bottom and I don’t think that’s representative of the kind of defense we play.”
On if it’s less difficult to plan for Harvin because they have more film of him now as a Seahawk
“Just more reasons to have more nightmares at night. The guy is a good player. We’re aware of that. We’ll make sure we get a hat on him. He’s one of several people they have that are good players and we’ll have a plan to make sure we have him accounted for along with the rest of them and he’s a good player.”
On if the defense doing well in big moments bodes well for a marquee matchup on Sunday
“Just playing good football is what it’s all about. It’s a great opportunity to go up and play a good football team on their turf and I think our guys are looking forward to it.”
On facing a mobile quarterback like Wilson
“We’ve seen the runners. We’ll continue to see guys that some run it better than they throw it, some throw it better than they run it. Some have the ability to really take off and hurt you with their feet and some don’t. We just get ready for each individual guy. I think experience, learning some of the does and don’ts helps. It’s still a challenge to go out there and make sure you execute your job and make sure you take care of business the way that you’re supposed to.”
On if something separates Wilson from the other mobile NFL quarterbacks
“They’re all a little bit different. Every guy’s a little bit different but I don’t really want to get into how I see their differences and how we’re going to plan to accommodate those things but they’re all different in their approach. So you have to make sure you’re specific to who you’re facing.”
On how often he thinks about the Super Bowl
“I’m thinking about it now that you just mentioned it. I’m thinking about it but really I’m most excited about the opportunity of this year and the opportunities in front of us for this season, this week this opponent in particular. So I think you can look back, good or bad, it doesn’t really help you in your preparation going forward so from my standpoint, I’m most interested in making sure our guys are prepared for what we’re getting ready to face this weekend.”
On how the team is handling this week
“It’s been good. Been very business-like and good week of preparation but I think it’s been that way to start the year. I think the first three weeks have been that way.”
On LBs Brandon Marshall and Nate Irving
“They’ve done a nice job. Brandon stepped in for [LB] Danny [Trevathan] being hurt in camp and Brandon’s done a nice job for us, been very productive and played well and played a large majority, if not all of our snaps so I think he and [S] T.J. [Ward] are the two guys that have stayed on the field most downs so he’s doing a nice job and Nate’s been solid. Nate, that was a question mark I got I don’t know how many times in training camp, ‘Will Nate be able to do it?’ Well, Nate can do it. So Nate’s doing a nice job and like I said it’s early in the year, got a good group, like our group. We’ve got some depth and some of that depth is being called on right now and going and doing a nice job.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR ADAM GASE
On how much he is looking forward to going against the Seattle defense
“Anytime you get probably the best defense that we’ve seen in a couple years—obviously played them in the Super Bowl, played them in the preseason twice, talented group, tons of speed—it’s going to be a tough challenge for us but it’s exciting to getting to play the top defense in the league.”
On if he is excited to have a chance to go against the Seattle defense so soon since the Super Bowl
“I don’t know how recently it is considering we played that in February. We have a different group of guys; they have two or three different guys. We both re-tooled a little bit and we’ll see how this turns out.”
On how WR Emmanuel Sanders can help against this type of defense
“I think his quickness off the ball. These guys do a great job on getting their hands on the receivers and his ability to create separation on the top routes that can always be to our advantage. We’ll just see how they play and see how we match up on Sunday.”
On TE Jacob Tamme
“He brings obviously that element of playing that slot role/tight end so we’re able to move him around a lot and it’s good to have that flexibility with him.”
On if he had to be careful not to overthink his gameplan against Seattle
“I think against these guys you better stay away from the perfect play. [We] better come out and execute our game plan, don’t turn the ball over and get positive plays. These guys feed off turnovers. We have to make sure we hold on to the ball. That’s the No. 1 goal.”
On if he saw plays left on the field because of Seattle’s pressure in Super Bowl
“It was a little bit of everything. It was a little bit of the scheme, little bit of the pressure, we missed some things, we put the ball on the ground, we threw some interceptions. Basically everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong.”
On his reaction to getting WR Wes Welker back this week
“Anytime we get to see Wes again that’s a great thing. He’s one of our better leaders and just having him back out on the field and guys seeing him out here practicing the way he does, that’s great for our guys to see.”
On if the Seattle defensive line gets overshadowed due to all the talk about their secondary
“I think our guys are aware of their D-Line. These guys are good pass rushers, that back end is about as good as there is if not the best and those linebackers are probably the ones that people forget about—that’s a good group of linebackers. This defense as a whole—you’re talking about three teams in the history of football: the ’85 [Chicago] Bears, the 2000 [Baltimore] Ravens and these guys. That’s where these guys ranked in defensive football. These guys are one of the best teams to ever play and they are trying to show it again this year.”
On what makes Seattle’s secondary so unique
“Besides just being really good athletes, their intelligence level is off the charts. That’s one of the things that I respect [CB] Richard Sherman for probably a lot more than people really give him credit for is how smart [he is and] how he’s able to diagnose an offense and use it to his advantage. He does a great job of baiting quarterbacks and when he does get them, he doesn’t miss opportunities much and that’s why he is if not the best guy one of the top corners in the league.”
On if Sherman’s time as a wide receiver helps him
“I’m sure it does. It probably allows him to understand what offenses are trying to do and he’s able to use that to his advantage. It’s helped him since he’s been in the NFL.”
On if he can analyze the Seattle-San Diego film from last week
“They (San Diego) are a little bit different than us. I think they are structured a little bit different. A lot of those things go around [TE Antonio] Gates and I know [TE] Julius [Thomas] has had a hot start so far but we move guys around a little differently than they do so I don’t know if you can really take a look at that. You can look at some of the matchups and see maybe they might do it the same way, but at the end of the day they’re going to have their specific game plan for us.”
On if he has spent more time studying for this game than others
“We’ve kept our schedule fairly pretty much the same. We haven’t really changed. We get into such a routine as coaches and players and you try not to break out of that routine. We’ve probably spent a little more time in the offseason trying to figure out what went wrong in that Super Bowl, so we were able to go back check some notes. ‘Alright, what did we talk about here?’ it’s just more reminders for ourselves as far as what we did in the offseason.”
On how much the noise at Century Link Stadium affects how the plays are called
“It becomes more of just a non-verbal game and you can’t really sit there and have a conversation. I was in San Francisco for a year and went up there and I think they were probably at 7-9 or 8-8 [that season] and it didn’t matter. That place has always been loud and that’s how you have to communicate.”
On how much this game means to QB Peyton Manning
“He treats every week to him is a big game, especially since I’ve been with him. Since I’ve gotten together with him in 2012, he’s treated every game as though this is the biggest game of the year. I’ve never sensed any kind of different intensity from him whether it be the first game, the fifth game, this type of game, whatever it is.”
On if he finds himself wanting to beat Seattle by a lot after the Super Bowl loss
“I think at the end of the day I look at this as we need to score one more point than they do. If that means 7-6, I don’t care. We just have to figure out a way to win.”
On if it would be sweeter Denver could win by 30 points
“One more point. That’s all we need.”
On if he was encouraged by the running game this week
“I think the tackles for losses were a little much for me and we put ourselves in bad positions with some of those penalties and it’s hard—you try to stick with it as far as when you’re getting those second-and-20s but you want to try to help the quarterback get back to a third-and-10 or third-and-5 area and [RB Montee Ball] did a great job with checking in that running and getting us close and getting us that fourth-and-1 opportunity but we still have a lot of room for improvement and we got to start making some strides there.”
On if T Chris Clark’s penalties this season are due to switching sides
“I don’t think so. I think it’s a little bit of he put himself in bad position on that clipping call and he had some personal foul. He got a different look on that slip screen. It was a difficult look. His guy disappeared and I think he just drifted a little bit and didn’t realize how far down field he was.”
On if he found the talk about Sherman being exposed during the San Diego game funny
“I would just say we respect him a lot and you have to be careful with that guy. He’s a very smart player and he will take advantage if you’re careless with him.”
On if Manning being three touchdowns away from 500 affects his play calls
“No, it can’t. It’s irrelevant. I can’t worry about it.”
LINEBACKER VON MILLER
On the feeling so far with the hype
“This is the biggest game of the year for us. Last week was the biggest game for the year. Every game is a big game for us going to a bye week. We definitely want to go out there and play well. I haven’t really been watching too much TV or ESPN so I haven’t really been on all the hype and stuff. Inside our facility, it’s a huge game. We definitely want to go out there and we want to play well. They’re a great team; it’s a great team to gauge ourselves against. They won the Super Bowl last year and we feel like we have a pretty good team here so it’ll be a great team to go up and gauge ourselves against.”
On the game as a measuring stick on the road
“It’s just going to be a great game. That’s the beauty of the National Football League. There are big-time games every week and that’s what everybody watches in the NFL.”
On if there is extra motivation in the locker room
“It’s extra motivation every week. Everybody wants to go out there every week and have the game of their lives. It’s no different than any other week. Everybody’s always motivated and we definitely want to go out there and play well this week, too.”
On defense
“As a defense, we look forward to going out there and getting a three-and-out every time we play. Every series three-and-out, three-and-out. But the chances of that happening every time you go out is slim. I feel like we’ve taken steps to be a great defense, and the most important thing is that we came away the ‘W’ and we’re going to go out there and we’re going to play our defense and just try to play the game of our lives like we always do, and just try to get it done. I figure if we can stick to the game plan and stick to the script and stick to the foundation on which our defense is built on, we’ll be all right come Sunday.”
On the defense having to adjust on the fly
“You get a lot of stuff thrown at you during a game. The game before was totally different from the game from the game in Week 2, and this game is going to be totally different in Week 3. We just got to be able to predict stuff and be able to play the type of defense that we’ve been built around and I figure if we can just stick to the plan, we’re be all right.”
WIDE RECEIVER DEMARYIUS THOMAS
On how to have success against Seattle’s defense
“Basically just keep watching film. Make sure I’m on the same page as [QB] Peyton [Manning] come Sunday and just going out there and just trying to do what I did the last two games: Put myself in a position to be open so Peyton can give me a chance.”
On what he’s seen on film
“It’s about the same as the first couple. They switch it up sometimes. Whatever they do, they do it at one of the best in the league, so it’s basically the same thing as trying to find the holes in their defense and just going out and playing hard football. It’s going to be a 60-minute game.”
On if he’s looking forward to a big game personally
“At this point, it doesn’t even matter to me. I’m happy with getting a win and if we keep winning, I’m fine with that.”
On how much he heard about the Super Bowl from friends and family
“I heard it a lot. I still hear it sometimes. But they came out and they were the better team that day.”
On if the Super Bowl will creep into his mind on Sunday
“It doesn’t creep in my mind but I feel like I still remember what happened. I feel like we could have done something better than what we did. That game, I feel like from the first play it was bad. It’s still in my head but I don’t let it bother me. That was last year, it’s a new year, so we’re going to go out Sunday and try to do something different.”
On if the noise limits what the offense can do pre-snap
“I don’t think so. It is loud. I think it’s one of the loudest in the league and I think our main focus is getting back to the line, going fast, getting our eyes on Peyton and seeing what the signals are and going from there. The main thing is, we’ve been doing the signals awhile, so I think it will help and keep us going fast.”
On if WR Emmanuel Sanders changes how they can attack Seattle’s defense
“I don’t really think so. It’s just going with what the offensive coordinator calls. You’ve got, of course, two different guys with [former WR Eric] Decker and Emmanuel, but I feel like both of them can do the same thing. Both of them are playmakers. Emmanuel makes plays and Decker did the same thing so it’s about going out there and executing whatever Peyton gives us and going with it.”
On the Seahawks’ secondary
“It’s just the scheme they’ve got. They do it so well and I feel like everybody in their secondary, they just fly around. They fly around, they’re always around the ball, they’re trying to strip it and they pin big hits on you. So I think that’s the main thing. You don’t really see a secondary that flies around and hits people that hard like they do.”
On CB Richard Sherman staying in the same place
“It’s just their system. I don’t know what it is, but he stays on his left side the whole game.”
On where Sherman ranks among NFL cornerbacks
“He’s definitely good. He’s one of the smarter guys in the game. Once you line up, he knows—he does good at being ready for the game and studying. It’s just with his length and size, some of the stuff you want to do is hard, but I can’t really say who’s the best corner because I haven’t been able to go against all of them, but he’s very good.”
On if Seattle’s safeties are as good as he’s seen
“Yeah. [S] Kam Chancellor is a big hitter. [S] Earl [Thomas] is all over the field. They’re very good at what they do.”
On if the hit by Chancellor in the Super Bowl was a turning point
“No. It was just a hit. If you play football, you’re going to get hit. It didn’t bother me. I got up and kept playing. I was fine.”
On people pointing to that play as a turning point
“I think about it and now that the game is over, sometimes I laugh about getting over. But it didn’t bother me. They came out that day and they played better football than us, and all I can say is give them their props and try to come back this Sunday and do better.”
SAFETY T.J. WARD
On the Broncos bringing him in for attitude
“It’s Week 3. That’s all it is. We have a tough opponent. They didn’t bring me in just for one team. It’s for every game—playoffs and beyond. It’s the same preparation and we’re going about it steadily and as professionals.”
On finding a defensive identity
“We’ve found what we want to be. I don’t think we’ve gotten there yet, but we’ve got a goal in mind and we’re working towards it every week and I think we’re getting better. Some things we need to correct and fix, but that’s only going to come with time. We have a bunch of new guys on this defense and the cohesion is not all the way there yet. But it’s coming along and I feel we’ve improved every week.”
On his impressions watching the Super Bowl
“My first impression, Seattle played a great game. Denver—we got off to a bad start and it kind of just snowballed. That’s my impressions from the game.”
On trying not to get overhyped for the game
“While we’re preparing, it’s complete focus. Every day is gaining, every day you do something new and you get a little bit tighter on the game plan, you get a little more crystal on it, and by Sunday, it should be in stone. But things happen during the game. They’re going to show us looks we haven’t seen and we’re going to give them looks that we haven’t showed, so that’s the excitement about Sundays.”
On playing all the snaps
“I’m used to playing every snap. I’ve played pretty much, probably most of the snaps my whole career, so it’s nothing new. I’m not going to lie, getting used to the altitude has been a little bit more difficult. But I’m going to get in better shape throughout the season.”
On if it’s important to play those snaps early for conditioning
“I don’t think it’s an exact importance to it. It’s just something that I’m doing. I’m playing dime and safety, so I’m pretty much playing two positions. But it’s something that I knew I was going to do coming in and what they expected me to do, and it just happens that I’m on the field all the time. I really don’t like coming off the field because every play you’re on the field, you have an opportunity to make a play and I feel if I’m off the field, that’s one less opportunity I have.”
On containing Seahawks WR Percy Harvin
“It’s all about containing. You don’t want to let him get to the edges where he can run free. You want to get somebody who can contain the edges and tackle well. That’s how you do that. It’s simple. It’s easier said than done, but once you do it, it’s simple.”
DEFENSIVE END DEMARCUS WARE
On if he can sense how big this game is
“I know it’s a big week. Every game that you play, especially being 2-0, is going to be a bigger game. For me, it’s always about establishing the identity of your team. Week in and week out you’ve got to prove that. Last week, we didn’t play exactly how we wanted to play, and there are a lot of places we need to improve. We know that we corrected them in practice this week and going out and proving to ourselves that we can be an even better team than we were last week.”
On whether he is watching the Super Bowl film this week
“I watched the Super Bowl film. I think it was during OTAs. It was sort of disheartening a little bit. It wasn’t up to par of how guys here play. It’s almost like, ‘What happened?’ That’s the type of mentality it was. Now, it’s like picking up the pieces and getting back in the right place of where and how we played and plan a great game this week against the same team.”
On if he saw things on the Super Bowl tape that are correctable
“I think it’s on our mentality—going into the game knowing who you are and what you stand for and what you’ve accomplished this whole [season] and not letting one game define who you are. That’s how we’re taking on this season. We’re 2-0 right now. This game—just because it’s the third game of the season—it doesn’t make us or break us, but it always defines who we are because it’s the next game.”
On the defense’s identity
“I wouldn’t say we’re searching for anything. I always say there is room for improvement. We have all the players here, and we’re playing good enough to win games. But you’ve got to have those shutout games, those games you want to have on defense—those big turnover games, interceptions, getting more pressure on the quarterback, keeping the quarterback in the pocket and not having those big games.”
On matching the Seahawks’ defense
“I wouldn’t say we’re trying to match anybody’s level. We’re trying to play how we play. Defense always wins championships. That’s what it’s about. When I go out there and play, I always want to play better than the other defense. It’s always a competition for me. That’s how it goes. Usually the defense that plays the best, that’s the team that wins.”
On what makes the Seahawks defense so good
“They do the small things really well. That is getting turnovers, knocking the ball out and being aggressive. When you look at a lot of the defenses that are really good, they’re able to get pressure on the quarterback in any circumstances. Usually the best defense is a defense that can get off [the field] on third downs. That’s one thing [Seattle has] been really good at—getting off [the field] on third downs and giving the offense a short field.”
On if Chiefs QB Alex Smith and Colts QB Andrew Luck can help the defense prepare for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
“Those are two running quarterbacks—guys that can really string things out, so each week you’re preparing for a running guy, a guy that can make those big plays. It’s preparing us. It’s going to be a big week this week, but it’s been preparing us because we’ve had two games already with a running quarterback.”
On facing the read-option as a defensive end
“It’s something that you have to practice. There is a different athlete doing it every time. If [QB] Peyton [Manning] is doing it, you might not have to practice for it as much, but if you have [QB] Russell Wilson doing it, he’s a little bit faster. You have to know your own speed, your own ability, because sometimes you might have the quarterback. Sometimes you might have the read play, and it’s all about responsibility. If you can have guys on the same page, that play is really obsolete.”
On Seahawks WR Percy Harvin
“When you think about a guy that is a utility guy—sometimes they’ll put him at running back, they’ll put him in slot, they’ll put him at X, the Z, it doesn’t matter. He’s one of those guys that can really string plays out. He’s a big key in their offense because he’s a short-pass guy, but he’s a YAC guy—a yards after the catch guy. That’s where they really string those plays out, so we have to be a good tackling defense this week.”
On the defense’s top priority this week against Seattle
“I think our priority No. 1 is always stop the run. They ran the ball pretty well last week, so we’ve got to hold them to low yardage on that. And those big plays—they’re not going to dink and dunk us all the way down the field with little small plays. They’re going to try to block [us] up [and] make sure we don’t get pressure, so we have to get pressure and make sure those big explosive plays with Harvin or any of those other guys don’t happen.”
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