HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

 

On CB Champ Bailey

“Pretty much the same thing as last week. He started loosening up and doing some drills. He was limited at practice. He is really a day-by-day scenario. We will see how he feels at the end of the week and make a decision right before the game.”

 

On T Ryan Clady ranking among the best tackles in the NFL

“I don’t evaluate all of the tackles in the NFL, but I am sure glad we have him. I can’t think of another guy I would rather have than him right now. He has played at a very high level. He has a great future and he handles himself great on and off the football field. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”

 

On Clady not giving up one full sack this season

“It is kind of unheard of, especially with as many times as we have thrown the ball.”

 

On how high character guys improve the team

“I think we have always tried to bring in high character guys. We have done that for years. We will take a chance with a player every once in a while, but if that is the standard than it won’t last very long. If a guy that has had a checkered past makes a mistake then you have to be able to get rid of him very quickly. When we do look at the draft we are trying to look at guys with high character. This year was probably as high character as we have ever had if you take a look at their test scores and how they handle themselves. We got players as well and hopefully these guys are around here for a long time.”

 

On the Raiders

“We know what the Raiders are capable of doing. They have had chances to do some good things and just haven’t finished in the fourth quarter. Our football team is smart enough to look at this team as a team who is very capable of beating anyone and we better play accordingly.”

 

On Raiders RB Darren McFadden getting better each week

“He has always been pretty good. He is averaging over five yards per carry, which is pretty impressive. He has been injured too. He has some great skill.”  

 

On Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha

“He is the most underrated football player in the history of the game. I can’t believe this guy hasn’t been to the Pro Bowl or people don’t talk about him all the time. He is off the charts and as good as it gets. He doesn’t get the attention for the way he plays consistently. He is the most underrated football player that I have ever seen in my coaching career.”

 

QUARTERBACK JAY CUTLER

 

On the number of upsets in the NFL each week

“You look across the scores every week, and there is always a game that kind of jumps out at you. It’s surprising. Everyone has talent in this league. Anyone can beat anyone, so you jut have to be ready week in and week out.”

 

On what he can take from the Week 1 win at Oakland

“Teams change so much from game one to the last game. There are different guys out there and a different gameplan by them and by us. We are pretty familiar with what they do. Their defense has been good all year. We just can’t overlook them.”

 

On Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha

“With (CB) Champ (Bailey) injured, I think he is the best (cornerback) in the NFL right now. We didn’t really mess with him the first game with (WR) Brandon (Marshall) out. We have a lot of weapons and we will see what happens with the rest of the gameplan. You just have to be careful with when you go at him and pick your battles.

 

“When he gets into off-coverage, I think he’s not at his best. When he is pressed up, he has that left arm jam that is probably one of the best in the league. He is very long and has a long stride—He is kind of deceptive with his speed and he can run with anybody. He has a good feel for when double moves are coming. He is playing at a high level.”

 

On whether he expects Asomugha to follow Marshall around

“No. He hasn’t followed anybody. We didn’t know if he might follow (WR) Eddie) Royal in that first game, but he is a lot more comfortable in that right corner position because he can get his left arm on you. When he gets over to the other side, he’s just not as effective.”

 

On former Raiders CB DeAngelo Hall being traded to the Redskins

“They have somebody else (CB Chris Johnson) over there now, and that guy is getting a lot of balls because nobody is throwing at Nnamdi. You have to be careful dealing with him, so everybody is going right against these guys.”

 

On Broncos T Ryan Clady

“You don’t find many rookies that are able to come in and play right away. We’ve been lucky offensively to have two with Eddie (Royal) and Ryan. I think at receiver, it’s a little bit easier to come in and have an impact. Quarterback and left tackle (are tough). With all of the pass rushers in this league, it’s kind of a specialty position. He has (faced) some good ones—(Miami LB) Joey Porter and (Atlanta DE John) Abraham—these last few weeks and he has held his own. We are able to do a lot more things with him—a lot more drawbacks and a lot more single protection—because he’s so solid back there.”

 

On whether Clady should be in consideration for Rookie of the Year

“Absolutely. I think he should definitely be in line for that.”

 

On having the same starters on the offensive line for every game

“It’s huge. I think that’s why we are still able to do a lot of the things we do offensively. They have been intact since training camp and OTAs. Knock on wood—we haven’t lost any of those guys yet. That’s why we are able to stick running backs in there at will and still kind of make that happen. We can still do what we want to do in the passing game because those guys have been right in the mix since day one.”

 

On his first impression of RB Peyton Hillis

“I knew Peyton. Peyton isn’t as country as everyone thinks. He’s a little bit more urban. I was familiar with Peyton when he was in college. He was a freshman (at Arkansas) when we (Vanderbilt) went down and played them. I knew he was very versatile. Obviously he has been very effective the last couple weeks and hopefully he can do it again this week.

 

“He’s a big guy. It’s just tough to go from fullback to tailback. He has made the transition well. ‘B.T.’ (Running Backs Coach Bobby Turner) has worked with him, and he wants to get better. He wants to improve each and every week and he wants to be the best out there.”

 

On whether he hears a lot about fantasy football

“Every week, somebody from the stands yells something about fantasy (football). It’s huge now. There are so many fantasy clubs out there—it’s big money.”

 

On the offense producing in consecutive road wins

“Offensively, we have stuck together pretty well through the good and the bad. There was a streak with a lot of turnovers and not a lot of points. We were always confident. We knew we had the ability to score to win ballgames in the fourth quarter. It started in practice and in the meeting rooms. We buckled down and we have been able to do it the last couple weeks.”