2009 Denver Broncos Training Camp - 8/4 Quotes - Josh McDaniels

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On if he was pleased to have OLB/DE Robert Ayers at practice today

"Absolutely. It was good to have multiple guys out there that were not out there yesterday. He is definitely one of them that we are looking to catch up. It was good to see him out there."

On OLB/DE Jarvis Moss' mood upon returning to camp

"Good. He is fine. We talked this morning, and he is ready to go. He went out there and had a good practice today. That is what you need to see, and that is what he gave us."

On if Moss has moved past the issue that caused him to miss practice

"Yes. I am not worried about it at all."

On evaluating Ayers' first day of training camp

"He doesn't know what to do half of the time yet. He is very physical and has got a long way to go. It is great to have him here. He has got a lot of work to do."

On if his evaluation of Ayers has an underlying message to RB Knowshon Moreno

"No, that will be the same thing (for all players). It wouldn't matter who it was (or) what position he played. At this point if you have missed this many practices, this many meetings and this many walkthroughs, you are going to be behind. We are playing in 10 days, so there are a lot of things that we are going over that we cannot just sit back and go over again and again and again. Every practice is valuable, and that really applies to everybody."

On the importance of this Thursday's practice (August 6) at INVESCO Field at Mile High

"It will be a lot of fun. That will be a great thing for us to experience, being in the stadium (and) putting the lights on. The type of practice it is going to be is going to (have) a lot of live periods and a lot of different situations that come up. It is going to be very game-like. I am sure we are looking forward to being there in the stadium. A lot of these guys haven't even been there in their home locker room, so that will be exciting for them. I am sure it will be exciting to go out there and hopefully, put on a good practice for the fans."

On having an officiating crew at practice

"They will be here the next three days. It is very helpful for us, because we get an opportunity to hear from their vantage point what is a foul and what is not. We are looking to try to play as penalty free in every phase, and they are helping us do that. They are very forthcoming with information, and they want us to ask questions. They are very informative and helpful, and that is what they are going to do for the next few days. Hopefully, we get a lot out of it."

On the irony of having referee Ed Hochuli at practice after his controversial call at San Diego last season

"He is one of our favorite guys. The whole team was excited to see Ed Hochuli today."

On if Hochuli spoke with any of the players

"I introduced him, and he introduced his crew. As soon as I introduced him, there was a big cheer. They have not forgotten (the) San Diego (game)."

On evaluating CB Jack Williams

"Anytime you are a defensive back, you don't want to be noticed until you have the ball. Jack made two or three plays today and took the ball away from the offense. It is great to see him do that. We have had a lot of chances, so far, in camp. We have gotten our hands on a bunch of balls and made some interceptions. Jack, I think, had his first couple today. It is great to see improvement from our younger players, and he is one that we are counting on."

On losing ILB Nick Greisen to the reserve/injured list

"(It is) unfortunate. He is a great guy and a veteran player who understands what we are trying to do. (He is) great around the younger players, and it is just an unfortunate situation when a guy goes down. An injury that is a season-ending injury, you don't ever want to see it. Nick handled it well. He will be around here, and he should be."

On S Brian Dawkins status

"I don't know anything yet on Dawk. I saw him go in (the locker room). They are evaluating him, I am sure, now. We will wait and find out more. I will be very forthcoming with you guys tomorrow about that."

On the competition at running back

"They are all in the mix. We are not going to name the starter for a long time. At that position, everybody is learning. (At) that spot, most of the stuff that we do is one-back, so they are all learning the same position for the most part. Then, we have a couple guys that play fullback. There is nothing one of them is responsible for that the others aren't, so everybody has a chance to show up, do their job well and improve. Different guys have shined on different days. The great thing about that position, hopefully, on our team - and I think it is starting to show itself - is we have good depth. That is very important. I know I found that out the hard way last year, and this team went through the same kind of thing. We cannot have enough good (running backs).

On running back rotation

"It doesn't really matter who starts either. They are all going to play, and they are going to get the ball plenty. They are not worried about that, I don't believe. They are all competing hard for it, but in the end, they are all going to get the ball."

On the rarity of having multiple candidates to play at running back

"I don't know how rare it is, but I am happy that it is here. When you have got guys that can run the ball, catch the ball, block, pass protect and do a lot of things with the ball in the open field that is a great situation to have. I am sure there are a lot of other teams in the league that would love to have that situation or feeling if they don't. Hopefully, it just keeps making them better. I think it is right now. It is exciting to see those guys improve every day."