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The Monday Presser - 'How The Hell We Lose That Game?' Edition

MIKE SHANAHAN --

On injuries at RB --
"I really don't know. We'll get a better feel on Wednesday. Andre Hall sprained his ankle on the first play of the game, actually he was pretty lucky, it looked like he could have broken it taking a look at the end zone copy. For him to play with that type of ankle injury is really a credit to him to last as long as he did in the game, but I'll know more on Wednesday. "

On when RB Selvin Young will return --  
"I don't know, we'll find out Wednesday. These guys are getting treatments and doing what they can to get ready so we'll just have to wait and see."

On Andre Hall's MRI --
"It's just a high ankle sprain, so we'll see how quickly he gets better."

On status of RB Travis Henry --
"I have not heard anything about Travis."

On similarities to the Detroit game --
"Detroit was a much different game. We barely scored on offense and they moved the ball pretty good on defense. It was a little bit different but the end result was the same."

On the loss to the Bears --
"It's always disappointing. Anytime you feel like you have a game won and you give it back it sticks with you for a lot of years. I go back to Seattle a decade ago and that sticks with me. We have a 21 point lead. It's one of those types of game where if you don't take advantage of an opportunity and you can't close it out it's disappointing but we'll work through it and get ready for the next week."

On the Seattle game 10 years ago being comparable to the Chicago game --
"Unfortunately, I've been in a few of those, but that's the one that sticks out, being at home and at one point I think it was 24 [point lead]."

On being glad to almost be done with the NFC North --
"I've never thought about it that way, but obviously we didn't take advantage but we've still got another [game] so hopefully we can finish a little bit better."

On taking positives out of the Chicago loss --
"You better take a positive angle. You look at the positive and the negative. You don't lose and just say, `Hey, everything was horrible.' We had three 85-yard drives in the third quarter, that was pretty good. We did some good things, defensively too, except for the last three drives. You give up eight drives and four plays-and-out, three turnovers in 11 or 12 drives, but we didn't finish so that's disappointing. We had a chance, with seven minutes left they had 166 yards and not to be able to close it out was disappointing."

On offense's confidence level --
"When you rank third in the National Football League in rushing average and fifth in passing average, there are some good things to look at especially when there are a few new guys out there."

On success of rushers in Denver --
"You've got to have football players and they're all football players the guys you just mentioned. You have to have talent, you can't do it without talent and these guys are very talented. I was really pleased with Andre [Hall] for him to have the type of ankle sprain he had on the first play of the game and you look at that in the end zone and you're not sure how he comes back. For him to gut it out was really a credit to him."

On Hall's high ankle sprain --
"Let's not be the doctor yet. Let's wait and see what happens. I've seen guys with high ankle sprains come back, different definitions of them, in the coming week, sometimes it takes 3-4 weeks you never know. I'll tell you more as the week goes on."

On having to win out to make the playoffs --
"I would say so, yeah."

On kicking to PR/KR Devin Hester --
"You just have to play like we did in the first half, if you play like that you have a chance. You can't make any mistakes with a guy with that type of ability. It only takes one mistake, a guy in the wrong lane, or maybe it's the punt or the kickoff that could dictate it, it's a combination of a lot if things. A credit to him, it's not like guys go for touchdowns every game. He made some big plays and that was the difference in the game."

On progress of CB Karl Paymah --
"Karl's done a good job. He had more confidence, obviously starting at right corner in our nickel and he's done a good job. If he wasn't we wouldn't have him out there and we wouldn't have moved Dré (Bly) to the inside to helps us in the nickel and dime packages."

On making special team adjustments --
"You keep on working. We talked about this over the last three weeks. We made some strides in special teams and obviously went back this weekend. We could have overcome those two touchdowns. The thing that really hurt us was the blocked punt. The first [punt] was on the 10-yard line and the second one, even if we just punted through the end zone, they've got to go 80 yards. To turn it over on the 18-yard line gave them the time and the chance to come back so that was the most disappointing thing. Whenever you kick or punt to a guys like that there's always a chance he can go the distance. Anytime you get a big time receiver, running back or returner that's the nature of the game but you're hoping not to get punts blocked like we did."

On WR Javon Walker returning to action --
"He made some strides. I wouldn't say he's perfectly healthy. I think he'll be a lot more ready this week than he was yesterday so we'll wait and see."

On using Walker on a slick field --
"You kind of watch him as the game develops. He was only playing on third downs and you could tell a couple times, that with the field and it raining a little bit especially during the first half, that watching throughout warm-ups he wasn't completely comfortable with being full speed but hopefully he will be this week. I think he only played eight plays."

On DE Kenny Peterson --
"He did a good job. Made some plays, very smart. He came up with a number of big plays."

On RB Travis Henry's situation --
"I really don't know. I would think that something would come down tomorrow, but I'm not positive. I haven't been told anything."

On penalties to CB Dré Bly and DT Alvin McKinley --
"You can look at the film and make your own assessment. Anytime you get a 14-point lead and a chance to close the game out and you don't take advantage of it, it's obviously disappointing as we talked about yesterday. There's nothing you can do about it now, the only thing you can do is get ready for the Raiders and hopefully, when put in the same situation, get it done this time."

On parts of the Broncos that have been hard to figure out --
"We've got some new players on offense. We've got some young, very talented guys that are doing some great things for being so young. Defensively, we've gotten better, we're still not where we want to be but we've made some strides. For us to be they type of football team we need to be we need to make those strides. Special teams, I thought we were making some progress until yesterday and now you go back to the drawing board. We had some great effort there, we just need to get a little bit better. Hopefully we get Selvin (Young) and Andre (Hall) back in those return rolls and that'll help us."

On Hall not being able to play special teams --
"Any time you take guys that were backups and move them to starting positions that obviously affects special teams, that's the nature of the 45-man squad."

On Colorado State University Head Coach Sonny Lubick -
"I just know that he's not only a heck of a man but a heck of a football coach and if CSU loses Sonny Lubick, they'll be losing a great man as well as a great football coach. I've always had the utmost respect for him for the last 30 years. He's a man's man and I respect the heck out of him. Hopefully if he does leave, it's on his terms and nobody else's."