DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN -
On WR Brandon Marshall topping 100 receptions this season --
"He played extremely well. He made a number of great plays for us, and I was really impressed by his maturity. He will continue to grow on the football field and as a person, and he will be one of our top guys coming back next year."
Ending the year on a positive note --
"It has been a tough year and you always like to end it on a positive note. We kept their team in check for most of the game and you obviously have to give credit to their offense for making plays in the fourth quarter. It's always nice to finish the season off with a win."
On the defensive performance in overtime --
"Anytime you give up plays and a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter it's going to cost you. Then, to go into overtime and to get the turnover we did...the wind was a little stronger than people thought. Regardless of if we won the toss, we kind of wanted to kick off anyhow."
On RB Travis Henry having no carries tonight --
"He's just not back to full speed yet. He's better than he was but he needs to get back into football shape. Anytime you have the type of injury that he had it takes a while to get back to full strength."
Did he caution the players to be safe during the holiday week? --
"We have grown men on this team and people should be smart enough to understand what happened last year. These players understand what happened, and they know how to handle themselves and we'll leave it at that."
On the evaluation process at season's end --
"We'll do the same thing that we do every year. We'll have a chance to take a look at the offense and defense and special teams and see how everyone has done. We'll put our players in a pecking order and look at our players' contracts. We have a little more time off than we would want so we have plenty of time to do that."
On this season being harder than 1999 (Broncos last losing season) --
"We had a chance this year for a lot of players to get some experience, so that's a positive. We'll go back and try to put a good football team together. Hopefully next year we'll be a little more successful than we were last year."
On QB Jay Cutler's season --
"Overall for him to play the way he did was certainly a credit to him. I think we have one heck of a quarterback for the future, and I think that was evident in the way he played this year. With a lot of guys going down this year, he found a way to put points on the board. He's played pretty consistently and guys stepped up and played at the level that they needed to play in the National Football League."
On WR Rod Smith --
"I talked to Rod about where he was at, and I know he just shared that with you, and that was my suggestion. So, we'll just have to wait and see. I think everybody knows what Rod Smith has meant to this organization. He's a natural leader and one of the reason's we've had the success that we've had is because of Rod Smith. He's a big reason why some of our younger players have developed the way that they have."
On young players making big plays tonight -
"You want to see young people make plays. When you have some veterans go down it's nice to see the way these players responded."
DENVER BRONCOS PLAYERS
QB Jay Cutler -
On Brandon Marshall Getting 100 Catches --
"I told him before the game that I was going to try, but, you know, anything could happen. Luckily, we were able to get him the ball. He got four of five before half time and then I told him I was going to try to get him the rest."
On What He Will Be Working On In the Offseason -- "I think myself, Brandon [Marshall] and Tony [Scheffler] are going to go somewhere on the east coast and just work on timing and things like that. I'm going to watch the film and watch some other teams, see where we are, and go from there."
On How Important This Win Was Today --
"We wanted to win. We just wanted to finish strong. We started off well and I thought we were able to throw the ball well. We kind of had a lull in the fourth quarter but we were able to get a turnover in overtime, and seal a win."
WR Brandon Marshall -
"The taste isn't that nasty now. Sometimes you have to deal with adversity and you just have to deal with it. The tough thing is, we're going to be watching more football on TV. We're not going to be in it. But, the good thing is, we ended it on a positive note. We got a little momentum to take us into the offseason."
On Ability to Run the Ball --
"Rod [Smith] talked to us last night as a group and told us, that when we run the ball well, we win. Statistically when we are averaging 4.5 yards a carry, over 100 yards a game, we're in position to win. We gave ourselves a chance to win tonight and that's all we can ask for."
On Having 100 Catches This Season --
"I'm not going to lie, sometimes I like to be a little shy, but I had my eye on it. It's definitely a milestone for me to accomplish that. It's definitely a blessing. The good thing about it, you can't get content, because there's much more to come."
On Injuring His Knee --
"The DB just hit me low, my thigh, just above my knee. It's something you just have to suck up, and play through it, you know, fight."
On Plans for the Next Few Weeks --
"I'm going to travel a little bit. I have the opportunity, I'm young, and I'm able to. So I'm just going to go see the world. [Where you going?] No telling. Last minute flights; last minute vacations. Have time to get our heads right."
K Jason Elam -
On this Season --
"It has been a crazy season. We desperately wanted to go into the offseason with a win and feeling good about ourselves because we haven't had a whole lot to feel good about lately. Maybe this will kind of give us a little spark and as we go into all of the other stuff, the off season workouts, and all of that stuff. Have some confidence and feel good about ourselves."
On How Many Years Left in His Career --
"I think each year as you get older, you think more in terms of year-to-year, rather than long term contracts or anything like that. I just want to sit back and really just focus on the season. You know how it is. It's a mental grind and you want to focus as hard as you can. Get into the offseason and let everything fall where it may. I'll see what Mr. Bowlen wants to do and what [Coach] Mike [Shanahan] wants to do, and make my decision from there."
GAME NOTES --
- - BRONCOS IN OVERTIME: The Broncos made their fourth overtime appearance of the year today (2-2 record), a total that ties with their 1985 campaign for the most in a season in club history... Denver's four overtime games in 2007 led the NFL, and its six overtime appearances in the last two seasons are the most in the league... Following their win, the Broncos' all-time overtime record stands at 22-15-2 (11-6-1 home, 11-9-1 away) with the club posting a 9-6 record in those games under Mike Shanahan (6-3 home, 3-3 away).
- - SERIES NOTES: With their win, the Broncos' all-time regular-season record against Minnesota stands at 5-7 overall (3-3 home, 2-4 away)... Denver's three-point victory marked the 11th time in the 12 overall meetings between the two teams that the contest was decided by eight points or less...Minnesota made its first-ever trip to INVESCO Field at Mile High--Dallas and Tampa Bay are the only two clubs in the league to have yet to play at the stadium, which opened in 2001.
- - BRONCOS FINISH 48TH PROFESSIONAL SEASON: Denver's all-time regular-season record stands at 378-336-10 following its 7-9 finish this season.
- - REGULAR-SEASON FINALES: The Broncos improved to 18-30 all-time in regular-season finales (11-7 home, 7-23 road) and have won three of their last four such games... Denver is 8-5 under Head Coach Mike Shanahan (1995-Pres.) in season finales (6-2 home, 2-3 road).
- - DENVER IN DECEMBER: Following its victory, Denver improved to 21-4 (.840) at home in the month of December since 1995.
- - K JASON ELAM: Jason Elam's 30-yard field goal in overtime marked his fourth walk-off, game-winning field goal of the season - That total is the most by an NFL player since at least 1990... Elam's overtime kick also was the 12th walk-off field goal of his career... Elam made both of his field-goal attempts (43, 30 yds.), extending his streak of consecutive conversions to 15 (3rd-longest streak in club history)... He also has made his last 37 field-goal attempts from inside 40 yards (streak covers the 2006 and '07 seasons)... Elam (490 FGA) also moved into sole possession of seventh in NFL history in career field-goal attempts and became the sixth player (601 PATM) to make at least 600 extra-point attempts.
- - WR BRANDON MARSHALL (10-114, 1 TD / 102-1,325, 7 TDS): Brandon Marshall notched his third 10-catch game of the season (third in last four weeks), increasing his reception total for the year to 102... Marshall's 102 grabs mark the third most by a second-year player in NFL history behind Isaac Bruce's 119 catches in 1995 with St. Louis and Larry Fitzgerald's 103 catches in 2005 with Arizona... Marshall recorded the fifth 100-catch season by a Bronco in club history and is the fourth Denver player to do so, joining Rod Smith (2000-01), Ed McCaffrey (2000) and Lionel Taylor (1961)... Marshall's 102 catches are the second most by a Bronco in club history... Marshall also recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the year (also career), increasing his receiving yardage total to 1,325 yards that rank as the third-highest single-season total by a Bronco in team annals.
- - QB JAY CUTLER (26-37, 246 YDS., 2 TDS, 106.4 RTG. / 297-467, 3,497 YDS., 20 TDS, 881. RTG.): Jay Cutler's 246 passing yards increased his season total to 3,497 yards, which is the seventh-highest single-season output in club history... His two scoring tosses put his season total at 20, which ties for the 11th most by a player in Broncos history, and marked the ninth multiple touchdown pass game of his career... The second-year player recorded his fifth game this year with a completion percentage of at least 70.0 (70.2), putting his season completion percentage mark at 63.6 for the third-best single-season figure in Broncos history... He also had his fourth game of the season (5th of career) with a passer rating of at least 100.0 (106.4)... Cutler is now 4-0 against teams whose starting quarterback was selected with him in the 2006 NFL Draft (1-0 vs. Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson, 1-0 vs. Kansas City's Brodie Croyle, 1-0 vs. Tennessee's Vince Young, 1-0 vs. Arizona's Matt Leinart).
- - RB SELVIN YOUNG (22-87, 4.0 AVG. / 140-729, 5.2 AVG., 1 TD): With 87 rushing yards today, Selvin Young (729) passed Clark Gaines (808 yds. in 1976 with NYJ) for the third-most rushing yards by an undrafted rookie in NFL history... He trails only Dominic Rhodes (1,104 yds., in 2001 with Ind.) and Fred Lane (809 yds. in 1997 with Car.) in that category... Among Broncos rookies, the University of Texas product now ranks sixth on the club's all-time rookie rushing yards list ... Young finished with 99 all-purpose yards (87 rush, 12 rec.), putting his season combined yardage total at 1,016 yards.
- - DE ELVIS DUMERVIL (0.5 SACKS, 2 FR / 12.5 SACKS, 3 FR): With half a sack against Minnesota, Elvis Dumervil increased his season sack to 12.5 to mark to tie Rich Jackson (1969) for the ninth-most sacks by a Bronco in a season in club history... The second-year player now has 21 sacks for his career... Dumervil also recovered two fumbles that led to 10 points, including Elam's game-winner in overtime... Dumervil's two fumble recoveries increased his takeaway total to four on the year (1 INT, 3 FR) to rank second on the Broncos.
- - TE TONY SCHEFFLER (7-52, 1 TD / 49-549, 5 TDS): Tony Scheffler had seven catches for 52 yards, increasing his season receiving yardage total to 549... He is the first Broncos tight end to post at least 500 receiving yards in a season since Jeb Putzier (572) in 2004.
- - P SAM PAULESCU MAKES NFL DEBUT: Sam Paulescu, who was signed by the Broncos on Friday, played his first regular-season game in the NFL and punted five times for 221 yards (44.2 gross / 40.0 net).
- - TURNOVER RATIO: The Broncos had a +3 turnover ratio (3 takeaways, 0 giveaways) against Minnesota with the club's three fumble recoveries leading to 10 points... Their +3 turnover ratio represented the third time this season Denver was +3 or better in a game (3-0), and Denver finished the year with a 6-1 record with a positive turnover ratio.
- - DENVER SAFETY: The Broncos' safety in the fourth quarter (credited to the team) was their first safety since Dec. 31, 2005, at San Diego (DT Demetrin Veal).
- - Starting Lineup Notes: Denver QB Jay Cutler started his 16th game, marking the 11th time since the 16-game schedule was implemented in 1978 that the Broncos had a quarterback start every game (first since Jake Plummer in 2005)...Cutler is one of nine Broncos to start all 16 games this season, joining CB Dre Bly, DE Elvis Dumervil, G Montrae Holland, T Matt Lepsis, WR Brandon Marshall, C/G Chris Myers, T Erik Pears and LB D.J. Williams. The Broncos opened the game in a two tight-end set for the third consecutive game with TEs Tony Scheffler and Chad Mustard notching starts... Broncos RB Selvin Young started his eighth game, marking the most starts by a Denver rookie running back in a season since Clinton Portis had 12 starts in 2002.