BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVER BRANDON MARSHALL
On his suspension --
"All I can do is come out here every day and try and be the best player I can be. My job right now is to be a leader in this team and get the guys out there better. I believe in our system, and I believe in what we are doing around here. I expect those other young guy receivers to go out there and have no drop off at the receiver position."
On if he plans to appeal --
"All I can do is come out here and be the best I can be. I'm just out here to work hard."
On his reaction to the ruling --
"I can't worry about the past. I am going to worry about the future and getting better on the field and in the community, and show my teammates that I am here every day, no matter what is going on. I'll come to play. "
On what he has learned --
"It's just being more responsible. It's just being the best I can be in the community and on the field. That is all it is. It's not hard, it's not rocket science. Like I said, I have a job to do, and I plan on getting it done."
On the conditions of the ruling --
"It is three games. I guess if I do some things it might be two. All I can do is take everything in and continue to work hard. I've got guys out there that have to get ready for this game, so I can be a leader verbally, and with my actions."
On what things he can do to reduce the ruling --
"I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure I will find out in the next couple of days."
On his thoughts on getting counseling --
"Like I said, I'm just going to do what I am supposed to do, whether it is off the field or on the field, and get past this. One thing about our organization, our team is that they make it easy for me to come out here and (not) have the weight of the world on my shoulders. Like I said, I gave that weight for someone else to carry."
On how he'll stay sharp after missing two games --
"Continue to work hard. Otherwise I am feeling good. I am enjoying camp, I am out there running the routes, and I am excited to see where we will go as a team, and as an organization."
HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN
On WR Brandon Marshall's suspension --
"It's been an ongoing process. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen. As I told Brandon, ‘Don't worry about something you have no control over.' I said ‘What you have to do is try to be the best person you can possibly be on a day-to-day basis. Go out there and take it day-by-day, do the best job you can on the football field.' I said, ‘You have to be a leader not only on the football field but in the community as well. You have to prove to people that you want to be one of the top players who have ever played here. You have to be like a guy like Rod Smith who lives it and does it.' That's the challenge for Brandon, and he is taking it day-by-day. I've been pleased with how he has handled himself. You can't do anything about the past, but you can do something about the future. I like the way he has handled himself both on and off the football field, and that's what (he) has to concentrate on."
On whether Marshal has learned a lesson --
"There is no question about it. He has grown up since he's been here as a football player and (knowing) how to practice and how to handle himself. I've seen him grow day-by-day. He understands what it means to be a leader as an athlete and be a leader in the community and help kids. He wants to do those types of things. He's a guy that has a big upside, not only on the field, but off the field. He's a natural leader. He is going to show people in the community that this isn't talk. This is something that he is going to prove to not only Denver, but the county-that he's not only a great football player but he's a quality person."
On how the suspension will affect Marshall --
"You can't worry about those things. (RB) Ryan Torain today, he broke a little (bone) in the radius, in the upper part of the elbow. He broke a bone. He is going to be out anywhere from probably six-to-eight weeks, depending on what the MRI shows. That's football. You are going to lose guys to injury. There is nothing you can do about the situation at hand except get better, and Brandon, to me, is doing things the right way. He is going to go out there and try to prove himself that he is not only a great player, but a consistent player, and he has to prove to everybody that he can be a great player off the field as well. It's a great challenge ahead, I like the way he has handled is thus far and hopefully he can keep it going."
On RB Ryan Torain's injury --
"It's a big loss. I thought he had a chance to compete to be the starting running back. He's one of the most gifted running backs I've been around for a long time. He is very similar to Terrell Davis when he came in. Obviously he has a setback that he has to deal with. It's tough with these guys. He has to take it day-by-day as well, but any time you break a bone in that elbow area obviously it's a setback. I'm just hoping there is not too much ligament damage, but we will find out, obviously, after the MRI."
On Marshall's progress on the football field --
"It took him a while to get back into football shape. I think it took him about four or five days to get back into football shape. Even though he ran for a month and lifted for a month, there is nothing like wearing those shoulder pads. It's not only him, but a number of our guys as well. He has been looking good and I just like his mindset. I just said, ‘Hey, don't worry about something you can't control. Worry about what you can do today and be the best at what you can do.' I think that's what he is doing both on and off the football field. That gives him a chance to have a great future."
On whether the offensive game plan will be altered in Marshall's absence --
"I can't answer that at this point. The chances are we will keep it very close to what the game plan would be if he was playing in the first game. We haven't talked in detail about that."
On the running back situation after Torain's injury --
"You have a number of running backs and the reason why you have to have depth is because of what we went through today wit h Ryan. There are running backs that get banged up every once in a while and if they do you have to have some guys that are proven and some guys that have some ability. I think we have a little combination of both."
BRONCOS QUARTERBACK JAY CUTLER
On the suspension of WR Brandon Marshall --
"It is unfortunate to lose a player like that for two games. It hurts but that is why we brought in more receivers. We have Eddie Royal, we have good tight ends, we have a good offensive line and our running backs are playing really well. Someone has to step up. That's what it boils down to. There will be a little more pressure on the offense, but there are 13 or 14 games after that depending on whether he gets two or three."
On his reaction when he first heard of Marshall's suspension --
"I don't think anyone was that surprised by it. We were expecting two-to-four games, and we have heard the rumors for the past few days. I don't think anyone was that surprised by it."
On the character of Marshall --
"Brandon is not a bad guy at all. I have known Brandon since we came in. We have been in Atlanta together, we go to dinner all the time. He is a good guy and he means well he has just been in some sticky situations and things he probably shouldn't get into. He understands the situation that he is in, and he understands that you only get so many chances and I think it definitely hit home with this. I don't expect Brandon to be in anymore situations like that for the rest of his career, probably for the rest of his life."
On the play of RB Ryan Torain --
"He is really talented. He is a big guy and has good moves. He sees the field well, he picked up the offense quickly and he was protecting well. I think he is still going to be a good back. I haven't heard what the prognosis is or how long he is going to be out, but he will definitely help this team out in the future. He will be ready for the second half of the season and we will definitely use him."
On rookie T Ryan Clady --
"He is doing well. He has been in there since day one, and there is a lot of pressure on him to come in here and start at left tackle in a league with some really good defensive ends and outside linebackers that are coming his way. He stepped up and learned the offense. He is doing well right now. He is picking up the offense well because he has been in there since OTAs. By now he should have it."
On his throwing arm and fatigue --
"I don't think that I have ever had a dead arm at camp. My arm is kind of like rubber. I can throw for a long time and a lot of balls and only need a little ice here and there. My arm feels good right now. At the beginning of camp, I was taking a lot of reps but we have scaled it back a bit with the throwing. I feel fine."
On training camp --
"I think it has been good. I think that (Quarterbacks Coach) Jeremy Bates is doing a great job for us with calling some plays and working with me at the quarterback position. Our receivers are playing well and our offensive line is doing a great job. I couldn't be more pleased with the way they are playing right now. Our tight ends and running backs are doing well. We have a lot of competition at the running back position right now, and with (Ryan) Torain down it kind of opens up the door for the other three to fight it out. Offensively, I am really pleased."
On his play during camp --
"I am playing well. I am making mistakes still, but that is all part of it. I have a good feel for the offense. We are doing a lot of stuff right now. We are kind of feeling some stuff out right now to see what direction we want to go. We have gotten a lot of plays in. It has been really good."
On WR Brandon Marshall --
"Any time you lose a guy like Brandon for a couple games, it is going to hurt. He does some things on the football field that not many people can do. He opens up some big windows for me and he is an easy target. I have a lot of confidence in D-Jack (Darrel Jackson), Keary (Colbert), Eddie Royal and our tight ends. We will split them out some and use them a little bit. We are going to have to make due. We don't have any choice with it. We don't make the decision, so we are going to have to move on and make it happen without him."
On how he feels physically --
"I feel like I am normal again. It was tough from October through April, not knowing what was going on and being fatigued, it was difficult. I feel normal now, I feel like I did a couple years ago. I am back at my weight, and I have my strength back. It feels good to go out there every day and be consistent."