HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS
On evaluating the second day of practice
"(There was) improvement in some areas, and (we) certainly made our share of mistakes this afternoon. (There is) a lot to coach off of and try to fix and get better going forward."
On RB Peyton Hillis’ involvement in the offense
"He will play as much as he deserves to play. He can play as a fullback in a two-back offense. Obviously, he can catch the ball very well out of the backfield. He is getting plenty of opportunity right now to run in our one-back sets, which he will continue to get that opportunity. He has done some really positive things, but like everybody, there are definitely some things that he needs to fix and improve upon. Peyton is a very valuable player, I think. (He is) versatile and creates some matchup problems for defenses if we can use him right."
On CB Champ Bailey’s first practice
"It was exciting to get them all out there. You didn’t really notice Champ, which is pretty typical, because he always does his job really well and you don’t throw much over there. That is a great thing to have out there on the left side of our defense. He challenged the receivers today and was very aggressive. Like I said, you can feel his impact when he is out there on the field."
On why the defense had to run a lap during the 11-on-11 session
"They didn’t have enough guys in the huddle on the show-team card."
On if he is going to run if the Broncos lose at INVESCO Field at Mile High this year
"No, we are not. I hope we don’t lose at home."
On why OLB/DE Jarvis Moss did not practice
"He was excused for a very personal reason. I am going to respect that and I hope everybody else does, too."
On if New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick ever made him run during practice
"I don’t remember if he did or not, but I know I got yelled at plenty."
On S Vernon Fox’s absence during practice
"Vernon Fox has a slight deal where he is a little sore, and he will be out until he can come back. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later."
On details regarding DL Nic Clemons’ condition after coming off the field early
"I don’t want to say anything now. You saw him get carried off there or helped off. Until (the trainers) have an opportunity to really look at him and see what is going on, we won’t really know much, but hopefully it is not too serious."
On his Twitter policy for the Broncos’ players
"I don’t really have a Twitter policy. I don’t know what it means. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know that ‘MyFace,’ ‘Spacebook’ or ‘Facebook’ stuff. I don’t really know what that is either. The league talks to (the players) about just trying to protect your career, family and all that stuff, so hopefully, they are doing the right things by what the league asks us to do."
On if social networking will be discussed in meetings
"No, we don’t have any electronics in the meetings other than the clicker that the coaches hold."
On the status of OLB/DE Robert Ayers and RB Knowshon Moreno
"Same thing—keep your fingers crossed. Like I said, I am hoping the next time that I hear about them, it will mean that they are coming in and they are ready to go. That will be exciting when that actually does happen. It is getting into day three here coming up tomorrow. Obviously, we are eager to get them in here, and I am sure they are eager to get here."
On how often he likes to have drills finish by bringing the ball carrier to the ground
"We don’t do them too many times, but I think early in camp it is good to do that because you certainly do not want to go into your first game not having tackled somebody or been tackled. You see people on the ground anyway in drills, whether it be by accident or a guy actually kind of comes free and knocks somebody to the ground. I think it is good for them to feel the contact and then also to start working on their techniques and fundamentals because tackling sounds like a simple thing, but it really is not when you have got big men running with full speed. You have got to wrap your arms and do a lot of little things to get him down.
"You have got to weigh it, you are right. There are pros and cons to doing it too much, but we are going to try to hit the right mix hopefully."
On if he thought QB Kyle Orton struggled with long pass attempts
"No. When you are throwing long balls, you try to make them work and make them go. We had a couple chances there, but some days you are going to come up with them and some days you are not. I certainly would not categorize anybody as struggling with the long-ball."
On when he expect OLB/DE Jarvis Moss to return
"I don’t know that. Like I said, it is a personal reason. He certainly has... He has been excused by myself. Whenever Jarvis is back and gone through that situation, then I am sure he will be here."
CORNERBACK CHAMP BAILEY
On why he missed practice Friday
"Coach (Josh McDaniels) and (Strength and Conditioning Coach) Rich (Tuten) and everybody felt like we weren’t ready to get out there. So, you know, obviously we just used precaution and got ready—used the day to kind of condition a little bit and get in shape a little better and then get out there."
On if missing practice bothered him
"No. No. It bothered me a little, but I’m all for the right thing because in the end, as long as I’m there Sept. 13 (regular-season opener), that’s all that matters."
On if he feels good physically
"Yeah. I feel good. I’ve got to work myself back into it. Obviously, it’s one thing to sit here and run all day, but you’ve got to get in football shape."
On if the hardest part is getting used to bursts of speed
"Definitely. After being out for a little while, not being around football since OTAs, it’s going to take a little while to get back used to it."
On if he baited QB Kyle Orton when he broke up a deep pass intended for WR Brandon Marshall
"Oh yeah, definitely. I saw him looking and looking and waiting for everybody to clear. I don’t think he saw me or he thought he could make it. So I just made him throw that ball, and he did."
On if he is concerned with the age within the secondary
"No. No. That means we’re really smart and really experienced."
On if he likes the secondary additions
"Yeah. We’ve got guys that are smart and make plays. That’s all we need."
On what he thinks of all the new faces in the huddle
"It’s interesting. I haven’t been on a team with this much turnover, so I’m still getting to know everybody. That’s a good thing about being back out here—I can get to know these guys on the field."
On if he expected S Brian Dawkins to come to the team and be a leader right away
"Yeah, I definitely expected it. You know, I’ve been around him before—being at Pro Bowls—and he’s always stepped right into that leadership role. I appreciate that from a guy that’s been around the block a few times. He’s very experienced. We wouldn’t expect anything less from him."
On if, as a leader, it was difficult to sit out Friday
"Yeah, a little. It’s frustrating. One thing I want to do is always practice. I don’t want to just be a guy off to the side. I’ve had my share of days doing that. I want to be out here practicing."
On if he tried to persuade Head Coach Josh McDaniels to let him practice Friday
"A little. But I know where he’s coming from, so I respect that."
On how he can avoid suffering a groin injury like he did last season
"Well, just little things, treatment and exercise, stretching. Just little things like that. You can’t get out here worrying about it. You’ve got to do the things when you walk off the field."