Quotes Courtesy of the Denver Broncos P.R. Staff
HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS
Opening comments
"We had a productive day yesterday as a staff. (We) kind of took inventory of where we are with our scheme and some of the things we've done so far in training camp. Guys were here for treatments and we'll spend the next couple days working really on ourselves and then Thursday will be our first day that we'll actually talk about Cincinnati and give our players a little bit of a taste of what it will be like for the regular season. But, the next few days will definitely be spent on us and doing the things we need to do to clean up the first week of training camp."
On if any guys are ready to come back from injury
"Yeah, you're going to see some bodies out there today that you haven't seen in a while. (DL Chris) Baker will be out there, (LB) D.J. (Williams), (S Brian Dawkins) ‘Dawk', (OL) Dustin Fry, (FB Spencer) Larsen, and that's pretty much it in terms of guys coming back. Everybody else - just plugging away on treatment and as soon as we can get them back out there we'll get them back out there."
On what he has seen in OL D'Anthony Batiste
"He's a guy that's - he's played in the league before which, obviously, experience is a big thing. His versatility - He played a lot more guard in the spring and then we pushed him out to tackle late and then we just feel like with where we are at - waiting for (OL) Ryan (Clady) to rehab and get healthy - that he could be a competitive player out there. Him and (OL) Tyler (Polumbus) are really taking the reps at left tackle. He's a physical guy. Once he hits you and gets his hands on you, you don't really move him that far because he's one of our stronger players up front. (He) moves the line of scrimmage in the running game and really has performed well to this point and we feel good about the fact that he's coming on and it gives you another body that if you take to the game, you know, if he's our sixth or seventh lineman once Ryan is back that gives you a guy that can play tackle, can play guard, and be flexible for us as we head into the season. He's really shown well for himself. I think the guys feel comfortable with him - confident in him and he's performed at a high level. We obviously get a big evaluation of all those young lineman that haven't played a whole lot in Cincinnati and going forward in the preseason. At this point, it's a competitive situation and he's really kind of sticking out."
On if it his expectation to have OL Ryan Clady back for the season opener
"We don't have a guarantee one way or the other. I'm hopeful, but I don't want to say that we will because, again, I don't want to put any unnecessary pressure on him to be ready before he really is ready. I know he is working as hard as he possibly can to be ready for that game, so we'll see how it goes."
On if he will work on anything different this week as opposed to last week
"No, there are some things we want to continue to work on both sides of the ball and the kicking game. Just things like that. There are some things we haven't gotten to yet that we're going to go ahead and start to sprinkle in today. The other thing we are going to do is start giving them some looks that they haven't seen from the other side of the ball. Most of the work we have been doing at this point has been against one another. So, we really haven't really seen - offensively, we haven't seen a lot of four-man fronts. Cincinnati is going to play a four-man front. Detroit is going to play a four-man front. Jacksonville is going to play a four-man front. So, we're going to start to sprinkle in more of those looks that we haven't really seen from the other side of the ball. Defensively there are certainly some things that offensively we don't do that we are going to see as we go into the season. Just things like that and try to take inventory of what we've shown our players. Some of the things we need to work on. Maybe a little bit more to improve to get to the point we want them to be, and then look at the stuff that we have that we haven't really approached and taught yet and really figure out exactly the formula we want to use to teach them as we go forward."
On the status of WR Demaryius Thomas
"He's not going to be out there right now, but I mean hopefully - I know he's eager. We don't have a timetable on that, but he's working hard. Obviously, the X-rays were negative and all that so hopeful that he'll be out there soon. We'll see how long that is."
On the effect of having injuries at this point
"It affects us, there's no question. I think that last year, just looking at last year, we had I think seven or eight guys that got injured real late in camp and were kind of in an indefinite term in terms of their recovery and rehab. As a coach, it might be better for us to have it happen now. I mean there are other teams that are obviously going through some of the same things we are going through. There's nothing we can control with that, so we're just going to try and focus on improving with the group that's out there and coaching those guys as hard as we can. As soon as we can get those players out there on the field talking and communicating and playing together, then we'll do it but the best we can do now - They're in meetings, they're seeing the things that we're coaching and really trying to learn that way. I don't think we can spend a whole lot of time focusing on what we can't really do anything about, which is getting them back out there before they are ready."
On how the injuries mentally affect the team
"I don't think I have had to remind them about that. I mean, I think that's mental toughness - our ability to do our job when things aren't really perfect. It's the same thing in a game too. That's what mental toughness is, and I think we've got a mentally tough group that goes out there and plays hard. I think we've got a lot of guys that are behind players that aren't out there right now that see it as their responsibility to go out there and play well. I think that's why we have 53 guys on the roster ultimately on opening day. We are not going to feel sorry for ourselves because there's no real reason to feel sorry for ourselves. We've just got to push through and get ready to go. I think last year we had some bumps and bruises in training camp. At different times at different stages of training camp we had more guys out than others and we had a tough, physical training camp. I think total we lost fewer man games from our starters than any other team in football last year. It's just one of those things. I think it kind of comes and goes. Again, I don't think anybody on the list of players that is not out there right now is in a dire situation. (LB) Elvis (Dumervil) had his surgery today. We'll see how that goes. Other than that, (I'm) hopeful that everybody else will be ready to go."
On how the rookie offensive linemen have transitioned into the NFL
"I think there's definitely - they are learning. I think they have to learn, not only the execution and the precision part of the game up front but also that physical past on every play factors in to every play up front. There are certainly plays where they learn a lesson and hopefully we are fixing some of those things as we go. I think most importantly for an offensive lineman at this point in their career where they just came from college football - they have to understand that they've got to do all those little things right on every play because leverage and whose hands are inside and the lower guy and all that stuff - It sounds important to them in college football and sometimes it is and sometimes it's not because they might just be a better player than the other guy, but at this level I think everybody is pretty much equal or many times you might be playing against players that are stronger or bigger than you. They have to do all the little things right, and I think they're working to try and do that."
On practicing with contact
"Well, we monitor that every day in terms of the overall number of team reps that players are getting. Really, at this point there's not really - nobody is getting 40 or 50 contact points at this point right now because we're mixing in so many bodies. I think when you go into the season and you cut the roster down and there are only so many bodies at each spot, I think you've got to be careful because they are usually taking every one of them. At this point, I think with 80 guys on the roster and usually near 70 out there, we're two and three deep at most spots and we are never really giving one player 45 or 50 plays in practice because we are trying to evaluate some of the younger players and then there's some periods that are carded periods where the starters aren't in there ever. I think it's something that - you know we're just going to be mindful of it. Obviously, if it becomes detrimental to us and we feel like it's hindering our progress, then we'll have to do something. Sunday was very similar to what we did last year after the stadium practice. We kind of backed off of them. I think we had a helmets practice last year, which is certainly no contact and this year all we did was go out and have a simple walkthrough. So, I think it's just something we felt like we wanted to do, and I think as we go forward if we feel like it's the right thing to do again we'll do it because I think your team tells you what you need to know physically."
WIDE RECEIVER EDDIE ROYAL
On how camp is going so far for him
"It's going good, you know. (I'm) out here sweating - two-a-days, working with your teammates, competing with one another - that's what camp is all about. We are out here competing hard, trying to get each other better each day."
On his thoughts on his 2009 season
"I don't know, that's tough to say, you know. It was one that you just didn't know what to expect. You had to come into every game prepared, you were going to have a big game and that's the way we did it. That's the way everybody on the offense did. You know, we came out each game is going to be our game, to have a big game and we practiced like that and we came out and tried to play like that."
On how he prepared himself in the offseason
"I did. I stayed on top of my lifting, but I just made sure that I kept my cardio up. I wanted to be fresh in the fourth quarter and that's the goal of all of our receivers this year, is we want to be able to outlast the defense."
On the three quarterbacks
"They look good, you know. Each day they are getting better - working on timing and we're picking that up in training camp. The scrimmage went well, so each day I think we are getting better."
On his expectations for the 2010 season
"Just do whatever I can to help the team win, whatever that is, you know. You just want to win. That's the goal of everybody on our team. Individual stats never matter to any of us. It's a team game and you want to win."
On getting more integrated with the offense this season
"I want to win. At the end of the day, whether that's me catching 10 balls or blocking for (RB) Knowshon (Moreno) and (RB Correll) Buckhalter in the backfield, you know I'm going to do whatever it takes to win. I've been in the league two years, and I've experienced the ups and downs of it. At the end of the day, you just want to win."
On the difference between this year's camp and last year's
"I know what's going on now, you know. Last year was just new to me - new to everybody. So, each day was a day you had to come out and try not to make mistakes. You couldn't really focus on technique. You were trying to get the play down right, so now I know exactly what I am doing. I can focus more on technique and getting open."
On his thoughts on teammate CB Perrish Cox
"Yeah, he's caught my eye. I mean especially as a corner, you know. He got an interception today. You look up and everyday it seems like he's making a big play on the defense, so he's getting better each day and as a returner he's learning. Each day he's getting better. It was good for him in the stadium on Saturday - being in that atmosphere with the fans, and he did a good job of fielding the ball and getting up field."
On if Cox ever asks for advice
"I try to coach him up, here and there, on the things that I know - the things that I've experienced. I'm still learning in this league too, so whatever I know, I try to pass it on to him."
On the young receivers
"They are doing well. Their heads are kind of spinning a little bit, learning a new offense, and I know where they are coming from. I remember my rookie year I was the same way. They are doing a good job in the classroom, picking it up each day. Every day they come out here and you see improvement."
LINEBACKER WESLEY WOODYARD
On the haircut he gave QB Tim Tebow
"(Laughing) Ah, the famous Tebow haircut heard around the world? Well, it was kind of like the ‘T' right here and then we kind of just bowled it on around his head, but he had a good time doing it, we all had a good time and it was a good laugh for us."
On whether he planned the style beforehand
"When I saw his head, I was like, I've got the perfect idea for you so I told him just to sit in the chair and we were going to take it from there."
On how Tebow took it
"He took it like a man, he said, ‘Come on, "Wood," give me something good,' so I told him, ‘I got you, I got you.'"
On whether the SEC rivalry between his Kentucky Wildcats and Tebow's Florida Gators gave him more incentive for the haircut
"None at all - he's a competitor and I had a joke with somebody - I said, ‘Hey, since we couldn't beat him, I had to at least cut his hair.'"
On how long the rookies had to keep their haircuts
"Two days at the most - we usually like to continually get a laugh for two days but it's all fun and games and they enjoyed it. I actually think one of the rookies still has their haircut so it's pretty fun for us."
On where he stands with the defense
"You know, you're never happy until you're on the football field so that's a big thing. We had a couple linebackers go down and we've just got to continue to fight and whoever is going to end up on the field - they're going to be the best players out there."
On whether he bulked up over the offseason
"(Laughing) I had to, you know? Working with (Strength and Conditioning coach Rich) coach Tuten over the offseason and he stressed to me, ‘Continue to get stronger and get bigger,' so that was my main focus."
On LB D.J. Williams returning to practice
"It was pretty good. His leadership, his knowledge of the defense - that's something big to get D.J. back out there on the field."
On getting a player back from injury
"That's real key - when a guy goes down, somebody has to step up and then when you get a guy that comes back (from injury) - his awareness and his knowledge of the game that he can spread to the other guys - that always means a lot."
On working with the first-team unit
"Me getting in there with the ones, a lot of other guys getting in there with the ones - it's that quality rep that you get in there. When you get in there you know you can't slack off and you know you've got to be at the top of your game."
On DL Jamal Williams
"Oh man, that's a big help. We've got other guys that have great motors but Jamal is a big key up there in the front. He's just a big guy and that's something you need in a 3-4 defense."