Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOHN FOX
On injuries ―We did have one player get injured. He had a concussion and left the game, Daniel Fells, tight end.‖
On the win ―I just thank the good Lord for those players in that locker room. They keep battling, and that‘s why they call it a team effort. We had some struggles in some phases of our game. They‘ve done it really three out of the last five weeks where they found a way in the fourth quarter to win the game. I guess that‘s why they call it a team game.‖
On the last drive ―We went to two minute, and we went to a formation that we felt pretty good about that in another way utilizes [QB] Tim [Tebow]‘s abilities. I think it was evidence with that last touchdown.‖
On not using the option as much ―That‘s a [Jets Head Coach] Rex Ryan coached defense. They‘re sharp. They do a good job. They were kind of aware, and in the past they worked a lot against it, so that team gets paid and practices too. A little bit of that has to do with them playing well.‖
On the defense ―They gave us an opportunity, and they‘ve done it before all the way back against Cincinnati at the beginning of the season. [CB André Goodman] Goody‘s interception for a touchdown, pick-six, was big. The kicking game was involved. We made all of our attempts. Again, it‘s a game of points, and we‘re thankful we ended up with more points in the end.‖
On LB Von Miller ―He‘s a great kid. He really just cares about the team winning. All the individual stuff, that comes with—all kind of icing on the cake. He has that mindset, and we appreciate that mindset. He‘s a tremendous player and is just going to get better every week.‖
On the beginning of the last drive ―You kind of learn not to get too nervous in this profession. It‘s kind of what floats most of our boat, and we have a passion for it.‖
On the quarterback change ―I just knew it wasn‘t working what we were doing. No offense to anybody. I root for everybody we put out. They are a part of our team. I love them all. It‘s kind of like your own kids, so you root for them and you hope for them. It‘s not just one guy. I know I‘ve said that. It‘s been a whole team concept. Everybody has contributed. This win tonight wasn‘t just one guy. It was a team effort and I can‘t emphasize that enough.‖
On RB Willis McGahee ―It‘s like anything, the more you do it the better you get. He didn‘t practice very much all week, neither did the team. I‘m sure their team didn‘t either. We were on a short week with a Sunday to Thursday game. Basically everything we did this week was walk-through, jog-though, whatever you want to call it, tempo. We weren‘t in pads. We were just trying to get through it, and I‘m sure they approached it much the same way because it‘s a very physical game and it takes the toll on you.‖
On what he’s thinking when Tebow has the ball on the five yard line ―Kind of what I think every time anybody takes the ball. I‘m hoping for good things to happen, and they did.‖
On Tebow ―Tim is going to be Tim. You don‘t want to change too much about a guy that makes plays and makes plays in pressure situations. Our staff [Quarterbacks Coach] Adam Gase and [Offensive Coordinator] Mike McCoy have done a tremendous job of working with him and bringing him up to speed. We had a couple issues, but he‘s a young player. He‘s a young quarterback. It‘s a very hard position, and those things are going to happen. He‘ll just grow and get better with every snap.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
On Tebow’s character ―He‘s just a competitive dude. He‘s super competitive. He never lays his sword down. He‘s going to fight you to death, and that‘s just his nature. He‘s a great young man.‖
On the second to last drive ―We were softening them up. No, I‘m just kidding. We had some series that we struggled, there‘s no doubt. Our defense carried us. I thought special teams changed field position, our coverage units were good. That was just one of those not- so-great series.‖
On if something special is happening ―I like the last five better than I like the first five. If you ask me that, yes.‖
DENVER BRONCOS PLAYERS
QB TIM TEBOW
On Denver’s final, game-winning drive ―First and foremost I just want to thank my lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and thank my teammates for believing in me and believing in each other for 60 minutes. I think, referring to that last drive, I think it was just a bunch of guys that kept fighting that had been knocked down a bunch of times but continued to get back up. I‘m just so proud of those guys, for their resiliency, their patience and their determination.‖
―We were aggressive. We went at them. [WR] Eddie [Royal] made a great play on the first (play). It was man-to-man (defense), and I threw him a swing, he made somebody miss, he got (eight yards). And then we were able to get some on the option. We didn‘t necessarily have huge plays, but we just got enough to keep moving the sticks and found a way at the end, and [WR Demaryius Thomas] came up with a big catch, and the offensive line was just grinding, working hard and scratching for every single yard we could get. They made my job very easy there at the end.‖
On WR Dante Rosario’s 18-yard catch on the final drive ―That was actually just a great play by [WR Dante Rosario], and I was actually getting my arm hit a little bit, so I was thankful it even got to him. He just made a great catch, and [the Broncos coaches] made a great call to get up on the ball because I couldn‘t see if it was a catch or not—I still don‘t even know; I didn‘t see it—so it was a great call by the coaches to get right on the ball and get a play in.‖
On what the offense talked about just prior to the drive ―[Offensive coordinator] Coach [Mike] McCoy just said, ‗Keep believing.‘ When we were in the huddle, what we were talking about as an offense was, ‗You want opportunities like this because this is an opportunity for greatness as an offense. We haven‘t done anything this whole game, but we have an opportunity to do something special right now. Let‘s go out there and do it.‘ Everybody was focused, and you could see that their will was taking over as an offense. I think that‘s pretty special.‖
―It was just important that we had a mind-set and everybody went out there and rallied behind each other and just gave it everything they had.‖
On what McCoy said just prior to the drive ―We went over a few ideas, but we were ready to go back out there. He said a few things—it wasn‘t a huge, long speech—but, you know, ‗Keep believing. Let‘s go get this thing done.‘‖
On if the offensive game plan changed on the final drive ―Once we got a few first downs, then we started emptying (the backfield) out. If we had it, that was great. If not, I was going to try to fight for whatever I could get.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
On his game-winning touchdown run ―That was the second time in the game [the Jets] had blitzed everybody against us, and they were playing the corners pretty hard off, and we ran a three-vertical (wide receivers) concept against them, and I knew we were in field-goal range, and I didn‘t necessarily just want to throw up a jump-ball because they were playing so far off. So when I knew they were blitzing everybody, and I saw [S] (Eric Smith) coming off the left side, and he came and he hugged tight, and I knew he was going to be extra because they were bringing one more guy than we could block, and I knew (the blocker) got a hand on him, and once he came tight, I just figured he wasn‘t going to think I was going to try and get outside and escape, so I just believed that the tackle and the tight end were going to get the block, and that I could try to hopefully outrun him to the edge, and thank the Lord I was able to do so.‖
―I don‘t think (the outside) was supposed to be open. (Smith) was kind of the hugger, and he hugged tight against and stayed tight. So once he‘s coming in and planting and trying to stay as tight as he can, thinking I‘m going to be in the pocket … once I knew that, I just kind of jab-stepped and stayed outside, and he‘s going this way, and I‘m going that way. That‘s hard for someone to really plant and get outside. I was very thankful he was running really hard and coming hard inside because that‘s hard to make that cut, so it made it a lot easier on me getting outside of him.‖
On if he was surprised by the Jets’ all-out blitz on the play ―We were kind of expecting it. They were going to be aggressive and try to stop us and could also [have] been expecting a quarterback run or quarterback draw, or something inside. So we had a great play against it, and Coach McCoy made a great call, and I was just thankful I was able to get around the end.‖
On if he was hesitant this week to run ―I was just trying to execute the offense, which I‘ve got to get better at and do it more consistently for 60 minutes, and that will start tomorrow.‖
On if he likes late-game drama ―I like winning, but I wish it wasn‘t quite that stressful.‖
On if he had any thoughts of sliding or stepping out of bounds on his scoring run. ―No, sir. No, sir. I think the two corners were [Antonio‖] Cromartie and [Darrelle] Revis that were out on that side, and I wasn‘t sure how close they were behind me—they got a hold of my ankle—but I wasn‘t thinking about that.‖
On his opinion of his performance ―I‘ve just got to get better, but it‘s a lot more fun to do that after a win.‖
On how he’s going to celebrate the win ―What‘s special is I‘ve got a lot of friends and family in for this game. [So] first, just thank the Lord and savior and hang out with my friends and family. Honestly, I played pretty hard, so I‘ll probably be a little bit tired. [I‘ll] go get a little bit of food and probably go to sleep.‖
On if he feels stress in stressful situations ―I don‘t know if I necessarily feel the stress. I guess I feel—I don‘t know—a word … I guess a burden, you know? This is an opportunity; let‘s go get this done, let‘s make something special happen. I put that pressure on myself to try to make something happen. Ultimately, that‘s the best part about being a quarterback. That‘s why I‘ve wanted to be a quarterback since I was 6-years old, watching guys like John Elway and Steve Young have game-winning drives. That‘s what you dream as a little kid. You don‘t always want to have them, but that‘s, ultimately … that‘s very special for a quarterback. It‘s kind of fun, as well.‖
On WR Eric Decker ―Eric is so great; he‘s so unselfish. He‘s a great receiver. I‘ve just got to find a way to get him the ball more often.‖
On if the Broncos scripted the first few plays ―It wasn‘t necessarily scripted because we came in not necessarily knowing exactly what they were going to do. So the first two or three plays were [scripted] but after that we [wanted] to see, ‗Hey, how are they playing us? Are they staying in base [defense]? Are they getting in nickel [defense]? What are they doing?‘ Because [Jets coach] Rex [Ryan] has done a
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011 lot of different things, using a lot of different personnel groups. So we wanted to see how they were going to play us. So once we got a feel for that, we just tried to keep just mixing it up.‖
On the Broncos’ first play of the game (28-yard reception) ―We just wanted to spread it out, because they were probably going to anticipate [a] run [play], which most of you (the media) probably thought as well. [WR Demaryius Thomas] just ran a great route, and I just lobbed it up, and he made a great catch.‖
On what makes him able to come through in the clutch ―I‘m just blessed to have great teammates around me and have a very strong faith. When you know that, this is just a game. It‘s a game we‘re very passionate about, and I care a whole lot about—I want to win—but at the end of the day it‘s more important the platform that we have and how we can influence kids and hopefully the next generation to go out there and play with character, strength and honor and do what‘s right, do your best and treat others the way you want to be treated. When I think you understand that it‘s just a game, I think it kind of takes a little of that pressure off. You know that God‘s in control whether you win or lose. I think that helps me at the end of games.‖
On what he would say to his critics ―You‘re always going to have naysayers. I‘ve had them since I was 7-years old, trying to play quarterback at Lakeshore [Pop Warner Football]. You‘re always going to have them. I think that‘s just part of the game. Early on at [the University of Florida] I learned to only worry about what I can control. I‘ve probably shared this with you all 20 times, but that‘s my attitude, my effort and my focus every day and not worrying about everybody who tells you that you can‘t because it‘s probably not going to get you anywhere.‖
On if he plans on tweeting any of his critics ―I probably will tweet [former NFL defensive end] Hugh Douglas because I did hear that he said if we won he was going to church on Sunday. So I‘m going to tweet him. He better be in his Sunday best! I hope he can sing praise and worship, too. So we‘ll see.‖
On if he’s getting comfortable as the Broncos’ starter ―Every day I feel like I‘m getting a little bit more comfortable. I felt pretty good today with the protections and getting us in and out of the right ones, and the offensive line did a great job because [the Jets] do a lot of different looks at the snap of the ball, moving fronts. It was fun. It was fun to get an opportunity to play against a great defensive coordinator (Mike Pettine), you know, someone who wrote the book. So it was fun.‖
On if he wants to throw the ball more ―Our No. 1 goal, and my No. 1 goal, how I‘m being taught on what I have to do, is we can‘t have turnovers. That‘s the No. 1 way we‘ll hurt ourselves is turnovers. So if we can avoid those and we can execute a little bit better, obviously, than what we did today, then we‘ll be in good shape to go out there and compete and hopefully win in the fourth quarter. I think that‘s one reason behind the long third downs. We want to put ourselves in third-and-manageable [situations], but we‘ve got a great punt game [and] we‘ve got a great defense. So sometimes it‘s about more than being smart rather than kind of just doing what you want, you know?‖
―I want to do whatever the coaches want to do.‖
On Jets CB Darrelle Revis’ comment that the Broncos offense is boring ―I think [Revis is] a very good player, and it was an honor getting to play against him.‖
On what he’s thankful for this Thanksgiving ―That would be a long list, but just to share a few: first and foremost would be my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and I‘d say behind that would be my family and also in this time is our military, who put their lives on the line every day for us so we can come out here and play a game. I‘m very thankful for all three of those things.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
SLB VON MILLER
On the win ―It is the same formula that we have been having – just keep on playing, keep on believing and having faith, and hopefully we have a chance to win in the game – and today we had it.‖
On the strong defensive performance ―We had been practicing, and that was our mindset all week, to stay together; no matter what the play call is, no matter what happens, no matter what adversity presents itself; just keep grinding and our chance will present itself.‖
On pressuring Jets QB Mark Sanchez ―If you pressure any quarterback and get to them, they will make some bad decisions. That is our game plan every week, just get to the quarterback, get some hits on him and make him play his game.‖
On the defensive mindset ―We just wanted to play solid defense. It is the same formula we have had every week. We have to replicate the same thing that the other defense is doing. If they get a three-and-out, we need to get a three-and-out. If they get a defensive score, we need to get a defensive score. I think we had that mindset today.‖
On the feeling in the locker room after the win ―I can‘t explain it. There is nothing like a locker room after a big win. I enjoy being around the guys. Hopefully we can experience this feeling again.‖
On the difference between this game and last home game ―We had a lot of adversity at the beginning, and the character in this locker room showed. We are going to keep on grinding. We will celebrate this win for about, not even 24 hours. We need to get back in the lab tomorrow and get some things straightened out, but we are going to enjoy it for a little bit, and it is on to San Diego.‖
WR ERIC DECKER
On if teams should be worried about the Broncos right now ―I definitely think so. You can tell that we are getting better week in and week out. We are coming together and things are going are way right now. We have to keep riding this out, and who knows what will happen in week 17.‖
On playing loose in the fourth quarter ―We just have to wait until the fourth quarter to finally put a good drive together – 95 yards to win the game. I am going to give the defense all the credit in the world with their touchdown by [CB] André Goodman and playing lights out. We had our chances; we had a short field all game and just couldn‘t put things together. Myself, and a couple of other wide receivers had drops; we didn‘t play well, and that is something we have to get back to the drawing board and get better at.‖
On the feeling in the locker room after the win ―Emotional – very excited. It was like brotherhood. Guys really believe in one another. We are coming together; we trust one another; we are doing things that we know if we give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter that we are going to win the game. That is the attitude we are taking.‖
On the difference between this game and last home game ―That is why you play every Sunday, and I guess Thursday too. Teams are all good in this league, and it is a matter of making plays when you are there, playing lights out like our defense is doing, and it is anyone‘s ball game in the fourth quarter. That is our mentality; wear them out until the fourth quarter and then we make plays and win games like we are doing.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
RCB André Goodman
On if his interception was telegraphed ―No, definitely not. I got a good break and was able to get my hands on the ball, and keep my hands on the ball. I just got a good break. They came at me a couple plays before and I knew they were feeling good about the matchup. Again, I just got a good break at the right time and was able to get a score.‖
On the team’s faith in QB Tim Tebow during final drive ―When that happened it was like, we have 95 yards. Everybody was kind of like, ‗watch this.‘ On the sideline it felt like we knew something was going to happen. People always say that when you win but we felt like something was going to happen, probably because of the way we have been finishing games over the last couple weeks. Again, #15 [QB Tim Tebow] proved to be very impressive on that drive.‖
On Tebow’s statistics ―It works. We are 4-1 with him back there and I think every guy on this team is proud of the way he has handled himself with the amount of criticism that he has received over the last couple of weeks. Everyone talks about what he can‘t do but they don‘t talk about what he is doing, which is winning games.‖
On if there are any doubters in the locker room ―At the end of the day, when you look at [QB] Tim [Tebow], he is not your average drop-back passer so criticism comes with his style of play. If he continues to do what he is doing, I‘m pretty sure the whispers will start to come to a minimum.‖
LCB CHAMP BAILEY
On QB Tim Tebow ―One thing about that quarterback: he is going to keep grinding. As a defense, we just have to keep him in this game – keep this team in the game and in the fourth quarter, you never know what you are going to get. We are never out of it and it is a good feeling because I know if we are close, we have a chance.‖
On his thoughts during last drive ―I am excited because there is an opportunity for us to go down and score. I was just hoping we didn‘t have to send [K] Matt Prater out there to kick a field goal and tie it up. I didn‘t want overtime.‖
On what he said to Tebow after his touchdown ―We have little talks here and there. I don‘t want to get specific but I let him know how much I believe in him and how special he is. That is pretty much it, simple stuff like that. I know it means a lot to him.‖
On the fans anxiety during fourth-quarter games ―We have to keep them in their seats. If you‘re going to pay the price, you might as well stay for four quarters. We just have to make it exciting for them.‖
On the reasons this was an emotional win ―When everybody is against you and doubting you; I mean it is all you hear all week – how bad we are. Now we are a .500 team. We have to look to the next one but we are going to enjoy this one because it is big. They are a good football team and we put a lot of work into this.‖
RB WILLIS MCGAHEE
On his performance even though he was not 100% ―I am not trying to make any excuses, but I didn‘t feel like myself. It was a chance for me to see what I could do and I‘m just glad we won because I had that little mishap, that little fumble in the game, and that shouldn‘t happen.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
On the offense playing well in the fourth quarter ―We were due. At the beginning of the season we were losing close games at the end. We were right there but we just were not finding a way. Somehow, someway are guys are just digging deep. Defense is digging deep, offense is digging deep and we are just fighting. Good things happen when you do that.‖
On if he knew Tim Tebow would lead the team to a touchdown ―I knew he was going to lead us down there, a touchdown was a bonus. I am happy for him, I am happy for the offense because we have a lot of critics about us not passing the ball. I am just glad he got it in there.‖
On the possibility of being first in the AFC West ―We can‘t worry about what Oakland does to tell you the truth. We just have to worry about our next game. We only take it one game at a time. If Oakland wins, they win. We have the Chargers coming up and that is what we are looking forward to it. ―
On if his hamstring suffered any further injury ―No. I was surprised by that – it did a great job and I am not sore or anything. I am very pleased with it.‖
NEW YORK JETS HEAD COACH REX RYAN
General ―First off, you‘ve got to give credit to Denver, in particular their quarterback, [Tim] Tebow who made the play to win the game. It‘s tough to stop 11-on-11 football like that. We said it going in, you‘ve got to play for 60 minutes. We gave up a big play at the end of the game. Obviously a critical error, but the young man made the play. Tebow made the play so we have to give them credit. We thought that play was coming, but we never got it defended. That‘s what happens when you‘ve got a good athlete, a big strong guy like that, kind of like we have a (former Jet‘s WR) Brad Smith. I know I sound like a broken record, that we made too many mistakes to win a game. Turn the ball over on special teams, that‘s a killer. We throw the interception for a touchdown, that‘s a killer. (We) played a great game. I can‘t tell you how great of a game that was. We played a great game and then gave up the big play at the end there on a mistake. But again, I tip my hat to Denver. They won the game. We have to find a way to get better. I believe this team will but, this one stings. There‘s no question.‖
On losing containment defensively on the last play ―That‘s pretty much what it looked like to me. I haven‘t seen it but that‘s kind of what it looked like to me. You know (Tebow) is going to keep it in that situation. That‘s what he does. You‘re going to keep the ball in your play-maker‘s hand. We thought he was going to carry it and he did. He didn‘t disappoint us but he ran for a touchdown. He‘s a competitor and makes big plays with the game on the line. That‘s why you‘ve got to give him credit.‖
On RB Shonn Greene’s injury ―I think it was something with his ribs.‖
On playoff chances ―Our playoff starts next week. We‘ve got to find a way to beat Buffalo.‖
On QB Mark Sanchez ―You don‘t just place it on [QB] Mark [Sanchez]. It‘s a combination of things. We‘ve got to get open on our routes. We‘ve got to protect the quarterback and he‘s got to make the throws and then we‘ve got to be able to run the football. So it‘s a combination of things.‖
On the Broncos total yards ―Tebow took it for 229 total yards. I‘m not surprised they got that many yards on us. He‘s a good football player and he made plays at the end of the game. I was surprised they scored the touchdown, absolutely.‖
On the option of a field goal at the end ―No we were trying to score. We wanted to score a touchdown. In this stadium, you kick 60 yard field goals so we certainly weren‘t just planning for a field goal.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
On QB Mark Sanchez getting banged up ―I know he finished the game. He stayed in it the whole time. He got hit in the back one time real hard, but he was able to come back.‖
On the interception ―I‘m not sure right now, we‘ll see it, but this kind of reminds me of our first year here. If we give up the ball, we‘ve got to find a way to tackle people too because I don‘t know how many returns we‘ve given up this year for scores but it seems like a bunch and when you‘re in a tight game like that, that can‘t happen.‖
On the short week having an effect on the team ―I thought our guys were prepared. I thought we did a tremendous job on defense, trying to come up with a way and to defend their multiple offense and all of the things they present. It‘s work. People can laugh about this or whatever, but this is a hard offense to defend. And you‘ve got to have your rules and you‘ve got to play to them. Our coaching staff did a great job. All those guys did a good job preparing. I thought our players prepared well, unfortunately we didn‘t find a way to get it done.‖
On losing after dominating in the second half on defense ―It absolutely hurts. You were thinking at the end that they‘re going to kick the field goal and maybe go into overtime. You weren‘t expecting the guy to pop out of there like he did. He made a great run.‖
On wasting time in the final seconds of the first half ―There might have been some confusion. We told [QB] Mark [Sanchez] the line was basically the 40, but were going to kick it longer, we told him if we could get to the 40 yard line or in, that [K] Nick [Folk] really felt good about making a field goal so we were trying to get there. He raised up, he saw him uncovered, raised up and threw it. We basically needed three of four more yards to get into that. Unfortunately we never made them. We had to use the time out and kicked a longer field goal. Quite honestly, Nick nailed it, it looked like it faded at the end there.
On if Sunday night’s Jets loss played a part in tonight’s outcome ―I think I‘m the only coach in the League that actually gives people credit after they win games. I give Denver credit. If we would give any excuse, I think you take away from the performance of the Broncos. They earned the victory.‖
On the morale of the team after a loss ―For all of us, now you wish you played this Sunday again. But we have to take a long hard look at ourselves. One thing about this team, we will stay together. This football team will stay together. We‘re not perfect by any stretch but we‘re a lot better than this and we all know it. Every man in that locker room knows it. And I know it. It has to start next week when we play Buffalo. There‘s no excuses from this football team. We just have to get better. We‘ve been down this road before. We know how to pull out of these things. It‘s not easy, but we can get it done.‖ NEW YORK JETS PLAYERS
QB MARK SANCHEZ
On his interception that was returned for a touchdown ―I gave them a touchdown, gave them a free play. The guy [Denver CB Andre Goodman] made a pretty good play on it, but the pass wasn‘t open. I shouldn‘t have thrown it. It‘s an embarrassing play on my part; I hurt the team and lost the game.‖
On his health ―I‘m fine. I took a big hit, but it‘s not a big deal.‖
On letting the defense down ―Watch the game, I let the defense down, however you want to phrase it. It‘s just an embarrassing day for me.‖
On contending for the playoffs
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
―We‘re digging ourselves a hole, that‘s for sure. We‘re not making things easy on ourselves. If anybody knows how to do it, we know how to come back and take the hard road to the playoffs. We can do it, I know we can. We have playmakers, we have the coaching, we have the leadership, we have the ability to play better than this; we just haven‘t and I haven‘t. It starts with me; we have a long weekend to take a good, long look at yourself in the mirror and figure out the player you want to be the rest of the season and move on, but it starts with me and winning these games you feel a lot better.‖
On whether this is his toughest loss ―Losing in the playoffs is probably the worst feeling. This doesn‘t feel good, and it‘s up there.‖
On halftime adjustments ―We adjusted to some of their schemes and stuff, but nothing big. A lot of the calls that we didn‘t get to in the first half we got to in the second half. We were moving it ok. We ended up going down and I missed [TE] Dustin [Keller] in the end zone, but we ended up scoring anyway so we got points there. We could have made it a little easier on [K] Nick [Folk] and gotten him a closer field goal at one point. Before the half, I was just trying to get to the 40-yard line and we didn‘t do that, so that kind of came back to bite us. In the end we just have to make better decisions and that‘s my fault.‖
On the shotgun snap that went over his head ―It was just over my head. It was a high snap and I‘m athletic enough to jump and catch it, so I should have.‖
On pass for no gain to TE Dustin Keller on second to last play of the first half ―Dustin was uncovered so all we needed—the line (to get in K Nick Folk‘s comfortable range) was the 40 and I knew we had a timeout left so I figured he could just catch it and run forward. I didn‘t communicate that to him and he can‘t read my mind so it‘s not his fault, it‘s my fault. We had a timeout so I figured he‘d catch it and run across the 40 and we‘d kick it with no time.‖
On finding a rhythm without RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson ―Shonn going down didn‘t help, but I felt Bilal [Powell] and Joe [McKnight] stepped up and did a great job. We had good protection and we ran the football. Not having L.T., that didn‘t lose us the game. He obviously helps us win.‖
On the effect of the short week of preparation ―I don‘t think so; I think that‘s a cop-out. We‘re better than this. Whether we play three games in three days in a row, we know better than that, I know better than that. We didn‘t play to out potential and missed opportunities. I made a couple poor decisions and it really hurt the team and came back to bite us. It‘s really too bad.‖
On whether the Jets can bounce back from losing two straight games ―We‘ll find out (what kind of team we are) real soon. I know what kind of team we have. I know it‘s a resilient bunch and I know it‘s a team that can win games like this. I have to play better, but I know these guys will bounce back. We‘d like to have won one before this long weekend, but we have a perfect opportunity for this last little stretch we have to make our run. Coach said it best, the playoffs really start with Buffalo; these are all must wins.‖ NEW YORK JETS PLAYERS
G MATT SLAUSON
On whether the Jets thought they could run on the Broncos’ defense ―Yes, but their defense did a phenomenal job. I don‘t know what we ended up with, but their defense won the game for them.‖
On his fumble recovery for a touchdown ―I didn‘t know what to think (when I saw the ball on the ground). At that time you just feel like a big, dumb animal. You‘re just like, ‗Oh! Ball!‘ Then I just grabbed it and rolled in and it was great, but it doesn‘t mean anything now.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
On his confidence in the Jets’ defense protecting the lead ―I felt like we were in a great position there because we have all the confidence in the world in our defense. Unfortunately we had too many mistakes all across the board, and we have to continue to work and get those fixed, so in the future, my touchdown can mean something.‖
RB SHONN GREENE
On how he was injured ―I think I took a knee to the ribs.‖
On test results of the rib injury ―I took X-rays and everything came back negative, so I‘m thinking it‘s just a bruise.‖
On how frustrating it was to watch from the sidelines ―It was real frustrating. I was ready to go back out when needed, but [RB] Joe [McKnight] and [RB] Bilal [Powell] were doing a good job, so I was just waiting in case they needed me.‖
CB DARRELLE REVIS
On QB Tim Tebow’s play on the last drive ―He ended up driving on us. He did it. Tim Tebow did it. He shocked me, he probably shocked a lot of people, but he did it.‖
On the how difficult it is to defend the Broncos offense ―We played them well through the whole game until the last play. Like I said, [QB] Tim Tebow‘s legs took them to victory. He ran them to victory.‖
On his opinion of Tim Tebow ―He‘s an NFL quarterback; he throws the ball and he runs the ball.‖
On the Jets defensive success before the final drive ―It‘s very disappointing. A lot of people are disappointed in here of how the outcome came for the game. In that last drive, as a defense we‘ve got to execute more; and just looking up at the last [play], we‘ve got to improve more. You can‘t let plays like this happen on defense. You have to execute your job and we‘ve got to stop them.‖
On his preparations for this offense during the week ―I think the whole defense felt comfortable coming into this game, game plan-wise. We had a good day defensively, and [QB] Tim [Tebow], that last play, was able to run it in for a touchdown. Like I said, we have to execute play after play, series after series.‖
NEW YORK JETS PLAYERS (continued)
WR SANTONIO HOLMES
On his feelings after the loss ―You can‘t come on to anyone else‘s field and just give them the game like we did.‖
On how the Broncos defended him ―They played a safety over the top and [CB] Champ Bailey played underneath, taking away the quick game. They did a good job of it.‖
On his potential touchdown that was deflected by LB Von Miller ―I saw it [the touchdown]; he got his hand on it, and the guy [LB Von Miller] made a great play on the ball.‖
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. New York Jets – Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
On losing the game in the last minutes ―It‘s difficult; it‘s tough. You‘ve got to come in here and come into someone else‘s place and put points on the board. You can‘t let the other guy‘s crowd to get involved the game. You can‘t let those guys get up the field and hit our quarterback. A lot of things went wrong tonight, and we have to get back into the lab this week and correct it and get ready for next week.‖
On his thoughts on the game ―It‘s a tough loss, man. It‘s a tough loss. We‘ve got to play better team ball.‖
On the interception for a touchdown ―It‘s a turnover for a touchdown. There‘s nothing you can do about it, nothing you can control. Just come back on the field and be ready to roll on offense.‖
On the Jets’ playoff hopes ―We just have to play the next game that‘s on the schedule. That‘s all we can worry about, the next game. We can‘t worry about playoffs right now, we have to do what we have to do to win ball games.‖