Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOHN FOX
On injuries “Update on the injuries in the game: [CB] Tracy Porter left the game and did not return with a concussion. [WR] Trindon Holliday also left the game I believe later in the game with a sprained ankle.”
On CB Tracy Porter getting injured so soon after his return to the field “He was down. It was a pretty hard collision, something I was kind of crossing my fingers for. It didn’t work out but he’ll battle back. He battled back from his last situation and I’m sure he’ll battle back from this.”
On if having a chance for the No. 1 seed was in his thought process last week “Not really. We gave the team off until Wednesday, so they’ll have tomorrow and Christmas off. As I told them, ‘Merry Christmas and we control our own destiny.’ We’ll be putting all our focus and attention to Kansas City to finish up the regular season and then the chips will fall where they are and then we start the tournament.”
On if it will be that big of a difference to him if they are the No. 1 or the No. 2 seed “Not really. Again, we’re just trying to get better as a football team every day, every week, and be playing our best football when we start that tournament. We’ve got another opportunity next week to get better against the Kansas City Chiefs here.”
On the overall performance of the game “It’s a [win] and that’s the most important stat. There’s ups and downs in every game. You look around the league and you’ve got to show up every Sunday and part of being good and doing the things you’re trying to do every year, you’ve got to be consistent. That’s not letting down and I think our team’s done a pretty good job of that of late.”
On QB Peyton Manning getting angry when things don’t go well even though they are winning by large margins “It’s tremendous. This team’s been a fun team. I’ve liked this team when we were 2-2 and I said that publicly. They’ve gotten better. They’ve taken ownership. It’s a tribute to all of those guys in that locker room and the hard work they’ve put in. It’s not been just one guy. Obviously, he’s been an important cog, no doubt, but we’ve had a lot of guys that have put everything into this and we’ll see where it takes us.”
On how worried he is about WR Trindon Holliday’s ball security “We had a couple we put on the ground, not just Trindon. Like I said, not too many of these are perfect. You strive for perfection but you very seldom get it.”
On the defense being on the same page “It’s just like anything, I think, whether it’s your job or anybody’s job. The more you do it, the better you get. It was something I thought our talent level was there, it was just a matter of executing and fitting right and every single guy doing their job because when one guy breaks down, it’s very evident. It doesn’t matter whether it’s offense, defense, or the kicking game and our guys have bought into that. They’ve worked very hard. Not just on Sunday’s – that’s the fun part, the performing part – but during the week as far as preparation, both in the meeting room, film room and the practice field.”
On if he is enjoying the winning streak “Someone asked me that before. I enjoy it for about four hours and then onto the next one.”
On LB Von Miller setting the single-season sack record “Again, he’s a great player. I think he’s gotten better. The thing I really appreciate about the guy, he’s a team guy, he’s not about the personal accolades, he’s about those [wins] and I appreciate that about him.”
On what went into the decision to play CB Tracy Porter over CB Tony Carter “Again, he was our starter for us and he played well for us until he wasn’t active to play and then he’s worked very hard to get back. He missed quite a long time. In professional athletics, it takes a while to get back to the top of your game. He hit that point this week and we activated him.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
DENVER BRONCOS PLAYERS
QB PEYTON MANNING
On the two red zone touchdowns on third down “They were both man-to-man coverages both on third down which was good to see. We finished the rest of those drives with touchdowns in the red zone. But pretty tight coverage. I though [WR] Demaryius [Thomas] made a great catch on his … just to take it right out of the air. I think [WR] Eric [Decker] made a heck of a catch on his. I will tell on the one to Eric, it really is a luxury both he and Demaryius give you the opportunity to throw that ball high in the back of the end zone. You know, people call that the Dwight Clark throws—our ball or nobody’s ball. You can throw it high because of the height and their ability to jump, you can make that throw. That was really a good play but especially because they were third down touchdowns. I thought that was really impressive.”
On if they are thinking about the possibility of being the number one seed “No, just think about trying to improve this week during practice and playing a division opponent next week. Just trying to get better this week is all we are thinking about.”
On how they have won games leading up to the playoffs “I think every game takes on its own identity. I mean certainly you want to have faced every situation possible before the playoffs. So you want to have had every possible situation to have come up. But that’s not possible. You know early in the season we were behind in some games and fought our way back; came up short on a couple. Got over the top against San Diego. You know these past games we have got the lead and gotten to hold the lead. I think just being able to win any way but if you protect the ball, if you convert third downs and if you get touchdowns in the red zone, you know that is what we kind of think about on offense. I’m just trying to do my part and the defense has done a good job holding offenses to field goals and have gotten us some field position.”
On if they have a goal to reach a certain point total each week “There is not really a goal we set every week. Our goal is to score more than the opponent. Certainly, if you have done a good job moving the ball all season when you get down inside that 25 yard line, there really was a mindset today to get touchdowns and not have to settle for field goals. That made a big difference I thought in Cleveland’s play calling, not only do you have to throw a little bit more and you have to do something to pin their ears back. So score as many points as we can, that is all we really try to do.”
On NFL MVP I really have not thought about that. It has been such a unique season for me personally, I really feel fortunate to be playing. I really have had an interesting year and a half and so I am proud our team is in the mix. Some of the individual records going on, on teams that are not in the playoffs, I am glad to be in this situation where we have a chance to do something as a team that is special. Anything that comes along the way individually, in my past, I have accepted those on behalf of the teams I have been on. They are individual awards, but in my opinion they have always been team awards. That is kind of how I continue to approach things.”
On the prevailing thought that he’s playing as well as he as at any point in his career “I know you guys don’t believe me when I say I’m still kind of learning about myself physically and what I can do. It’s still the truth, and I still have things that are harder than they used to be and things that I continue to have to work on, from a rehab. standpoint to a strength standpoint. And that’s just the way it is, and maybe that’s just the way it’s going to be from here on out for me. I don’t know. I’m going to keep trying.
“I feel like we’ve certainly improved throughout the season, and some guys have done certain things. I really do not know what to expect. There’s no way for me to have any type of … as far as what to compare it to … other quarterbacks on other teams, it just didn’t carry over to me in this situation. So, I know how hard I’ve worked and I know how much help I’ve gotten along the way. I know how hard our team has worked, and I think some of those things have paid off for us.”
On if he thinks he’s as good as he was in his prime “I don’t. I do not. I don’t. I’m trying to be as good as I possibly can at this stage. And a 36-year-old quarterback, coming off a year-and-a-half off, playing on a new team, I’m trying to be as good as I possibly can in this scenario.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
On why he played with a glove on today “I’ve been practicing with it throughout my career at different times. I’ve been practicing in it these past few weeks. You didn’t notice that, Mike? (to Denver Post writer Mike Klis). I don’t know. I was just wearing a glove.”
On what he thinks he’s not as good at now as he used to be “Well, like I said: certain things are harder for me than they used to be. You have to give more effort on certain things, and that’s just the way it is for me. So, the work that I’m doing with the trainers and the weight coaches, behind the scenes … it’s different for me. It’s a different kind of body that I’m playing in. It’s a different type of quarterback play for me.”
On if his neck injury or age have slowed him down the most “You can probably chalk it up to all of it, but a lot of it is the injury. You know, the ramifications of the [neck injury] is part of it, and part of it is probably being 36, and part of it is probably playing with a new team. You can probably add them all together. You know I’m just trying to kind of be the best I can be in this role.”
On his interception at the end of the second quarter “That’s something that we were trying to kind of get a little play there to [TE Joel] Dreessen, so, that’s something that’s probably our fault. We haven’t worked on that enough with [RB] Knowshon [Moreno]. He’s done such a heck of a job, and we’ve done so much with him in the running game, and [running] routes out of the backfield, and he really did a good job on two routes out wide, and so that was a different route that he hasn’t run a whole lot, and there’s just not enough time to rep every potential coverage. So, I was kind of thinking, ‘He might come flat, or he could go on deep to the pylon,’ and [the defender] got in the way. So that was my fault. I probably should have just thrown the ball away.”
On the intangibles he brings to the Broncos “I really can’t answer that. I guess you’d have to ask some of my teammates. My motto has always been, ‘Prepare hard, practice hard, work hard, and play hard.’ So that’s what I try to do.”
On what he has thought about his first year in Denver “I think we’ve made some strides each week. I still have to admit that’s it’s not going to be [like] an offense that’s been together for five years. It’s not going to look like that because we haven’t. We’ve only been together for however many weeks, so we’ve tried to improve each week, but a lot of things just take time. We’re trying to do the best we can in this limited amount of time.”
On if he’s thinking about the Super Bowl “Ah, [we’re] just [focused on] Kansas City this week and getting better all the time and having a merry Christmas.”
CB CHAMP BAILEY
On the 10-game winning streak “We have a bunch of fighters out there and play with a lot of confidence. The coaches really believe in what we can do so all we have to do is go out there and put it together. That is what we have been doing and the reason why we have been able to put together 10 games.”
On watching what other teams do week-to-week “We know what you all tell us. I mean we see on the internet or read in the paper. We see it; we’re fans of football so obviously we see it but it doesn’t distract us or get us off of what our mission is and that is to get better every week and win games.”
On closing the game “We had to do a better job of stopping the run first of all. The way that you do that is getting off on third down and we weren’t doing that early in the game. We settled down and made some plays but it’s still unfortunate they scored a touchdown late in the game.”
On LB Von Miller breaking the franchise sack record “That is great. I know he has been working hard to get that record. I am proud of him because he works hard and really wants to be the greatest. I’m all for it.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
On staying focused against a 5-9 team “We know what we are capable of and nobody is taking their eyes off the prize as far as what we have to do to get to where we want to go. I have seen situations – I have been in playoffs before at 8-5, lose three in a row and still get in. That doesn’t work around here. We want to go in strong and make sure we are on top of our game.”
LB WESLEY WOODYARD
On his hit on QB Colt McCoy “We have some good pass rushers. It was just a good call and I saw him right there and had to take a chance.”
On the competition between Bronco defenders to get sacks “It gets nasty at the end of the game, especially when it is a clean-up effort. [DE] Elvis [Dumervil] is one of the best closers in the NFL when it comes to getting tackles, sacks, and forced fumbles. It is exciting when we get that chance to pin our ears back and go after them.”
On the team not having a letdown game “It is not about any other team that we are facing. It is about us and I think that is the mentatlity that we have approached these last few games. 10 games in a row – we just have to keep going and take it one week at a time. Our goal is to be the last team standing.”
DE ELVIS DUMERVIL
On LB Von Miller breaking Dumervil’s previous franchise sack record “He is like a younger brother to me. If there is anyone that deserves it, it’s him. He has been working hard since he came in the league and makes my job easier. Between him, [QB] Peyton [Manning] and [CB] Champ [Bailey] those are my favorite guys for us - Champ covering, Peyton letting us sit on the sideline for more rest and obviously Von getting pressure on the other side.”
On the sustainable success this season “It is a blessing. The season is a long season. The thing that you learn as a professional as you are in the game is that you have to stay consistent. This is a great group of guys. The coaching staff has been amazing so coming to work is fun. When things become fun, everyone is into it. We all have a common goal and that is what we are trying to achieve.”
On why the pass rush has been successful “It is everybody. The inside guys are pushing the pocket and obviously the coverage as you mentioned. [QB] Peyton [Manning] controls the clock and the crowd was amazing so combine all those things and that is a pretty good nucleus.”
On what is different this year compared to previous years “I think it is great coaches and great players. We have great leadership between [CB] Champ [Bailey], [QB] Peyton [Manning], myself, [OL Chris] Kuper, Wesley Woodyard. I think with [Head Coach] John Fox being the head guy and the addition of [Defensive Coordinator Jack] Del Rio we have a lot of good guys and good coaches. The city is amazing and we feel good about trying to contribute and make the city happy. All those things clicking makes it pretty special.”
On if he would have believed it if someone told him the Broncos would compete for the No. 1 seed “I would have believed you. I think in the offseason and OTA’s we really worked hard. Obviously, no one gets to see that but the guys in the locker room, and coaches. We worked extremely hard in offseason training and continue to do so. We have Kansas City coming in here so we will be excited for that one.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
LB VON MILLER
On breaking the franchise sack record “It means a lot. Individual accomplishments are great but I think it says a lot about the defense that we play here and the type of teammates that I have and the type of coaches I have over there at Dove Valley. It was a joint effort to get it done. Anybody could have gotten the record; I was just on the better end of the sacks. It is just the type of defense we have played this year.”
On staying focused against a 5-9 team “Cleveland is a great team. They have all the pieces necessary to be a great football team. Their record is not indicative of the type of football they have been playing. They come up on the bad side of some football games but have all the pieces in place. Fortunately, we were able to make some plays and come out on top today.”
On the defense’s success “I think we take it one play at a time. That has been a formula for success for us for a couple of weeks now. Taking it one play at a time and just trying to capitalize on the moment. That is what has really been working for us.”
On the team controlling its own destiny “It is great. It doesn’t change what we do at Dove Valley. We are going to take it one play a time, get back in the lab on Wednesday and keep on working. We have a [Kansas City] Chiefs team that is hungry for a win. They have a lot of pieces necessary to be a great team too so it is going to be a tough game, especially with them trying to spoil it for us. We are going to have to mind our P’s and Q’s and take it one play at a time.”
WR DEMARYIUS THOMAS
On getting a 10th straight win before Christmas “[It was a] great win. Our goal is just to keep winning. That’s what we’ve done. We’ve won all 10 as a team, and we got this W. That’s all that matters.”
On scoring early “We always talk about starting fast. We started fast as an offense. Everything just was quick.”
On the touchdown pass he caught from QB Peyton Manning “[It was a] great pass. I was just trying to beat my man, and Peyton put the ball in the right spot. He always does.”
On if Manning’s precision still amazes him “I’ve been amazed with some of them. I might not see some of them during the week. I don’t know how he does it.”
On the Broncos’ aggressive defense “I always watch the defense. We’ll do our thing as an offense, but I’ll stand up on the sideline. [LB] Von [Miller], [LB Wesley Woodyard], [CB] Champ [Bailey], [DE] Elvis [Dumervil], they fly to the ball.”
On whether Miller’s sacks or his dances are more impressive “Sacks. I like how he beats whoever he’s going up against.”
S MIKE ADAMS
On if this win means more to him as a former Brown “I didn’t want to sugarcoat it. I’d been there for five years, so to go against those guys and get a win was really special.”
On the defense’s performance “Sometimes it happens [that] you come in and make adjustments. We didn’t want to give up that [scoring] drive. I think that’s a bad drive for us.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
On staying focused on the task at hand “We look at the tape. No offense, but we can’t listen to what the outside people are saying all the time, because [opposing players] get paid just like we do, and they’re professional athletes. [Chiefs RB] Jamaal Charles is one of the best out there at running back; [WR] Dwayne Bowe, I don’t know if he’s playing, but [he’s a] great wide receiver. They’ve got some players over there, and you just can’t let down in this league at all. You look at the Cleveland Browns, they’ve got a good defense, and they’re stout. Once you overlook someone, that’s when you get your loss.”
WR BRANDON STOKLEY
On if next week’s game is bigger after Houston’s loss “It’s all the same for us. We’re just going to go out there and try to get better and get a win. That’s what we’ll do no matter what the situation is”
On if he’s ever heard the Denver crowd so loud “They were great. We’re going to need them in the first round of the playoffs, and I know they’ll be there for us. It’s always a big help when you’ve got a loud stadium.”
On how QB Peyton Manning doesn’t slow down as the season goes on “That’s kind of his work ethic and how he goes about his business. We’re just trying to improve and get better every w
On Manning’s work ethic “He’s a good player. He works really hard. He prepares really hard. When you’re a good player and you do those things, he makes a lot of plays.”
On watching the defense get to the opposing quarterback “It’s awesome. These guys on this team, we all pull for each other so hard. When you can get that momentum going, you get the crowd noise going, like it was today, and those guys are making plays, it’s just huge for us.”
CLEVELAND BROWNS HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR
General “Broncos did a nice job. I thought they were, as you saw, they were extremely efficient on offense. They kept the pressure on us. They made some early scores. We made a nice play to keep it from stretching out before half. And then in the second half we came out and we drove the ball and got points and then of course it kind of spiraled a little bit from there. Guys played hard. We didn’t make enough plays to win and we tangled with a very good football team today that played well. When those things combined, they’ll get you. I had talked about how turnovers would be a big deal and we got one and unfortunately the one with [WR] Josh [Cribbs] and the punt return of course turned into points (Cribbs fumbled the punt). When you play a good team like this, you’ve got to play your best and we obviously didn’t make enough plays.”
On the injuries “[DB] Sheldon Brown had a concussion so he left. [QB] Brandon Weeden has a right shoulder. [RB] Trent [Richardson] left the game with an ankle. [Regarding] None of these injuries I have much information beyond that so we’ll have to evaluate them as we go and see where we’re at.”
On the Browns offense today “I thought we moved the ball. When they stayed on the field on third down, we didn’t. And they did a good job of holding on to it and driving the ball like they do. You don’t get as many opportunities and the one you get you’ve got to make it count.”
On the play in which QB Trent Richardson was injured “I guess somebody fell on him.”
On the injury of QB Brandon Weeden “He has a right shoulder injury.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
On the Broncos defense “The Broncos defense, we knew coming in, they are explosive in terms of their pass rush. With the way the game goes they can bring pressure with their front seven and not have to be too heroic in the back end and it played out much how I thought it would in terms of how they played.”
On the two Broncos touchdowns in the first half “They were good throws, and I agree with you – [DB] Sheldon [Brown] had good coverage on both of them. And you’ve got to try to get that ball out, of course, and that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
On any trouble making substitutions “No, we substituted quite fluidly, actually. Someone was running with that but we got subs in and out.”
On Browns red zone offense “When you get down in there you have touchdown to check-down. They played a soft coverage on us so you have to be a little more patient with your throws but I’ll have to go back and re-think it. There is a lot that has happened since then. There was a penalty that moved us back, too, that took us out of rhythm. So at that point, third and nine, we took a shot. We had some end zone throws and then we checked it down with the idea that you could run it in. And then they defended us and we kicked a field goal. Early in the game I think it’s important that you get points there, and that’s what we did. I think it made the score 7-3.”
On predicting if QB Colt McCoy will start in Pittsburgh “It’s way too early to tell.”
On McCoy’s performance “He went in there and battled. He led us down for a score. But he’ll watch the tape and he’ll see that there are some things he can learn from.”
CLEVELAND BROWNS PLAYERS
QB COLT McCOY
On coming in for QB Brandon Weeden “I was excited to get out there. We hope, as a team, Brandon’s okay. You never want to see anyone go down. We hope [RB] Trent (Richardson) is alright. We were pretty far behind at that point when I got in, so I assumed we would start throwing the ball. It took a couple series getting used to the pocket – hadn’t had any reps, hadn’t sat back there in a while – so getting a feel for how those guys were playing, I maybe missed a couple throws early. A couple times I just threw the ball in the dirt to let those guys rest. We were throwing the ball down the field and those guys were tired. For the most part, we went down and scored – wish we would have followed that with another score, but we kind of shot ourselves in the foot.”
On a possible rhythm with WR Travis Benjamin “He runs a few routes in scout teams, but give the credit to those guys. I’m a new guy coming in. I hadn’t really thrown to Travis or [WR] Josh Gordon. [WR] Greg [Little] is playing a new position than he did last year, so that’s really my first time to get in there and create a rhythm with those guys -- hats off to them and, to be honest, hats off to the offensive line. I know we took some sacks there at the end, but that’s a blitz drill. They have their ears pinned back and I took some shots. They’re coming after you. You always want to avoid those situations, but unfortunately we were in that this afternoon.”
On coming in while the team was behind “We were trying to get the ball downfield and with a pass rush like that, those two guys on the edge (LB Von Miller and DE Elvis Dumervil) are pretty good. I took off a couple times because there were some holes and they were playing what we call 88. They were double-teaming a couple guys and I just tried to make whatever plays I could at the end of the game.”
On possibly starting next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers “I haven’t even gone there. We are going to evaluate everyone. I don’t know even what’s wrong with everyone. I’ll strap it up and be ready to play, but to be honest, I don’t know the situation.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
On getting on the field again “It was good. I was glad we got to throw the ball around. It was the first time I’ve really thrown with these guys since I don’t know when, never in a game. I thought those guys did a great job. There were a couple times where we were off a little bit just because I couldn’t get a feel for them exactly, but in a situation like that it’s a really tough spot to be in. When they’re blitzing you, they’re coming after you and we’re on a silent count and it’s hard to change some things. You just try and handle it the best you can.”
On the Denver defense “Throughout the game I thought they did a nice job. They let us make some plays, but once we got down tight, they were tough to beat down there. I was glad when we got down in the red zone in the second half we were able to score a touchdown, but would have like to get down there a couple more times.”
On his touchdown throw in the second half “That’s a play we’ve been running when we were in the red zone. If you get the right coverage, you might have a chance. I know he broke before the end zone, but he stuck the ball over, maybe he was in, I’m not sure. I like Greg [Little] as a big body down in the red zone.”
On adjusting to playing a backup role this season “I think it’s a situation I’ve never really been in before until this year. We have a lot of new faces, a lot of new guys running routes that are very good athletes, very good route runners. They create some plays in our offense and I was excited to get out there and throw to them. I spend a little bit of time with those guys when I can, maybe one day a week – they’re tired after practice, but throwing some timing routes and things I want to keep a rhythm with and we hit a few of those today. Overall, in a situation like that you just have to go out and make the most of what we have, what plays are called. I missed some throws early on while I was in the pocket when I was getting a feel for it, but I think it was okay.”
On the timing with TE Benjamin Watson “A little off with Ben. We’ve expanded a lot in using Ben in our tight ends in some of the pass game stuff. There was some rhythm stuff there, some timing stuff – where’s he going to be – there were a couple in there that we had, but ended up not getting them. I wish we could have them back, but I can say Ben and those guys have come a long way.”
On possibly ending the season with injuries to QB Brandon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson “You never want that. Those guys, especially Trent, I really felt like he was running the ball as well as he’s ran in a while. He was running downhill – lots of play he likes to run that were getting called. I thought he was doing a really good job. When you get down like that, you have to go to the pass game and he made a good fourth-down play, though, on one of our scoring drives.”
DB TREVIN WADE
On DB Sheldon Brown’s coverage on two Broncos touchdown passes “I thought it was really great coverage. He (QB Peyton Manning) puts those balls in really great spots as we’ve seen. It is our job to put in that extra effort and get the ball out.”
On the Broncos third down conversions “We need to do a better job all around on third downs and get ourselves off the field.”
On gaining experience in 2012 “Over this year I’ve had a lot of experience going against both the Manning brothers (QB Peyton Manning and Giants QB Eli Manning), and Romo (Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo). It has been pretty good.”
On whether he felt a momentum swing after the interception before halftime “I think there was a momentum swing for our defense and it gave us something to feed off of.”
Denver Broncos Postgame Quotes vs. Cleveland – Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012
DB JOE HADEN
On Broncos QB Peyton Manning “It was really tough. He is a really good quarterback and he just demands control. He is a coach out there on the field.”
On DB Sheldon Brown’s coverage on two Broncos touchdown passes “He has amazing coverage. They just put it in the one spot he couldn’t get there. He looked like he touched the ball on both of them. [They were] really good plays by the quarterback and the receiver getting control of it.”
On being 5-10 “That record sucks; everybody is disappointed. You lose a game and you try to explain why it happened but we lost and we need to do better and we just need to win. We can’t keep coming in here and talking to y’all (the media) and saying, ‘This is what they did and this is how they did it.’ They just beat us. That is what it is getting down to. We need to make more plays on offense, defense, and special teams to come out with a win.”
DL FROSTEE RUCKER
On Broncos QB Peyton Manning “He sits there and holds the cadence until about seven seconds left on the clock. I don’t know what he’s saying, if he’s changing the play or they already have one. He just runs his stuff. He’s the best at it. We just didn’t make enough plays and they did. We played the best quarterback in the league. They executed, we didn’t. They executed and we came up quite short.”
On the game slipping away in the third and fourth quarter “We played them tough. We messed up a couple of times and had a couple of turnovers.”
On DB Sheldon Brown’s close coverage on two touchdown passes. “Yeah he had his hands on the ball on one of them. The receiver just held on to the ball and made a good catch.”