Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. Cincinnati -- Sunday, December 24, 2006
DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN
General “Normally I am not out here this late but (CB) Domonique Foxworth had some problems in the locker room but he’s okay now. He had some problems after the game and that is one of the reasons why I am a little late. I’m not really sure what it was but I think he is fine now. Keep our thoughts and prayers in his direction. Hopefully he stays that way.” [Hyperventilated – did not need to be transported to the hospital]
On if CB Domonique Foxworth passed out after the game “Yes. I don’t know if it was complete exhaustion or exactly what it was. He was not feeling very good after the game and the team was around him for a few minutes. Doctors were looking at him. He got back to where he could sit up and could communicate so I think he is fine now. But it kind of keeps things in perspective when something happens like that.”
On if CB Foxworth will have further medical observation “I’m sure he will. I’m not exactly sure what it is. I’m not sure the doctors know but he is stable right now.”
On Cincinnati’s missed extra point “To be honest with you when you go back to 1984 playing the Raiders and Mr. Bowlen’s father had passed away that day, Marcus Allen had fumbled right before they went to kick a field goal and we went on and had a drive and won that football game. Pat’s mom Arvella passing away this week, I think she had something to do with that missed extra point. That happened over twenty years ago and I can remember the day like it was yesterday and obviously Pat (Bowlen) has been going through a very tough time this week.”
On his thoughts during the missed extra point “To be honest with you my thoughts were that we would get the flip in overtime and go out there and make some plays on either side of the football and find a way to win. I noticed a couple times before that and one time on the extra point they batted the ball down and barely got it through and it was a heck of a job by the holder. When the ball is a little slick like that there is always an opportunity for that to happen especially when the pressure is on. I was looking at it as automatic for me. I was just looking at it because the conditions were tougher than normal.”
On the 99-yard scoring drive “Well quarterbacks are going to grow every time they take a snap. Like I said from day one, this guy (QB Jay Cutler) is something special. There are going to be some growing pains along the line. You watch your guy and how he handles himself in practice, how he handles himself in meetings and you kind of watch the way that he operates. And you’ve just got to get to the next level and you can see today he made some mistakes but when he was on the line he made some big plays. I’m really proud of him and the way he played. He fought hard and it was really a team effort to win like that.”
On what he said to QB Jay Cutler after his first interception “I just talked to him and said ‘hey when you take an extra hitch like that these guys are too good and you have to dump the ball off’. And he has got such confidence in his arm, most people wouldn’t even try to get the ball when you’re in that seam. But he thought he could get there before the free safety got there and that will just come with time and he will understand that when he takes that second hitch that he has to dump the ball off. If he just takes those four or five yards the big plays will come and he’ll be able to hit them. That is just part of the growing experience that goes with that position.”
On the strategy behind the reverse plays today “With our running game sometimes we’ll run quarterback keeps and sometimes we’ll run reverses but with a zone type of blocking scheme sometimes the arounds are better than the quarterback keeps especially when it’s a little slick out there. So we decided to go with a few more arounds than we did with quarterback keeps and it worked out good for us.”
On how he would rate the rookie class “We have a lot of guys helping us right now. Take a look at Jay (Cutler), take a look at Tony Scheffler, some of the plays Brandon Marshall made. Obviously we had some big time plays from our young players and hopefully they can keep on improving and getting better and obviously they have a great future in front of them. That’s just on offense that’s not even talking about Elvis (Dumervil) on defense and Mike Bell was a free agent and a lot of guys stepped up and played well.”
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. Cincinnati -- Sunday, December 24, 2006
DENVER BRONCOS QUARTERBACK JAY CUTLER
On Cincinnati’s missed extra point “We were just going over two minute stuff on the sideline and preparing for overtime. It was an early Christmas present for the Broncos and our fans.”
On the 99-yard scoring drive “It was a tough spot for us. We didn’t get the call that we thought we were going to get. We had a big third down. We hit Tony (Scheffler) and kind of got us out of our own end zone and got rolling. Our offensive line took over in the second half and we were moving the ball well.”
On if he’s ever had a 99-yard drive before “Probably, more than likely and I probably won’t remember this one in ten years either.”
On how he feels after these last two games “Every game I feel more confident and more comfortable out there in the pocket and just playing. Those first two were kind of rough. I hadn’t played in ten or eleven weeks so I was kind of raw. I am just getting more comfortable and I think that everybody is starting to feel me out. Just like I’m starting to feel out the coaches so hopefully we can only get better from here.”
On his interception “It happens but I let it go as soon as I threw it. I knew it was going to get picked. We bounced back and had some good touchdowns.”
DENVER BRONCOS PLAYERS
Safety John Lynch General “It was a playoff atmosphere out there. My 35 year old body isn’t getting a little extra juice in this atmosphere.” On Winning the Game by Cincinnati’s missed extra point “I don’t know if that has ever happened in my career. Luck had a big part of it, but we battled hard from the beginning. I liked the energy and the way we have been practicing and I think it is translating onto the field.”
TE Tony Scheffler General “It took a little bit of a Christmas miracle at the end, but we got some steam rolling into our last (regular season) game.”
On Young Players Stepping Up “We have a lot of guys contributing and we are really coming together as a team. Us young guys are just trying to help the team anyway we can and we have some great veterans to help us.”
WR Javon Walker On injury during game “It was just hard game and I was getting beat up and taking some hits. It is nothing to be concerned about it is just part of the game.”
On Broncos receivers “We have a great group of wideouts. And when we can make plays it opens things up for the rest of the offense. We were able to move the chains and convert on third downs. On QB Jay Cutler “The more starts he gets the more consistent he gets. A couple more starts and he can be one of the best (QB)out there.” General “This is a win we needed we have had some tough breaks at home, but we are at the other end of this one.”
TE Nate Jackson General “We are a tight bunch. It shows on the field how everyone gets along off the field. We pride ourselves on making big plays, but we also pride ourselves on the little plays to grind it out and get things going. We were able to open up the running game in the second half and that gave our offense a huge boost.”
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. Cincinnati -- Sunday, December 24, 2006
DT Gerard Warren On Cincinnati’s missed Extra Point (The Defense)We were ready to go back out there and suit up if it went into overtime. God shined on us with that extra point.” Playoff Implications “If we get to the playoffs it is a clean slate .Every team is 0-0.” On QB Jay Cutler “Our coach and our team believe in this guy. If Shanahan didn’t think he could play he would never be out there.
CB Karl Paymah General “This was an effort you want to put out for a game like this. There were a lot of hard hits out there. It was like a highlight film. John Lynch was pouring his heart out.”
WR Brandon Marshall General “At the end of the game you just always have to believe. This win gets a little pressure off our backs going into our last (regular season) game.”
CINCINNATI BENGALS HEAD COACH MARVIN LEWIS
General “Obviously it was a tough way to lose a football game. But that one play at the end wasn’t it. There were a number of plays throughout the game that were more significant. We continue to hurt ourselves. With our turnovers on offense and bad field position, you cannot beat a good team that way. Congratulations to the Broncos for a game well played.”
On His Team’s Performance “It was there for the taking. We are just not consistent. There were missed throws, dropped balls and we were just out of sync. I didn’t feel like we played well enough to win it tonight. We have to learn from this and learn to not implode on ourselves and get rid of the dropped balls.”
On Playoff Implications “Whether it is for the playoffs or not, you have to play well every time you step out onto the field. You cannot come out tense and tight and we need to get away from that.”
On The Missed Extra Point at the End of the Game “We just didn’t get the ball down and weren’t able to kick it. I thought about going for two [point conversion] but that doesn’t matter now, does it.”
CINCINNATI PLAYERS
QB CARSON PALMER General “We were playing a team that we felt we could have beat. We didn’t play our best football and got beat.” On Injured Shoulder “I felt fine, the shoulder felt fine. I felt great but I just didn’t play well.” On Weather in Denver “The ball is slippery for both teams. Chad (Johnson), Rudi (Johnson), and I all had drops. It goes both ways, I think both teams had trouble with it tonight.” On Closing Drive “We are good enough to do that every drive, but we are beating ourselves. You have to credit Denver, they played well tonight. You can’t turn the ball over that many times and win a football game.” On Missed Extra Point “It is obviously disappointing and shocking. But the truth is we shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place. One play doesn’t loose the game, everyone makes mistakes. Chad (Johnson), Rudi (Johnson) and I all made mistakes as well.”
Denver Broncos Post Game Quotes vs. Cincinnati -- Sunday, December 24, 2006
DE BRYAN ROBINSON General “It got out of hand a little bit in the fourth. They stuck with their game plan. I credit those guys for sticking with the run. I think it was a lack of concentration on our part. Denver stuck to their guns and they beat us when they had too.”
Punter KYLE LARSON On the fumbled snap “I reached for it and bottom line we didn’t work together as a unit and we didn’t execute. It hurts, it hurts real bad but we just have to come back strong next week.”
OT LEVI JONES On last drive of the game “It was like a breath of fresh air, we took it deep and then we snatched it from ourselves. We had chance after chance tonight and just didn’t seize the moment.”
DT JOHN THORNTON General “Third Quarter we missed a lot of tackles and that got the snowball rolling. It hurts right now but we will come back Wednesday ready to go. We are professionals. We have to look at ourselves we cannot worry about anyone else.”
LS BRAD ST. LOUIS On whether the Snap was the main factor on the missed extra point “Oh yeah, definitely. I just didn’t put the ball right on Kyle’s (Larson) hands.”
DE JUSTIN SMITH General “It was one of the games we felt like we had. Their main stuff that worked were trick plays. They didn’t do a lot in the first half. But that 99 yard drive hurt us and you have to give them credit on that.”
WR CHAD JOHNSON General “It is real tough but we didn’t play well enough to win the game. It could have been my worst first half ever. I dropped the ball, I fumbled, and it just didn’t play out the way it should have. This loss was a lot more than just a bad snap. Its just one of those games you have to play perfect and we didn’t.”
RB RUDI JOHNSON General “This one hurts make no mistake about it. We fought for 4 quarters and to come out on the short end of the stick hurts. They (Denver) are a great ball club and we were two playoff caliber teams and they just came out on top.”
WR TJ HOUSHMANDZADEH On the missed extra point “I would have bet my life savings that we would have made that one. It is just a microcosm of our season. We made mistakes, they are not better than us but they played better than us today. We just gave it away.”