Executive V.P. of Football Operations/Gm John Elway

DENVER BRONCOS QUOTES (8/27/15)

EXECUTIVE V.P. OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS/GM JOHN ELWAY

On his evaluation of the joint practices “I thought they went great. I think we got a lot of good work, a lot of concentration and real good work. I thought it was very beneficial to both teams. We didn’t have the scraps that we thought we would have. I think everybody stayed within themselves and concentrated. I think it was great work.”

On evaluating the first round of roster cuts “Fortunately, we have a lot of tough decisions. We have a lot of good football players and this is always the hardest time of the year because we have to cut down to eventually 53, but 75 by Monday. This is tough time of year, but we’re fortunate in the fact that we’ve got a lot of tough decisions. Hopefully we can make the right ones.”

On his impressions of QB Brock Osweiler “Especially from OTAs, I think Brock’s really taken a lot of improvement. He’s taken strides. Obviously, he’s still working through the offense, but I’m thrilled with his progress up to this point.”

On signing G Evan Mathis “We were always out there looking at possibilities and seeing what was going to happen. Obviously, Evan was out there and we were in contact with him and his agent. We were able to work out a deal that was beneficial for him and also beneficial for us. I think when you look at us offensive line-wise, I think we’re going to be very good. We’re just very young, and so I think we need a little bit of experience, especially on that left side. Evan’s able to bring that. Plus, [he is] a Pro Bowl caliber type player.”

On C/G Max Garcia as a long-term prospect “Max has got a tremendous career ahead of him. We’re really excited about Max. This had nothing to do with the way Max was playing. It was just more of we thought we needed a little bit more experience up there. I think with Evan there, he’ll play great, but it will make us better on the offensive line with more experience. It’ll be great for those young guys to learn from him.”

On hosting the 49ers in the indoor practice facility at the UCHealth Training Center “In talking to [San Francisco 49ers General Manager] Trent [Baalke], I think that they were excited about being here. I think that the facility over there with the locker rooms, it made it easy for them. Plus we had great weather and great work. It’s a tribute to [Owner] Mr. [Pat] Bowlen and the resources that he spent on this football team to give us the best that we can have. This place is about as good as it gets.”

©2015 Denver Broncos Football Club. All rights reserved. The individual quotes cited in this document may be used for the purpose of news reporting and other fair uses as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. Duplication or posting of this quote sheet, in its entirety, or any other use of this material which is not a fair use as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of the Denver Broncos Football Club. On the transition that the offense has made to a new system “It’s going to be a work in progress through the year, too. We’re not going to be kicking on all cylinders. We’d like too, but it’s still going to get—we know it’s a work in progress for this offense and people are going to continue to get more and more comfortable with it, even after we start the regular season. I think the progress of where we are right now is good.”

On if he could imagine playing football without feeling in his fingertips “If I threw for 5,400 and something yards and 55 touchdown passes, I wish my fingers would have been numb, too.”

On the construction of the team “We’re getting there. I think it’s still a work in progress. We have to see. We have to get through these next two games, but I think we have a lot of tough decisions. As I said, a work in progress.”

On how closely he scouts the opposing team in a joint practice “We don’t go to any of the practices. Obviously, we’re showing off what we have and they’re getting a closer look at us, but we also get a closer look to them. That’s why you don’t usually do this if you’re playing them during the year. Yeah, that’s also one of the benefits, but also, they’re looking closer at our players, too.”

On K Brandon McManus winning the job “It’s consistency. He’s got such a great leg. He’s had a good offseason. He’s really kicked well during training camp. I think that year under his belt has helped him a lot. Confidence wise, he’s got a lot. It gave us the confidence in him that he could be that guy.”

On his impression of 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick “I’ve always liked Colin. I think he’s very athletic and I think that he’s a guy that will make a lot of big plays. He’s doing more within the pocket, which I think as he continues to do that, it’s going to help him. He’s a great athletic and he’s got that big play ability to avoid things and make things happen.”

On if there is a downside to giving QB Peyton Manning rest in the preseason “Maybe it’s not what he’s used to, but I just think at 39 years old, he can’t work like he used to work. He’s got to be able to say that. Even though he may not be as far along as he wants to be right now because he hasn’t had that work, he’ll be much farther along in December by taking this time off when he’s really going to need it.”

On the advantage of having film of a joint practice scrimmage “As a player, I really enjoyed working against other teams. I think the concentration level goes up, you get different looks, the defense—when you practice against your own defense all the time, they have a tendency to know exactly what you’re doing. You get a more realistic look from the quarterbacks’ point of view. It raises the level of practice. I think it’s great for us to be able to practice against the 49ers. Plus, it helps us because we get to see our players against other players. It helps us evaluate them, too.”

On the Broncos looking good on paper “How many championships has paper won? I think it’s a start, though.”

On the team’s adjustment to the new coaching staff “We’ve got to come out—we have Baltimore at home—we’d like to come out fast. The goal is always to come out and play well and continue to build off that as the year goes through. I think with a new coaching staff, there are going to be some growing pains early in the year. You just hope that it doesn’t affect you enough where it costs you any football games.”

On RB Ronnie Hillman’s progress

©2015 Denver Broncos Football Club. All rights reserved. The individual quotes cited in this document may be used for the purpose of news reporting and other fair uses as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. Duplication or posting of this quote sheet, in its entirety, or any other use of this material which is not a fair use as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of the Denver Broncos Football Club. “He’s looked great throughout camp and even OTAs. I think this offense fits him very well. I think what we’re doing with the running game [is using] the outside zone and really some inside zone because that’s what he did at San Diego State. He was a great zone runner. It fits his style more with that feeling and then with his confidence growing, too. He adds that added juice— the change-of-pace kind of guy that we need.”

On what he’s seen out of QB Brock Osweiler “I like his confidence level. His confidence level seems to grow with each practice, and I think we saw that at Seattle. The bottom line is with young quarterbacks who haven’t played a lot is consistency, and so he’s got to continue to work on the consistency and the accuracy. I think as Brock continues to work he’s going to understand that this offense is set by his feet. The more comfortable he gets with his feet, the more ingrained that gets to where it’s natural. That will help with his accuracy and help with everything. That’s why he’s just got to continue to work it. The great thing about Brock—he’s a great kid that likes to work hard and wants to get better. He’s going to continue to grow in this offense.”

On if this is the best defense he’s ever had “I think we feel pretty good. We feel good about the talent on paper, and I’m always cautious about that until we get out and play it because everybody’s got to play together. It’s a new staff, even though everybody’s bought in to the new system and what we’re doing and likes the new system. With that being said, if you look at the production that we’ve had in the first two weeks of preseason with 12 sacks and being able to get after the quarterback, I think that we’re happy with the direction that it’s going.”

On the defensive talent fitting Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips’ system “I think part of that’s true, but I think also one of Wade’s strengths is he also understands and gets to know the talent. He’s one of those coaches that has been around long enough that fits the defense to the talent, rather than the talent to the defense. I think that’s a big plus. As a coach, [he] has gotten to know the defensive talents through OTAs as well as now through training camp. The little adjustments they do make—we saw a little bit of it last week with [CB Bradley] Roby getting in there and playing a little safety and having three corners in there against 11 personnel at times—he has that ability to adjust and take advantage of the talent we do.”

On having dinner last night with Baalke “I’ve become friends with Trent, so it’s always nice to be able to spend some time together and talk some war stories. That is more personal than anything. Obviously there are always different things talked about as far as teams, where we can help them and they can help us. For the most part, it was personal. I enjoy Trent. I know that he’s done a tremendous job with the ‘Niners. I’ve got a great deal of respect and I enjoy getting around people that are good at their trade because hopefully I can learn something from them.”

©2015 Denver Broncos Football Club. All rights reserved. The individual quotes cited in this document may be used for the purpose of news reporting and other fair uses as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. Duplication or posting of this quote sheet, in its entirety, or any other use of this material which is not a fair use as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of the Denver Broncos Football Club.