Wide Receiver Emmanuel Sanders

DENVER BRONCOS QUOTES (4/17/17)

WIDE RECEIVER EMMANUEL SANDERS

On his excitement to work with Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy “I’m excited. I obviously believe that it will be a pass-happy offense. I had an opportunity to play in his offense my first year in 2014. I had 1,400 yards. Hopefully we can simulate that some type of way and put up points and score to help our defense. That is our goal.”

On how he can add more ‘juice’ to the offense “I can make more plays. I don’t know if I can pound my chest anymore after a play, I think I do that enough (laughing). I just think it’s more from a vocal standpoint of just being on the same page as all of the guys and continue to gain camaraderie. Obviously I’m sweating right now and that comes from lifting weights, listening to music and just hanging out with the guys. We understand the mindset is we’re going play with a swag and we’re going to play with a confidence that nobody can shatter and nobody can break no matter if we go out and it’s a three-and-out. We still have to confidence level up. That’s what we’re trying to do right now.”

On whether he minds if the quarterback competition goes down to the wire “It really doesn’t matter to me, honestly. It’s about who is going to be the right guy. In due time, we will figure that out. That guy will show up and make the necessary plays. The coaching staff and [Executive Vice President of Football Operations/GM John] Elway and all those guys there will make the decisions. Obviously I’ve just got to do my job. The ball is going to come, I got to catch it and make plays.”

On if there is a benefit to having a starter named earlier “Obviously the earlier that we can get clarity, the better. But do we want to rush that process? No. We don’t want to rush that process. We want to have the right guy. I know those two guys are excited. I’m excited to see because competition brings out the best in you. We’re going to see who it brings out the best in. It’s going to be pretty cool to see.”

On what he is looking for from QBs Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian “I think both of them have what you look for. They both have the confidence, they both have a presence and they both can throw the ball. They can make every single throw: deep ball, short, out, all across the field. I think we’re sitting here right now in a good position with two guys that are hungry, that want to be starters and that want to be franchise quarterbacks that believe in themselves. With that said, all I can do is go out and handle my business. [We’ll] see how it all pans out. It’s crazy because it feels like every year it’s a question about the quarterback, the quarterback, the quarterback. Every year it’s the same answer. The best guy is going to show. Obviously we want a guy that can take us all the way to the Super Bowl and get us into the playoffs since we missed that last year. We’re going to see who that guy is.”

©2017 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 what ‘juice’ means to him “Juice is High-C (laughing). ‘Juice’ is just a spark, a swagger, a presence. When it feels like an offense is stagnant, somebody is stepping up and saying, ‘Let’s go.’ Bringing that energy, that’s what juice is. Juice is energy. I’ve got the juice. I’ve got the energy that everyone else can feed off or drink off of and uplift off. Hopefully we have a whole bunch of guys that are bringing the juice this year.”

On who the offensive leaders on the team are “Obviously right now it is [WR] Demaryius [Thomas]. Do I see myself as a leader? Yeah, I am a leader on this team. Demaryius was a captain last year, him and Trevor. I see myself as one of those guys as well that is always trying to pick up guys and better guys and help guys out. Me and Demaryius have been in the league—it’s our eighth year. I think we might be the oldest on the offense. It’s crazy to say, but time flies. Definitely me, Demaryius, Trevor, we’ve got some new offensive linemen that have had a lot of experience. We’re sitting pretty good offensively.”

On whether he has set any personal goals “Obviously in a pass-happy offense I want to go 1,000 yards, Pro Bowl, All-Pro. Just the sky is the limit offensively. Last year I set it at 1,200 [yards], another pass-heavy offense. Hopefully I can get up there in the 1,400-1,500 range like I did in 2014. I’ll try and mimic that.”

On his workouts in Houston in the offseason “One thing that I remember two years ago, I had bought a jugs machine. In doing that, it helped me because last year I didn’t have too many drops. This year, I invested and put a nice weight room at my house so that when I wake up in the morning I can just go right into the gym. Eleven O’clock at nighttime, I can go out in the gym. Honestly, this probably the best I’ve felt in a long time just because having that gym and having that jugs machine out there and being able to train at home whenever I want. That is what I did.”

On organizing a pass camp with the quarterbacks and receivers this offseason “Paxton actually texted me and we’re going to try and get it done. Actually, we are going to get it done. It’s just about location. Obviously, I want to host all of the guys at my house in Houston. I know Demaryius is on board and everybody is on board. It’s just about booking the flights and getting it done.”

On who would attend the passing camp “It would be both quarterbacks. We’re not going to divide it like that.”

On how receiving a long-term contract last year affected him “It helped a lot. One thing it gave me was financially stability and it cleared my mind. I wanted to be here. I was just ecstatic that I’m going to be a Bronco at least the next two or three years. Hopefully we can extend that longer than that. It definitely gave me a lot of clarity. It gave me a home. You have a home and you know where your home is, it helps a lot. That’s what it did for me.”

On what position he’d like the team to add in the NFL Draft “I feel like we need help all around the board in terms of the offensive line—we can draft a tackle or someone. But as far as my position, I like a lot of receivers. I like [Oklahoma WR Dede] Westbrook and [Washington WR] John Ross. The tight end class is just so deep. Look at those guys. A lot of explosive guys. I think this a good draft. I know that Elway and those guys are going to make the right decisions.”

On what he is looking for from the new offensive linemen “As a receiver, obviously protecting the quarterback. I tell people all the time that playing receiver is tough because it has to be a perfect play. The offensive line has to hold up and the quarterback has to make the perfect throw almost nine times out of 10. The defense and the play has to be right. It all started at the beginning with what I said. The offensive line has to protect. That is how they can help, by protecting Trevor and keeping Trevor and Paxton healthy and going about it like that.”

©2017 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 how he sees his role changing this season “In 2014, I feel like I caught a majority of my passes in the slot. Hopefully I can get back off of there and catch some over routes and cover shallows, but still remain on the outside as we stretch the field vertically as well.”

On it being tough watching the playoffs on TV “It was. It was extremely weird, especially going into the playoffs that last few years and coming up short. It also motivated me because I remember sitting at home watching the Super Bowl two years prior to us winning Super Bowl 50. It was Super Bowl XLIX at my grandma’s house and I still remember saying, ‘You know what? After this game I’m going to go workout. I’m motivated to go and win the championship.’ That’s all it did. It just motivated me to say, ‘Last year we fell short, this year we’ve got to change that. We’ve got to do something different. We’ve got to get into the playoffs.’ We’ve got to make the playoffs this year and that is the objective.”

On Wide Receivers Coach Tyke Tolbert remaining on staff “It’s nice. Don’t tell him I said that (laughing). But it’s nice. Tyke is obviously a father figure to all of us and a great wide receivers coach. I’ve got so much respect for Tyke as a man and how he goes about coaching every single day. He definitely brings the best out of us. I’m happy to have him back.”

On his thoughts on the passing of Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney “That was sad to see. I was on the plane when I heard it. I read it on ESPN. It just made me think back to just how incredible he was. I remember when I was there, he was still moving around, even when everyone was telling him to sit still. He was still moving around and trying to fly his plane around. I remember [Steelers LB] James Harrison telling stories about how he was up in a plane with him one time. He was flying and James was like, ‘What is going on? How can he fly this plane?’ Just an amazing man. He always treated you with the utmost respect. He treated you not like I was No. 88, but like I was Emmanuel Sanders, like I was a human being. He will definitely forever be remembered.”

©2017 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.