Patrick Smyth, Executive Director of Media Relations ([email protected] / 303‐264‐5536) Rebecca Villanueva, Media Services Manager ([email protected] / 303‐264‐5598) Erich Schubert, Media Relations Coordinator ([email protected] / 303‐264‐5503)
DENVER BRONCOS OTA QUOTES (5/22/12)
DEFENSIVE TACKLE JUSTIN BANNAN
On being a Bronco again “It feels great. It’s good to get back out there. It’s weird, it’s kind of like Déjà vu to be back out there on the practice field running around. I couldn’t be more excited and driven to have a great year and it’s really nice.”
On how different the organization feels now “I think year to year on any team it changes, no matter what. The guys always change, coaches change, so I think if you look around the league you are going to have 32 teams out there that have the same buzz, same excitement and everybody thinks they’re going to win the Super Bowl. As far as the tone being set, it has been set. We just have to come out and make it happen.”
On the development as a defensive lineman “I can only speak for the D‐line, but every position takes its time. Every guy has their point of when they either blossom or they don’t. For me, early on in my career, I had to back up a guy named Sam Adams. So, it was one of those things where I wasn’t going to play a whole lot. Once I finally got an opportunity to start, I tried not to look back. It does take time—it took me time to gain confidence in my abilities and what I bring to the table and what I do every day. Like I said, I think everybody has their time.”
On the Broncos’ defensive linemen “I think for every group it is fairly early. We’re putting in a new defensive system. From what I understood, it’s kind of similar to last year’s defense, but at the same time, every defensive coordinator has their tweaks and they have their little things they want you to do. Right now it’s a matter of adapting to that and I think right now it’s about keeping your head down and working hard and working on your technique. At the same time, you don’t have pads on. So, as a lineman it’s hard to develop your game without pads on. I always said, ‘The truth gets told in training camp.’ That’s when you put the pads on, that’s when you find out who is who. We’ll see in due time.”
On how he fits differently in a 4‐3 defense “It was the standard 3‐4 in 2010. I feel more comfortable in a 4‐3. We played a similar defense in St. Louis last year and I felt very good in that. Whether it’s a 3‐4 or a 4‐3, they have their pros and cons. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn both of them. It’s really not a big change for me.”
On why he’s more comfortable in a 4‐3 “I don’t know, I think a 4‐3 is more attacking. I think I’ve always played in an attacking‐style type defense. I think in 2010 when we went to a 3‐4 that was really the first time I’ve ever had to sit back and play a standard, I guess you’d call it a Pittsburgh Steeler‐3‐4‐type defense. That took a little bit of time to learn, but once you learn it and you get comfortable at it, all of a sudden that’s all you know and you’re comfortable with that. As of right now, I feel good with the 4‐3 style.”
©2012 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 mandatory thigh and knee pads starting next season “That’s great for high school kids and college kids, but I don’t know. I think if you’re going to have an injury happen, a knee pad or a thigh pad isn’t going to save you. I had a thigh pad on and gotten just as deep of a thigh bruise as you can have with the thigh pad on.”
On whether thigh and knee pads will help combat concussions “I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you on that. I think if I’m falling down and my head is hitting somebody in the knee or the thigh, whether he has a pad on or not, there’s a good chance I’m going to get a concussion on that. I don’t know.”
On DT Kevin Vickerson “Well I think with ‘Vick,’ he’s used to this style of play coming from Tennessee. Just talking to him, what he was used to in Tennessee, they did the same type of stuff. I think it gets more comfortable with him to just come off the ball and go as opposed to what it was like in 2010 when he was on the other end and I was on one end and we were doing the 3‐4. It took him awhile to learn it, just as it took a few of us. Just the kind of personnel we had on defense, it was tough to make work. I think looking at this group as a whole it’s fitted better for a 4‐3.”
On making the game safer “I think in this game today, you’re going to have bad injuries whether you like it or not. The problem is that the guys are just bigger, faster and stronger. The game has evolved to what it is today. I look back on college and I don’t think I ever had a concussion in college. I got knocked silly one time. I came to the NFL and did kickoff return for a lot of years and it was hitting guys every time. Everybody is just so much faster, everybody hits harder. It’s just a different world. Obviously nobody wants to see anybody gets hurt, nobody wants to see concussions, but at the same time, nobody put a gun to my head and told me to play football either. I just don’t know. How do we come so far on safety and not ruin the integrity of the game? I think it’s a fine line we’re going to walk.”
On whether he’s concerned about his post‐career health “I try not to. Obviously, I know my wife is worried. I can’t predict the future. I don’t know. Here’s what I do know. I do know that this all comes at a price. Yes, you make a good living, you do it early in life and your window is this big. Do I know how I’m going to feel when I’m 55 years old? Probably not too good. I just think there are pros and cons to anything in life. You have to weigh it. It’s hard for me to sit here now—I can’t predict the future, but maybe when I’m 60, I’ll go, ‘Shouldn’t have played all those years,’ but I don’t know.”
On whether he would let his kids play football “I’m sticking a golf club in his hand (laughs). I think I’d make everything available to him, whatever he wants to choose, then support him fully on it. I will say football isn’t for everybody. I think a lot of parents out there think little Johnny is going to be the next great thing but it’s just not for everybody and it does come at a price. That’s just the way it is.”
On practicing against Peyton Manning “I’m glad he’s on my team. I’ve played that guy a few times—a couple times in the playoffs. I think a guy like Peyton Manning, the pressure it puts on defensive coaches, when you’re putting that game plan in on Wednesday and getting ready to play this guy, you wouldn’t believe the pressure and the intensity the defensive coordinator feels to figure out what this guy is doing. I came from a D‐coordinator like Rex Ryan in Baltimore and these guys would watch hours and hours and hours of film on him just to find something. I think he’s one of the few guys that it’s [darn] near impossible to find something on him that you can key on. He switches things up so well.”
On going from winning teams to losing teams “I’m tired of losing. It’s been two tough years. That’s the nature of the beast. It’s very frustrating. There aren’t many things worse than being on an NFL team that is losing. Last year [in St. Louis] we won two games. What that does to you mentally is just tough. I’m definitely looking forward to winning this year. Everything looks great on paper, but we have to get out there and work and get it done. We have a lot of work to do. I think everybody has their mind set the right way to come out and have a great year.”
©2012 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 whether the chance to win helped impact his decision to come back to Denver “It’s crazy how things work out. Just sitting back here in the offseason and they brought Peyton in and looking at the D‐line situation, I was just kind of sitting there and said, ‘Man, it’d be a great fit for me to come back.’ Luckily I’ve had the opportunity to come back. I’m excited to show the new management here and the new coaches here what I’m all about.”
On competing for a starting job “My mindset never changes year to year. You have to fight for your job every day in this business and you have to be 100 percent every day. If you’re not, somebody will take it. It’s a rare job to have and I’m very fortunate to have it. I think what I tell young guys is, ‘You better come out and you better work every day and give it everything you’ve got because there are thousands of guys out there waiting to take it.’”
On the emphasis on getting an interior pass rush this season “I think it’s great, but when No. 18 is out there, you better stay the hell away from him. We’re going to talk about pass rush, but I love my job at the same time (laughing), so we’re going to work on our pass‐rush techniques, but at the same time, let’s be smart out there.”
©2012 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.