Head Coach Post-game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs.

Opening Statement: “Good evening. Thank God for pre-season.”

On his impression of QB and QB this game: “You know, I thought they played okay. Nothing to really make you jump one way or the other. I thought they did a pretty decent job overall. I want to look at the film and see a little bit more in the reads or some of the missed opportunities. But overall, I thought it was okay.”

On Shaun Hill coming out after one series: “I think he got down the field. We had a chance to see what we wanted to see there. That’s pretty much a consistent. Alex Smith we just kind of had a couple of plays or shortened series and we just kept him going with that, Alex. I think with Shaun, we saw that and that was fine, and that was apparent with the number of plays that he got. Alex I think it was broken up a little bit more.”

On why he said thank God for pre-season: “Thank God for pre-season because it just wasn’t as sharp as you want it to be. The execution wasn’t as sharp as you want it to be. Thank God we got a few of them, because we need to play ourselves to our game-time, season, ready-to-go.”

On if he has been swayed one way or the other by Smith or Hill’s performance: “Have not. No, have not.”

On if Smith is more of a mystery to him than Hill: “I think Hill is less of a mystery. I think you kind of have a better idea of who he is and what he brings. But still, there are still some things there that Hill does from time to time and you look at it as you want to see more consistency going downfield. He’s great at managing the game. You know he can manage a game, but we can also throw the ball downfield, and something that’s very exciting to see. How consistent, and on what basis, that’s something we still have to look at, but we pretty much know what’s there.”

On the 49ers’ two injuries in the game: “With Zak Keasey, I think we had a fracture. There’s a situation there and we’ll look at that tomorrow, maybe an MRI and kind of determine for how long… to what extent is the damage and whatever. [Thomas] Clayton: knee sprain, same situation there. Just have to look at the damage tomorrow and get more information on both of those guys.”

On if it is not as clear with Smith as it is with Hill what’s there: “I would say that. I would say when you look at Shaun Hill, you have a situation where he’s had a chance to play and lead. We have a good read on him. We saw last year, in the second half of the season. Alex Smith, I think because of some of the injuries, because of the inconsistent playing time, I think that Alex is capable of some things and we need to know to what extent. How capable, how much better, so we just have to continue to watch it and see it.”

On if the bullets were flying for Smith: “The bullets were flying. The bullets were flying. I thought he did a pretty decent job here and there, but once again, nothing great. We just have to continue to watch the film, continue to do what we’re doing right now in our practices, and helping him get the fundamentals down and hope we have better results.”

On the three in the first half: “Well, I think our guys did a pretty decent job being where they needed to be. Maybe the thought he saw something higher that it works out. I’m going to say that [Kyle] Orton is a better quality quarterback than people think he is. He’s very solid, very consistent. I think our DB did a pretty decent job.”

On if he saw what he thought he would from Denver Mike Nolan’s defense: “I saw Mike play his defense. He mixed it up, and had some blitzes here and there. Whether it was a cover-2 guard, or 3 guard, or putting the safety on the edge. That’s what he does.”

On if he knows what his quarterback rotation will be next game: “No. Do not.”

On who is FB Britt Miller: “Are you talking about the fullback? He’s just a guy that’s going to give you all he has. He’s still learning to be a pro, still learning how to run routes and those sorts of things, but he continues to work his tail off.”

On if he is comfortable with having Hill or Smith start: “Absolutely.”

On what he thought of the 49ers pass-rush today: “What did you think of it? Non-existent. I’ll put it this way, I started out the session saying, ‘thank God for pre-season.’ We have to continue to work on it. We have to continue to get the right chemistry and momentum, but I’m not going to be disappointed or whatever. We will get to a quarterback, and I’m confident in that. We’ll see when the time comes.”

On if tonight was an indication of how much the full back and the tight end will be a weapon in the passing game: “I think when you start the season and you have to come down and make a decision on the quarterback and maybe that quarterback is not at the top of his game at the very beginning, you might have to run the ball some. He’s got to have a comfort zone somewhere and normally that’s going to be the running back out of the backfield or a tight end until he gains that confidence and momentum to begin to spread the ball out more. Hopefully at the beginning of the season, the quarterback will be at even more of a better place and we can spread it out at the very beginning, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.” On if he’s happy with RB Glen Coffee’s work: “For the most part. I thought he did a pretty decent job. He ran hard, he did was he does it practice.”

San Francisco 49ers CB Dre’ Bly In-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the interceptions and the play of the defense: “All camp, they were emphasizing creating turnovers and trying to get our hands on the ball. We were able to put together some good coverage. The defensive line was able to put some pressure on the quarterback and he was able to throw us the football. That’s what we pride ourselves on, making big plays and we were able to get three which was huge.”

On what it was like playing against his old team: “It’s sort of odd because a lot of my friends are on the other side. I had a chance to chat with Champ [Bailey] and Brandon Stokley, he was one of my good friends, covering him in the slot. It’s like a rivalry, a fun rivalry, but at the same time I’m out here competing and I never thought I’d be in this uniform, but I’m here and I’m blessed to be here. It’s a good situation, a good head coach, but it’s a football town and I’m just glad to be a 49er right now.”

On what it’s like playing opposite : “I had a chance to play opposite of Champ and Nate has had a good career also, going into his 9th year. He has played in Pro Bowls, made a lot of plays and I think just having a chance to come and add what I can add to the secondary, good things are going to happen. Nate has had a great career and hopefully we can both benefit from playing in this secondary.”

San Francisco 49ers LB Ahmad Brooks Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On his assessment of tonight’s game against Denver: “It was an alright game, we didn’t do as well as we thought we were going to do. We held it down for the most part. It was our first game together and we pulled out the victory.”

On finally being able to play for the first time with the 49ers: “I felt good. I was held out from playing for the past two seasons and it felt really good to get my feet back on dirt.”

On what he thinks the defense needs to work on against the Oakland Raiders: “We definitely need to be stouter on stopping the run. [The Broncos] were pretty much doing anything that they wanted to do. They were doing a lot of quick passes and they were also getting big yardage on the run game so we definitely need to step that up.”

San Francisco 49ers CB Nate Clements In-game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the execution of the defense: “I think that guys were just relaxed out there, taking chances, trusting and believing in what they saw. We weren’t really out there worried about what they were going to do we were more focused on what we could do.”

On his : “I saw the route and played my responsibility and he threw it. When an opportunity presented itself, I just made a play on it.”

On the Broncos first offensive drive of the game: “They were more efficient at executing than we were and that’s why [they] had the long drive. We had that bend but don’t break philosophy and they came away with zero points.”

On what they can improve on next week: “Just starting fast and just executing more efficiently on a regular basis.”

On having two other defensive backs get interceptions: “I like seeing all of our [defensive backs] get interceptions and just making plays because we’re game breakers.”

San Francisco 49ers RB Glen Coffee Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On FB Brit Miller’s play in the game: “That’s crazy. If there’s an MVP of the game, he deserves it. For him to do that is great for him and I’m just happy for him.”

On the defense’s play in the game with four interceptions: “They definitely played well. We put them in a lot of situations and they came through for us. We’ve got to have the offense help the defense and the defense will help the offense and they did a great job.”

San Francisco 49ers TE In-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the excitement of getting out there: “Yes, it was exciting. It’s just a start to a big future with this team, this organization. We’re definitely going to come out and win a lot of games this year. We definitely have the talent. There are a lot of guys on this team that can make plays, so it’s just about getting it done.”

On his comfort level out there: “You’re a little rusty when you first get out there, but after a few snaps, you get back to the way it used to be.”

On whether he’s looking forward to getting balls like that all season: “I’m looking forward to getting balls like that all season.”

San Francisco 49ers TE Vernon Davis Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On how it feels to know that he is going to be utilized in the offense: “My thing is, I’m just going to take it one game at a time, one practice at a time and just continue to grow. I’m not worried about whether I’m being utilized or not. I’m going to take it slow and take it one game at a time and whatever happens, I’m going to do my job and take care of what I have to take care of, and let everything flow the way it needs to flow.”

On whether he thinks this game is an extension of this spring and training camp, and how he is going to be featured in this offense: “Most definitely. [Offensive Coordinator] Jimmy Raye is known for utilizing his tight ends and that is what you’ll get out of him. You’ll see him throw his tight ends the ball. That’s what he believes in, especially if you have a playmaker, you’ll get the ball.”

San Francisco 49ers QB Shaun Hill In-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On what the team did well on the field: “We were able to move the ball and we had a big conversion on third down. That last sack kind of hurt us. That was completely on me. The offensive line did a great job out there. So I’d like to have that play back and I feel like we could have gotten seven out of that.”

On his comfort level with Vernon Davis tonight: “Vernon’s had a great camp and he continued to come out tonight and do a good job. The first ball, it was kind of a tough ball for him and he handled it well, turned up field and got some yards.”

On whether the pressure concerned him tonight: “No, not at all.”

On the running game when he was on the field: “It was okay. The run game is funny. Sometimes you have to wear them down before you can pop a few, but we’re doing a good job in all facets right now. We just have to get some more drives going and put seven on the board.”

On what he can improve upon going into next week: “That sack I took down there on first down. I need to get off my first read quick and get to number two and throw it away if that’s not there.”

San Francisco 49ers QB Post-game quotes, 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On rating his performance: “It was great. It’s always nice to get out there and play. We had a nice scoring drive there in the 4th quarter. The defense did a nice job in the end. There was a goal-line stand. So it was great. It’s something for us to build on.”

On his pass to FB Brit Miller: “They had a blitz on and I just kind of drifted back and got it out into the flat, and the fullback made a great play for me. It was a lot of fun.”

San Francisco 49ers FB Britt Miller Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the team utilizing him to score on two offensive possessions: “We had some plays drawn up and it just ended up working out. Fullbacks don’t score a lot. We are kind of the grunt workers on the team. Along with the offensive and defensive line to be able to get a little bit of that payoff and reap the benefits is a pretty amazing feeling.”

On his transition from linebacker in college to fullback in the NFL: I started four years at linebacker at the University of Illinois and it’s just one of those things that kind of worked out this way. I feel as if I am versatile enough as a player and we’ve got some great linebackers here. One of the spots that [the 49ers] thought that they could get me in at was fullback and I think that I fit the bill here in giving the team more of an athletic presence. We’ve also got big Moran [Norris] here he’s a lot bigger than I am so I’ve got some things to work on. Whatever I was able to do to help the team I was able to do tonight.”

San Francisco 49ers WR Post-game quotes, 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On how it felt to get back on the field for the first preseason game: “It felt good. It felt good. As soon as the offense starts clicking, as soon as you get those plays, you’ll always get those jitters, no matter how long you play. As soon as you get those first couple of snaps out of the way, you realize it’s still football. It felt good out there, especially going against Champ Bailey.”

On how he felt about matching up against Champ Bailey: “It felt good. I was really looking forward to going against him. He’s one of the best corners in the game. I was really looking forward to that. I feel as though I did a good job.”

San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith In-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the excitement of getting out there: “It’s great to be out there playing in a game again, not watching. That was nice. The preseason is about us, and it’s about us doing our job and going out there executing and getting better. You’ve got to learn from it. There are a few plays out there that I’d like to have again, but you’ve got to get better and not let them happen again.”

On his comfort level: “It was good. Obviously, I was raring to go when I got out there. It’s been a long time for me, so I was pretty amped up. It’s nice once you get to settle in a little bit and get that first completion.”

San Francisco 49ers S Reggie Smith Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the interception that he had during the Broncos drive: “I was dropping into coverage and I saw [QB Kyle Orton] looking my way and I thought it was a deep route because I saw the receivers going behind me and so I just kept backing up and he just threw it and I just lucked-up and ended up in the right spot and got the interception.”

On how the defense performed as the game progressed: “We came out kind of slow but we got better as time went on but we’ve still got a lot of work to do, we still have a lot of stuff to do. Some of the things we did were just mental busts. We’ve got to be smarter and more technically sound.”

On the secondary play of the 49ers defense tonight: “It makes me feel good to see us perform well. It makes me feel as if all the work that we’re doing at practice is paying off. We’re out there ball-hawking right now and, hopefully, if we can carry that into the season that would be great.”

On what he feels the 49ers secondary needs to work on getting ready for the Oakland Raiders: “We need to work on talking and communication. We need to communicate and make sure that we get our calls right. Sometimes we mess up so we need to get our communication right.”

San Francisco 49ers T Joe Staley Post-game quotes, 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On whether he felt good to play in a game: “It felt good. The first preseason game is always the most nerve-racking for me because it’s the first game of the season. It’s good to get out there and play against someone besides ourselves every day. I thought we did some good things as a first-team offense. We were able to move the ball a little bit on that first drive, some things to build on. But, it’s early. We know we’ve got a long way to go. I’m pretty excited.”

On how he rates the play of the first-team offensive line: “I thought we did good. I’m going to have to watch the film to see how we really did. We were giving the quarterback time. We had a couple of nice runs there early. The film doesn’t lie. I feel like we didn’t have any breakdowns, so I feel that we did well.”

Denver Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On possible quarterback controversy: “Nope. Obviously there were some mistakes made there in the first half that we can improve on; but, I think certainly there are plenty of mistakes everyone made tonight that we have to fix and go back to work tomorrow and find a way to improve in a lot of areas. [There are] some good things and definitely some things we want to fix and improve upon as we move into next week.”

On whether he’s worried: “Not at all.”

On his reason for confidence: “I’m just telling you that I’m not worried about that. That’ll be something we can fix and move forward from. Evaluate those plays, those mistakes, why they happened, what caused them and whether it was a decision or a miscommunication…There are a lot of things going into play as QB. I haven’t lost faith in any of our players.”

On whether his evaluation will change after looking at the film: “I feel very confident in where we are at. Like I said, we made a few mistakes but we’re not going to go into this thing after the first preseason game and start tail spinning and do this and that and make knee-jerk reactions. He made some really good plays and did a lot of good things. We will evaluate everything and the reason why it happened and we’ll try to fix it.”

On how his team can improve on the errors they made: “You’re hopeful that’s not going to occur. This is the first time we played against another team. They do some things that you don’t game plan for necessarily. There are some things you game plan for that they did pretty well. You certainly don’t hope for that. After the first preseason game there’s always a lot to fix and a lot of improvements to be made and I know we have a locker room full of guys willing to work hard.”

On the defense: “We had ways to pressure the QB and we had players to pressure the QB. I don’t think that’s a significant concern. I think we were eager to see what some of those players would do in this game against a different opponent.”

Denver Broncos CB Champ Bailey Post-Game Quotes – 8-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the first game of the preseason: “It was good to get out there. We found out exactly where we are at and where we need to improve on. That’s the goal of these early games—to get something to build on and things to get better on. It was a great test going against the 49ers, but now, it’s back to the drawing board. For our next opponent, we can capitalize on some of the things we didn’t do right and some of the things we didn’t do well, and continue to build on that.”

On the first game under Coach McDaniels: “I think it went really good. Once we got off the field, they addressed the things we needed to focus on for the next series. Things went really smoothly out there. This being the first game, you know there are things you want to get crisper and more alert on, and that’s what we’re going to do. Of course, we would have liked to have given Coach McDaniels a win, but we’re going to work on getting better for next week.”

Denver Broncos TE Daniel Graham Post-Game Quotes – 8-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the first interception QB Kyle Orton threw: “I don’t know what it was. It looked like I was wide open for a second and he threw a good ball, but the defender made a good play on it.”

On how he can help Orton cut back on the interceptions: “We just look over the playbooks and talk about the play to see what went wrong. We’ll just watch film to see how we can fix it.”

Denver Broncos DB Renaldo Hill Post-Game Quotes – 8-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the first game of the preseason: “We got to hit the field and test our product a little bit and see what we’ve got. We’ve got a few things to work on, but we did a few things right.”

On the first game under Coach McDaniels: “Of course we wanted to win the game for him, but at least it lets us know what we need to improve on and how we can get better as a team. We’ve still got plenty of work to do and we have a few weeks in the preseason to get ready for the season.”

Denver Broncos WR Brandon Lloyd Post-Game Quotes – 8-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On how well the team played in the new offense: “The offense is still fairly new to most of us. There are only two guys well versed in it. We are still trying to pick up the nuances, the little fine details, because this offense puts a big emphasis on throwing the football. It puts a lot on the quarterback-receiver relationship. It’s tough at first, but we are getting it.”

On QB Kyle Orton’s performance: “Kyle ran the offense fine. But, like I said, we’re just working on the small details and getting everybody on the same page. He did fine and I know he’ll get better the longer we’re in this offense.”

On playing in Candlestick Park again: “It was definitely fun. I miss my time in San Francisco, so it was good to come back. It is always good to play those guys. I played them last year in Chicago and it was good to see them again.”

Denver Broncos QB Kyle Orton Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On his game play: “For the most part, I felt really comfortable and I thought we did a lot of positive things on offense.”

On his three interceptions: “I made a couple of bad decisions and one was victim of bad communication. Certainly, I can’t make those types of mistakes when we are in the red zone. We had a really nice drive to open up the game and I threw an interception. To come up with no points in that situation is bad.”

On the possible quarterback controversy: “I’m not worried about it. I’ve a lot of confidence in myself. My team has a lot of confidence in me. I have to just keep plugging away.”

Denver Broncos DL Kenny Peterson Post-Game Quotes – 8-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On the first game of the preseason: “We wanted to get a win, but our focus is on getting better. We made some mistakes, but there isn’t much we can do about it right now. We’re going to iron out the wrinkles and see what we can do.”

On DL Chris Baker: “I was really impressed with him. I don’t know about all the gyrating on the field, but he is a physical, tough guy. He can help us out on the defensive line. I’m not much of a dancer—I told him you have to act like you’ve been there before.”

On the defense’s performance: “We did some things well, but of course there are things to work on. It’s the first game of the preseason and we didn’t win the game. We’re going to work on getting better and get ready for the season.”

Denver Broncos WR Post-Game Quotes – 8-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On how smooth the new offense ran: “I think it ran well. It was the first preseason game and we’re starting to feel comfortable in this offense. I think we had a good showing.”

On how well they moved the ball down the field: “I thought we had a lot of success. We were able to move the ball and we had some positive plays out there. We also have some things we need to work on, but that is what the preseason is for.”

On what QB Kyle Orton needs to do to fix his mistakes: “They are very easy to fix. Just go look at the film and we’ll get on the same page. This is what you want to use these preseason games for. There are going to be mistakes and nothing is going to be perfect, but as long as you can go back and fix them you will be fine.”

Denver Broncos QB Chris Simms Post-Game Quotes – 08-14-09 San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos

On his comfort level: “It was good to get out there and play against somebody other than your own team. The tough thing about tonight was the wind really. The swirling wind made it tough for me at times. Other than that, it was pretty fun out there.”

On Kyle [Orton’s] struggles: “Kyle didn’t struggle though he may have made mistakes. He threw the ball well. He just missed three throws that I see him make every day in practice.”

On possible quarterback controversy: “I’m sure you guys will write about it and everybody will talk about it on talk radio. It won’t change me one bit. I will do what Coach McDaniel asks me to do for the team.”