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 QUOTES (4/16/12)
LINEBACKER VON MILLER
On the team’s first workouts “It feels great. It’s great being back here and seeing all the guys, meeting all the new guys and it just feels great to get back in Denver and start working.”
On QB Peyton Manning “It’s really exciting. He’s a great player, he’s experienced, and to have him out here working with us is an honor. We’re just going to take it one day at a time and see where it takes us.”
On his interactions with QB Peyton Manning “I’ve spoken with him via text over the break and stuff. Our schedule is different in there than the offense’s is. I’m sure we’ll pull each other aside and we’ll talk, but I haven’t had a chance to just sit down and talk to him yet.”
On how big of a jump he expects to make this year “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to see when the season comes. I just want to take it one day at a time, just continue to be the linebacker that I want to be, continue to be the linebacker that my teammates want me to be. I know that if I just take it one day at a time, I’ll get there.”
On Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio “He’s a great coach. He was nicer than I thought (laughing). We haven’t really started playing football yet, but nice guy, mean guy, all that stuff is out the door. I just want to win.
“We haven’t really just had time to sit down and get to know each other. He came into the linebackers room today and we spoke for about five or 10 minutes. It’s just been brief. I’m sure we’ll get into it and just take it one day at a time. I’m sure we’ll all get to know each other.”
On whether he has talked about the defensive scheme with Del Rio “No we haven’t. We just came in and watched good and bad film from last year and went straight to working out.”
On the change from Tim Tebow to Peyton Manning at quarterback “I thought going into the year, this is the NFL, you never know what could happen. I had grown close to Tebow on and off the field. We were friends off the field, close friends. Whenever you see a guy leave like that there are always some emotions involved. The changes that we made, they made them for our team. You can’t just keep a guy here because he’s a great guy. I’m going to miss Tebow, but the quarterback that we do have now is an elite quarterback. Whenever you get a chance to pick up a guy like that, you have to pull the trigger.”
©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 he’d be surprised if Tebow wins the starting job with the Jets during the season “I think everybody is making a mistake if you think he’s just going to go there and be a wildcat quarterback or a situational quarterback. The Tebow that I know is just going to take it one day at a time, he’s going to grind, he’s going to come in and be consistent and you never know. He could have that starting spot. You never know what happens during games. An injury and he’s the next guy up. So, I think guys are mistaken if they just think he’s going to be a situational quarterback. He’s going to go in there and he’s going to compete for that starting job.”
On what he learned about himself after his rookie season “I made too many mental errors. That’s what I learned about myself. I want to get in the classroom this year, take a different approach and cut down on the mental errors. I want to be that player that my teammates want me to be, that my fans want me to be and that I want to be. I’m just going to take it one day at a time. I’m going to spend more time in the classroom this season and I’m just going to try to develop more in the classroom.”
On participating in offseason workouts this year “It’s always an advantage when you can sit down and work on stuff before you are thrown into the fire. I think for all us rookies that were playing last year, I think it’s a huge advantage for us going into this year. I think it’s an advantage for our team to jell more and really get the playbook down. It’s always an advantage when you can have an offseason under your belt.”
On his thumb “It’s a lot better. It’s about 85 percent right now. I’m 100 percent positive that when the season starts I won’t have any problems out of it. I’m doing rehab and working on all that stuff right now. I should have it back 100 percent, I’m positive about that, when the season starts.”
On whether the thumb affects his weight training “No, not at all. It really doesn’t hurt, it just aches a little bit. I’ve had the pins out for a couple of months now. It’s still healing, but if the season started today, I can play without a brace or cast or any of that.”
On whether he had any additional surgeries on the thumb after the season “Yeah, I had my pins taken out two days after the Patriots game. It has been a minute, it’s all healed up. I’m just working on the mobility and the movement now.”
On the negative film he watched today “I think [Linebackers coach] Rich Smith was being a little bit over the top, I didn’t see too much (laughing). No, I’m just kidding. I had some stuff in there—point of contact, mental errors, my reads were bad on some plays. I’m just going to continue to watch that film, tweak that stuff, and when the season starts, hopefully I can improve on all that stuff.”
On Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill “I’m biased. I think he should be the No. 1 player off the board this year. I think he is better than that guy across the state who went to that other school (laughing). He’s a great athlete. I think he doesn’t get enough credit for the type of athlete that he is. He’s only been playing quarterback for a year and a half now and he did a lot of amazing things for Texas A&M, and I’m sure he’ll get in the league and do a lot of amazing things in the league. He’s a great quarterback, and he’s a great person off the field too. Whenever you can get a degree in biology before you graduate, that says a lot about you. Ryan Tannehill, he’s everything that everybody thinks and more in my opinion.”
On re‐signing LBs Wesley Woodyard and Joe Mays “I think it’s great to have those guys back. We had those guys last year and to see the same faces does a lot in the locker room too. It does a lot in the meeting rooms when you already know a guy and know where a guy is going to be. Having Wesley Woodyard and Joe Mays back is huge for us in my opinion.”
On how much his thumb injury affected him last year “It was already hard enough playing football with two hands. Playing football with one and a half hands was pretty tough. I had a great season last year. I was able to do some things for my team with the cast on. That season is over and done. I’m 100 percent healthy right now and looking forward to this season right here and hopefully I can build on my last 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 he expects things to come easier this season compared to his rookie year “It makes a whole lot of sense—having a season under your belt, there was no way that I could have prepared myself for what was going to come in the NFL. I think all the rookies in the NFL would say the same thing. With the lockout being there—not using that as an excuse—there was a lot of uncertainty and then all of the sudden we were thrown into the fire in the NFL. People that give you advice, they tell you how it is going to be, but there is no way you could prepare yourself for what is to come in the NFL. I think going through it one year, I think it’ll be a lot easier knowing what is to come and knowing what the season is going to be like.”
On whether he can improve as a player “I think I can be a whole lot better…I just want to take it one day at a time and just try to be that linebacker that my teammates want me to be and that I want to be.”
On what he and DE Elvis Dumervil can do when playing with a lead “I think it’ll be huge if we can get up by 10 or 14. Having [CB] Champ (Bailey) on the No. 1 receiver and [CB Tracy] Porter on the No. 2 receiver and having me and Elvis coming off the edge—there’s no question that it would be playing to our advantage as a defense. It’ll be huge if we can get up on teams and have them throw the ball and put them in passing situations.”
©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.