DENVER BRONCOS vs. HOUSTON TEXANS
Sports Authority Field at Mile High ● Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014
BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOHN FOX
Opening Comments
“I will just update you injury-wise, really we had one injury, [WR] Wes Welker left the game. It was determined it was a concussion and he’ll go through the protocol, obviously. The biggest thing on him is of course player safety. He’ll go through the protocol and our guys do a fantastic job.”
On if Welker’s protocol different since he’s had multiple concussions
“I don’t know about multiple ones a year ago but, again, not being a doctor, I will leave that to the medical people and he won’t come back until he’s ready to come back.”
On the hit on Welker
“I didn’t see the tape, I really didn’t even see the hit but I can’t comment on it.”
On QB Peyton Manning’s taunting penalty
“You guys obviously get a chance to see a lot more trivial stuff than I get to look at but I didn’t.”
On if he is he glad Texans are gone
“Not really, I thought it was great work. They’re a good football team, it was a good organization, we had a good three days and good game today.”
On how well Manning and WR Emmanuel Sanders connected tonight
“We have seen them in practice and it has been a little frustrating I know for Emmanuel that he’s been nagged by that thigh strain he had. It was good to get him back out there in practice little bit late in the week and I thought he looked good tonight.”
On if was there no plan to take the first team out of the game earlier if they weren’t behind
“Not really. We typically go into the third quarter with our first in the third game. I think because of the extra work this week against the opponent in practice we were pretty much going to play them through the half.”
On getting reps for both RB Montee Ball and LB Von Miller
“They were two guys we had little setbacks with. Obviously with Von this was the target game to get him some time. He would’ve preferred to go longer but we gave him I think eight plays, six to eight I don’t know for sure but then got him out. Same with Montee. He’s practiced this week a little bit but to get him some carries in live football-type situations and it was good to see how he handled that.”
On Ball’s touches
“We got him in and out quickly.”
On Sanders and his two touchdowns
“He is a guy that we acquired in free agency and obviously we thought very highly of. It was good to get him back out there and see how explosive he really is.”
On CB Bradley Roby
“I think he’s really progressed. Like any rookie they come in the National Football League the passing games are pretty good and the execution of the passing games so it was a little bit of struggle early like most rookie corners and he has progressively gotten better each week. So he’s definitely improved.”
On if the team will carry more running backs on the roster due to the talent at the position
“It is hard to say right now. We will evaluate and we’ll pick the best 53 that we think will give us the best chance to win and because we don’t play with a fullback per say, in fact the kind of guy that plays fullback for us did not play tonight, [TE] Virgil Green. I think it is a good young group and we will have some tough decisions.”
BRONCOS RB RONNIE HILLMAN
On if he is more comfortable with the offense than before
“When you go into year three, it kind of becomes a repetitive thing. Second year you get it, but now you’re third year, you see other things, too. It just comes along with maturing and becoming a pro.”
On if his teammates are more comfortable with him lining up in the backfield
“I think it’s more of getting your opportunity to do what you’ve got do. I think they did a great job of putting this team together to where even if you’re not playing a lot, you feel like you are comfortable with your surroundings. I think it’s more of just when the opportunity comes.”
On his mentality of having a successful preseason
“How I was raised, you kind of go through adversity all the time; I’m used to it. People talking, whether it’s negative or positive, I couldn’t care less. As long as I’m good with where I’m at, and me and the coaches are on the same page, spectators [will be] spectators.”
BRONCOS DT TERRANCE KNIGHTON
On the game
“We made the plays we had to make and it’s about getting better right now. It’s about to be the fourth preseason game and a lot of our starters probably won’t play. We’re starting to turn our focus to Indianapolis (in the Week 1 matchup).”
On whether the first-string defense is ready to go for the season
“Yeah, we’re ready to go, everybody is healthy. It felt good to have [SLB] Von [Miller] and [DT Kevin] Vickerson back out there today. Right now, like I said, we’re focusing on Indianapolis and as much film as we can watch, we’ll watch. We will obviously cheer our teammates on in Dallas and you always want to win, but the regular season is right around the corner and we have to get ready.”
BRONCOS QB PEYTON MANNING
On getting on the same page with WR Emmanuel Sanders
“It was good to get Emmanuel out there. I had not completed a pass to Emmanuel in a game yet. He didn’t have any catches against Seattle. He of course didn’t play against San Francisco, and he didn’t practice the majority of the week against Houston. The fact that he was able to practice on a Thursday and go in the game I thought was significant. I wanted to get some completions to him. I think you want to complete some passes to a first-year receiver in this offense going into the season opener. Obviously being able to complete some passes to him early and then get the two touchdowns to him, it certainly makes me feel a lot better going into the opener, as opposed to before.”
On if he got upset about the hit on WR Wes Welker
“I concur with that.”
On if he was frustrated with the start of the game
“We had a good start to the first drive and got down there, had a negative play and got in third-and-long and had to settle for a field goal. We always like to get touchdowns. We had a couple possessions where we didn’t get anything going. I made a bad throw and bad decision on the turnover. I thought we had a couple good drives and ended up with a field goal and had a missed field goal, as well. We’re always looking to finish. It was nice to finish those last two drives of the first half with touchdowns.”
On if the hit to Welker led to his taunting penalty
“I guess so. I’m obviously concerned about Wes and never like seeing him come out of the game with a potential blow to the head. He had one of those last year that kept him out a while. Fifteen yards with five seconds left in the half—it can’t hurt you that much, right?”
On if he thought about the importance of the penalty at that time
“I think if you’re going to get one, that’s a good time to get one.”
On if he can say what he said to Texans S D.J. Swearinger
“I can’t.”
On if Swearinger appreciated what he said
“Yeah, he said, ‘Thanks. I appreciate it. Good luck to you, as well.’”
On if he feels ready for the season
“I thought it was good that we kind of went through some of that in this game. I think part of me wants to go three drives, three touchdown and get out perfect, but in some ways, maybe it’s a good thing that we had a three-and-out there. Of course, you never like to turn it over, but I think you like to see how you respond after that. I thought we responded with a good drive after the turnover, ended up missing the field goal, but it was a good drive to get down there. To get two two-minute drills—we were thinking one touchdown, but to get two [scores] out of it, I thought was good. I was proud of the way we responded through some not-ideal drives, and I think that was actually better than going out and being three-for-three and nothing really going wrong. I thought we saw a lot this preseason—different looks, different scenarios, different situations—I thought that was good.”
On the first touchdown throw to Sanders
“He ran a good route. He got on top of the cornerback and then over the top of the safety. He has that type of speed. You just throw it as far as you can, and it’s hard to out-throw that guy. He went and got it and finished in the end zone. On the other one, he did a good job against zone coverage. He got inside of the cornerback and then got outside away from the safety and made a great extended catch. A lot of times that ball comes out when it hits the ground. The fact that he kept it in his possession I thought was a pretty good play by him.”
On his interception
“That was bad throw—a bad throw and a bad decision. It wasn’t open. Poor throw and poor decision by me.”
On if the Texans defense is the best he’s faced this preseason
“It’s hard to say. I don’t really have a good comparison to compare it to the other teams. I thought it was good—the work we did against them during the week, and I think we’ll learn a lot from this film, as well.”
On if this was a beneficial week against the Texans
“I thought the practices that we had against them were helpful to us, going against good players. They have excellent players. Of course, going against their defense is a great test. I thought we learned a lot about our offense and different situations during the week, and we’ll learn a lot from this film as well.”
BRONCOS LB VON MILLER
On feeling more like himself
“I’ve been feeling like myself, but being in a game is totally different. It felt great.”
On game speed feeling different from practice
“Yeah, the game is totally different. You always want to [play] a little bit more, with your adrenaline going and everything. We already had these types of situations in practice, but the game is totally different. From the reps I got, I feel confident in everything I’m doing.”
On if he thinks about his injured knee anymore
“No, I don’t, not at all. I wasn’t thinking about my knee at all.”
On playing at a lighter weight
“I feel really great.”
BRONCOS CB BRADLEY ROBY
On if he feels the defensive starters are ready for the regular season
“I think so. [Houston] had some decent drives. It’s a long game; one game isn’t decided by one drive. I think as a defense we’re playing well right now, we’re getting some of the guys back, so I’m excited for the season.”
On if he feels like he is passing the ‘eye test’ with the organization and its fan base
“I don’t really worry about those things. At the end of the day, everything is going to handle itself if I do what I need to do. I can’t be putting more pressure on myself thinking, ‘What’s this guy think? What’s he think?’ You can’t do it like that. You just have to go out and do you. If you’re working hard, it’s going to show.”
BRONCOS WR EMMANUEL SANDERS
On Broncos QB Peyton Manning responding to Houston SS D.J. Swearinger’s on-field conduct
“Peyton doesn’t like that, no one likes that—it’s bad sportsmanship. Peyton gave him a little, and then he threw the ball to me and we scored. It all worked itself out.”
On what Manning’s 15-yard taunting penalty does for the team
“The fact that if Peyton is addressing the situation, that means he’s got the backs of his teammates. [No.] 36 (Swearinger), he’s been a competitor all week at practice. We’ve been competing against him, and sometimes he lets his attitude get the most of him. But at the end of the day, I’ve got nothing but respect for those guys at the Houston Texans. They came out here and helped us get better as a football squad.”
On catching his first touchdown with Manning
“He definitely made it easy for me; he hit me in stride, and I just had to catch it and keep running. I’m extremely optimistic about this offense and the potential of it. We have next week, of course we’re going to Dallas, and the starters probably won’t play, but we’ve got to explode on the scene like we did today.”
BRONCOS WR DEMARYIUS THOMAS
On WR Emmanuel Sanders
“I think he is one of the best at his position in the game, so that’s big for us. He has been fighting a little injury, but he came out today and played well and hopefully will continue that the whole season.”
On Sanders demonstrating a deep threat ability
“I knew he had it in him. I watched him in college; I watched him at Pittsburgh. We came out [in the same draft class] together, so I knew he had it in him and it was great to see him go out and catch the deep ball and then go score it.”
On his performance today
“It was fine. You never know what is going to happen with [QB] Peyton [Manning]. We’ll go back and watch film and see what I can do to get better, and I’ll go from there.”
On being ready for the season opener
“I feel great. This is my fifth year, I’m fine now. I’ve been with Peyton for three years now, and it’s nothing new.”
BRONCOS DT KEVIN VICKERSON
On pushing hard to get back on the field following a hip injury
“I was just trying to lead by example, but at the same time, I’m going out and playing hard, too. That was my whole thing today: just seize the moment. I was happy to be back on the field, but at the same time, [I wanted to] make an impact, make some kind of disruption and dominate inside.”
On if he was tentative considering his injury
“If I’m on the field, I’m all out. I wasn’t tentative at all.”
On what Broncos QB Peyton Manning’s taunting penalty did for the team