DENVER BRONCOS QUOTES (9/14/17)
HEAD COACH VANCE JOSEPH
On the injury report
“[G] Ron Leary, DNP. He’s in the [concussion] protocol. [S] Darian Stewart was limited. [CB] Brendan Langley was DNP. [QB] Paxton Lynch is obviously DNP. [RB] Jamaal Charles was full. [CB Aqib] Talib was full. [DE] Jared Crick was DNP. [DE] Zach Kerr was limited. [RB] Devontae Booker was limited. [T] Garett Bolles was limited. That’s the update.”
On Crick’s recovery progression
“I wouldn’t say a setback. We’re just being really smart with him. We want to get him totally healthy so he can help us in the future.”
On Leary being at practice with his helmet on
“Part of the protocol is putting a helmet on and coming to practice and watching. I’m not sure if he passed or not, but that’s a part of the protocol.”
On defending the Cowboys’ rushing attack
“It’s critical. The pressure of making every play won’t be on the quarterback. Running the football will allow you to have short third downs. You’re in control of the clock. You’re in control of the football game. They do a great job with [QB] Dak [Prescott], running the football, keeping the third-downs manageable keeping the pass attempts to a minimum. That keeps mistakes to a minimum. It’s absolutely critical for a young quarterback.”
On his plans to put pressure on the Cowboys’ offensive line
“We have a game plan. When we pressure, when we don’t pressure, it won’t be based on their offensive line’s ability to block us. It’s more of our plan and what we see with protections. It’s more down and distance. I would say it’s not about their O-Line; it’s more about our plan.”
On why teams aren’t able to apply pressure to the Cowboys’ offense
“When you watch the tape, they’re in so many third-and-shorts, it’s hard to pressure them. The ball is out so quick. That’s probably the reason nobody is pressuring them a lot, because they’re in so many third-and-shorts. That comes from having a solid run game. They’ve built it right. They built it right for a young quarterback.”
On the Cowboys’ recent success
“They’re easy to scout and hard to beat. You watch them and it’s not a lot of complicated schemes, but they’re good at it. They’ve won 11 or 12 games straight and they make it look easy. And, it hasn’t been stressful. What they’ve put together, it works for that football team.”
On trying to force Prescott pass the ball
“That’s everyone’s plan going into the game, I’m assuming. But they run the ball so well. If you’re in second-and-3 or third-and-3, there is no pressure on Dak to complete balls down the field. Dak does a great job. He’s a young, poised quarterback. He’s smart. He runs their system. You can’t discredit Dak for what they do. He is in control of what they do and he’s good at it. They’re good at it. It’s their system. They’re really good at it. We have to find a way to make them uncomfortable.”
On how the Broncos’ defense can be successful against the Cowboys
“I think all quarterbacks are vulnerable to pressure when it’s a longer and when you have more time to get to them. But, the way they play, there are so many third-and-shorts, the ball is gone so fast. He can see his coverage and have his read pre-snap and the ball is gone. You don’t really have time to pressure the guy. If we get him in longer third downs, our scheme can take over. [OLB] Von [Miller] could have a day there. Our first goal is to stop the run and to put those guys behind the sticks. If we do that, then we have a chance to make them uncomfortable. If we don’t, it’s going to look the way it looks. It’s going to be very, very comfortable for that team.”
On the threat of Prescott being mobile
“He’s not looking to run, but he can run. They’ve got somethings in the red zone that are hard to defend on our level. We don’t see it a lot. Third-and-mediums—he can take off behind your back. You’re limited coverage-wise with a quarterback like that. Even though he’s a pocket passer, he has legs to run. He’s kind of a double-threat on third downs.”
On whether the Cowboys’ simple offense will change the complexity of the Broncos’ defense
“Every NFL game you want to go into a game and give them looks they haven’t seen. If they’re simple, we can do more because their adjustments are minimal. Them being simple won’t make us simple. We’re going to do what we think works to win the football game. If that’s complicated, that’s complicated. If it’s not, it’s not.”
On who will play guard if Leary is out against the Cowboys
“We’ve got some options. If Ron doesn’t play, we’ve got three or four guys we can play there. It’s all being explored.”
On Cowboys LB Sean Lee
“Sean Lee is really good player. He’s physical. He can cover. He is really, really quick in the box. He is obviously a Pro Bowl-type player. Their defense, they play hard. When you watch these guys play, it’s impressive. They play hard. It’s a bunch of guys that are self-made guys. It’s not big-name guy. That’s what makes it so impressive to me as a coach. You watch it and they are flying around. Sean Lee is their name player but they have 11 guys that play really hard. That’s in their DNA.”
On Miller’s effect on any game
“I think Von effects the game all the time because of who he is. We forced him into double chip both sides, so that leaves three guys out. We have six guys over three—that was my point Monday. If they double chip Von, the coverage has to take over and make him hold the ball so Von can get there or we knock the ball down or pick the ball off—we still win. It doesn’t matter how many sacks we got, we still win. They (Los Angeles) were 3-of-12 on third downs. Von didn’t get a sack but we’re 3-of-12 on third downs so who cares? It’s about team football. If they’re going to take Von away, we’ve got ways to win third and second downs. That’s what’s important. It’s not about stats.”
On the benefits of homefield advantage
“Homefield advantage here is a big deal. Our fans were on fire. It was really loud in that stadium Monday night. If you’re an offensive football team that’s operating from the LOS (line of scrimmage), it definitely affects you. You guys can’t hear; the snap counts are affected. The crowd noise makes a difference.”
On Cowboys DE Demarcus Lawrence
“Watching that guy, he plays really, really hard. He really wrecked the game. Obviously, we can’t let him wreck the game. Whatever we have to do schematically to stop that from happening, we will do. But, he is a really good player. That entire front four play so hard. That’s their trait they live by.”
On whether Booker will play against the Cowboys
“Booker looks fine. He’s progressing well. He looked quick today. His hand looked fine. He’ll probably play next week, not this week.”
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