Quotesheet: Champ Bailey is genuinely bearded and excited

Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey intercepts a pass as San Diego Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd,left, during the first half of a NFL football game Monday, Nov. 22, 2010, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Every week, Denver Broncos players and coaches give a fair number of interviews and snippets as they prepare for that weekend’s opponent. We’ll hand-pick what we think is the best such transcript and post it here.

This week, Champ Bailey talks about the revamped defense and growing a beard. As one Twitter follower described, this defense has Champ sounding like “a kid in a candy shop.” Quotes courtesy the Denver Broncos.

On being named a team captain

“It feels good. It means a lot because the players vote; so you definitely have the respect of the guys in the locker room, and that’s what’s most important.”

On being used as a nickelback on third downs

“It’s an adjustment, I would just say that. Not a hard one, and not an easy one, but it’s just something where I’ve got to be more inclined to studying more and preparing a lot more because it’s different. I’ve been open to it for years, now, and finally I’ve got a staff that wants me to do it.”

On whether he will play as prominent a role as the nickelback

“I think so, because typically, most teams put their best players in there a lot to get some matchups because some teams put their third-best corner in there. On this team, it’s going to be different. I’ll be in there, and they’re going to have to try to find ways to get that guy the ball, so I will get more opportunities.”

On playing the Raiders on Monday Night Football

“I’m very excited. I can’t wait. I know the fans are eager to get this one going. We had a decent preseason and hopefully we can build off of that and get out of here with a ‘W.’”

On how he feels about his team after the preseason

“It really builds confidence. You don’t really know what’s going to happen, but I’m confident that we can do good things. As for the type of team we are, I think we are just trying to find our identity and what we’re going to be. The only way you create an identity is by going out there and doing it on Sunday night or Monday night, or whatever it might be. We’ve just got to go play and let it speak for itself.”

On having a beard that looks like Brian Wilson’s of the San Francisco Giants

“The first time somebody told me I had a beard like Brian Wilson, I didn’t know who Brian Wilson was, so I looked it up and found out who he was. I don’t think mine’s going to grow that long; he’s got a really long beard.”

On being compared to Brian Wilson

“He plays one inning a game and I play four quarters, so I’m putting in more work than he is (laughing).”

On Denver’s pass rush

“I’m excited, because I’ve never played on a team that has had that consistent pass rush. Playing with these guys is going to be amazing because quarterbacks won’t have that much time. We did it well in the preseason, but they know that guys are going to be chipping them and doing crazy things like that. It makes coverage that much simpler, because you don’t have to cover as many guys because they have to keep them in to protect. It changes the game a lot; we’ve just got to keep it up.”

On LB Von Miller’s first step

“I think the closest person that comes to him, as far as a freakish athlete, is probably [LB] LaVar Arrington, and I think it’s funny that they were both drafted No. 2 overall. They are both crazy athletic. That’s what I remember from him; that’s probably the closest person to [Von].”

On whether he might get more blitz calls playing on the inside

“It all depends on what he [Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen] calls. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing. All I know is that if I have man-to-man coverage, I’m going to be covering my guy, and we’ll mix it up every now and then.”

On whether a limited training camp helped him stay healthy for the regular season

“Oh yeah, and I think the way camp was structured helped, too. Me being an older guy, I can’t really do a lot of running and unnecessary things with my legs, so the fact that I was able to stay fresher than I have in the past makes me feel good going into the season.”