Denver Broncos vs. Dallas Cowboys Day 1 Practice Quotes – Shanny and Cutler

HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

On the morning practice with the Cowboys
“I thought we got some great work in today. I thought both sides were very professional in their approach. We have a little different schemes on both sides of the ball, and it was good work for Dallas and obviously the Broncos. We have a practice this afternoon, and I’m looking forward to that.

“They have a different type of offense and a different type of defense. We get a chance to work against a 3-4 look, and they get a chance to take a look at a four-man front. I thought it was good for both teams. It was a very healthy practice and there was some good, fresh hitting. You go against somebody where you don’t know their tendencies, so everybody plays a little bit more honest and it’s a good evaluation process for us.”

On what he is looking for in terms of improvement
“What you want to do–when you’re taking a look at your OTAs, when you’re taking a look at your summer camp–you want to find your best 53 guys that can play. You want to get better as a scheme offensively, defensively and special teams. This is a little bit different here. Normally that third week of practice you get tired of hitting against each other. This is a good changeup for both teams where you get a chance to go against different schemes and different people. I thought it was good for both squads.”

On the timing of practicing against the Cowboys
“Normally the first couple of weeks (of training camp) you want to install your offense and defense. To go against a team too early would kind of take away what you are trying to put in as your basic fundamentals to installing your offense, defense and special teams. Usually it’s better (before your second preseason game) because you have all of that installation in, you have a preseason (game) under your belt, you know who you want to evaluate and you get a chance to do it against different people.”

On why he wanted to practice with the Cowboys
“You change it up. We went there last year. Obviously they are playing at our facility, so they are going to come here. We will probably do the same thing next year if we play the Cowboys in preseason.”

On signing CB Tyrone Poole
“We brought in a couple of corners (Poole and CB Wale Dada) that we thought would give us more depth at that position, guys that we feel have more of a chance to make our football team. Sometimes you make changes after a game based on how they play. We didn’t feel like either of those players (CB Lamont Reid and CB Christian Morton) could make our football team, so we went in a different direction and brought some guys in that we thought could compete for possibly making our squad.”

On LB Niko Koutouvides
“He has been playing with the first team and second team throughout camp. We have some competition there (at middle linebacker), and we will find out at the end of camp who steps up and who is our starter. We have two guys (Koutouvides and LB Nate Webster) that are practicing extremely well and we want to give both guys a chance to practice and play with the first team unit. Part of the evaluation process is how they play in practice and how thy play here in the games, so we will have a chance to do both.”

On seeing WR Brandon Marshall match up against another team in practice
“I don’t know if he picks (his play) up any more. Brandon has been doing this throughout camp. I think you get a chance to see him against different people and obviously a very good football team in the Cowboys. It’s always nice to see a guy step up and make some plays like he did.”

On whether the intensity level picks up while practicing against another team
“Naturally it does–players and coaches. You want to perform in front of your peers, you want to practice well, you want to play well and at the same time we want to evaluate a lot of people. We have a chance to do it all today.”

On why undrafted running backs get a chance to compete with the Broncos
“To be honest with you, they take advantage of an opportunity. (RB) Selvin Young was obviously injured at Texas but he came in here, stayed healthy and took advantage of an opportunity. Any time you get a scholarship and are averaging about five-and-a-half to six yards per carry at Texas, you know you have a big upside and he is taking advantage of that opportunity here.”

On RB Selvin Young’s potential this year
“Well he guaranteed 2,000 (yards) I think, so he is going to be much better. We have a long way to go though.”

BRONCOS QUARTERBACK JAY CUTLER

On practicing with the Dallas Cowboys —
“I thought it went well. Obviously, they are one of the best teams in the NFL. They’re big, physical, and fast. It went well though. We are going to go back and look at the tapes to see what we did well and what we didn’t do so well on, but it’s definitely good to get somebody else in here instead of the same defenses over and over again. I thought it went well.”

On if practicing against the Cowboys is a measuring stick —
“That’s exactly what it is for us. We have a young team with a lot of new guys. Dallas is one of the top three teams in the NFL. It gives us a good measuring stick to see where we are at and exactly how far we need to go.”

On what the Broncos will learn from the Cowboys
“Dallas is Dallas, and they are going to do whatever they are going to do. We are the Broncos, and we are not going to try and emulate them. We are going to handle ourselves exactly the way our owner does and the way Mike Shanahan does. We are going to be first class and go about our business.”

On former Cowboys quarterback and current Dallas Quarterbacks Coach Wade Wilson, who also has Type 1 diabetes —
“I talked with him before practice, and he has dealt with it for a long time. He said it was manageable, just like I have been doing for the last four or five months. He went through his career with it, and I don’t see any reason why I can’t.”

On the Broncos’ offensive line —
“We have two young guys on the outside (Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris). They are young, but they are fighting. I think they are going to be good, if not great tackles in the future. Both Ryan’s got a taste against Houston, and this is going to be a good test for them in the next two days. I’m comfortable, and I think they have done a great job so far.”

On the intensity level rising with practicing against the Cowboys —
“You see some guys breathing a little bit harder. Brandon (Marshall) was gassed because he was so juiced up. You have adrenaline running, and it is fun. It is game-like out here, and you get to see somebody different, go against different looks and gauge where you are at. I love doing it.”

More on former Cowboys QB Wade Wilson —
“There have been a lot of people that have played with diabetes. Even now, athletes have diabetes, especially Type 1, and they are playing. There are people that play with pumps on, so it definitely can be done. I am managing it right now and it is going well.”