McNuggets: Broncos-Bengals Thursday Practice

Coachspeek from Denver Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels as they prepare for their Week One NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On QB Kyle Orton’s performance in practice this week

“He has done fine. The ability to throw the ball doesn’t seem to be hampered too much, which is good. That is really what we are trying to focus on and make sure that we go through the next few days here and not have any setbacks. Hopefully, everything will be a go.”

On Cincinnati’s playing environment

“It is loud. I played a Monday night game (there) before and played a couple early season games there, a couple preseason games. (It is) very loud, just an excitable place, a place that loves football and is very passionate about the Bengals. I would expect that to kind of be at a fever pitch here on Sunday, opening day, (with) a lot of excitement swirling around their team. We would expect to be in a very hostile environment.”

On Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco

“I have had an opportunity to coach him in the Pro Bowl. (He is) an exceptional player, very smart. He understands defenses and all those things. It comes naturally to him. I do not want to speak too much about that because I haven’t coached him more than just one week, but it was a great experience for me to have an opportunity to coach him. His personality is… Whether you think it is good or something else, he is excitable and he backs it up. To me, everything he says, he usually goes out there and backs it up with his performance. He has been a great player in this league for a long time.”

On WR Jabar Gaffney’s status

“He is coming along well. (It is) kind of the same situation as (QB) Kyle (Orton) is in. If he can just keep progressing and no setbacks, he should be good to go. Jabar has practiced here now for a few days and hasn’t really had any setbacks. (We are) very hopeful that that will be fine.”

On RB Knowshon Moreno’s status

“He is working hard every day, too, to try to be ready to go full strength on Sunday. He is doing a nice job and is progressing. We are going to evaluate all of those players with injuries here the next couple days and make sure that we feel like we are fielding the healthiest and best 45 we can to get out there and try to win the game on Sunday.”

On if he is surprised that Gaffney may play on Sunday

“No. He is very tough, one of the toughest players I have ever coached.”

On if he expects a high scoring game at Cincinnati on Sunday

“That would be me having no confidence in our defense or our kicking game, and I certainly don’t feel that way at all. Obviously offensively, we are going to try to score as many points as we can and keep as much pressure on them for four quarters as possible. Defensively, we are going to try to eliminate big plays and keep their scoring down. As long as we have more points than they do at the end, that is really the only goal that we have going into the week.”

On Cincinnati’s front seven on defense

“They are physical, very active linebackers. They have got some young guys in there, and they have got (LB) Dhani Jones, who was their leading tackler last year. (LB Rashad) Jeanty has played very well. They blitz them enough to where you have got to make sure you keep your eye on them. They are very disruptive in the backfield. They move and stunt a little bit. You have got two big guys inside, (DT Tank) Johnson and (DT Domata) Peko, that are hard to move out of there. It will be a physical game. I am sure of that. It will be physical when they have the ball (and) the same thing when we have the ball. It is really going to come down to who plays more physical and who plays better up front.”

On Cincinnati S Roy Williams

“(He is) very physical, a big hitter. Down in the box, you are going to have to block him or he is going to make a bunch of tackles. That will be a challenge for our wide receivers. When he is down near the line of scrimmage, we have got to go in there and get him or else he will create a lot of problems for you in the running game.”

On how much WR Brandon Marshall will play on Sunday

“I am hopeful all of our players are going to contribute on Sunday. Brandon certainly will. He has had a good week of practice, and hopefully, he will have two more good days here. We are going to use a lot of people. It is going to be hot. It is the first game of the season. It is the first time that all of these guys will play four-quarters worth of football, and we are going to try to roll in every guy that is available. How many plays one guy plays versus another, I am not really sure how it will all break out. We don’t have, necessarily, a preset plan. That is usually how we do it with our skill players. He should be out there a bunch and contribute a bunch also.”

On preparing for the expected heat in Cincinnati

“It is hard. ‘Hydrate,’ we are talking about that all week and trying to make sure that we take in plenty of fluids because it will be hot. It will be humid, I am sure. (It is) a little different than out here. You have got to try to do as much as you can in terms of your fluid intake and try to avoid cramping and those kinds of things. Our guys have practiced in a lot of heat out here, and we have tried to condition them a bunch. They have been in pads a bunch. I feel like we are about as ready as we can be in that regard.”

On ILB Mario Haggan being named captain by his teammates and becoming a starter

“(He has) a great work ethic, tremendous attitude. (He has an) understanding of what we want him to do, (is a) very physical player and fits our system well. I believe this is really the first opportunity for Mario to have played in a system where he plays on the line of scrimmage a lot over tight ends and has an opportunity to really use his strengths. He is a big guy and is very physical. He can move well. He is also very selfless. This is a guy that will play a bunch of plays in the kicking game and start on defense, which you don’t really see that much. He doesn’t want to come out. He doesn’t want to come out on the kickoff return. He doesn’t want to come out on the punt team. He wants to be in there because every chance that he has to help us win, he is going to give it everything he has. I think everybody recognizes that, including the players.”

On if the Broncos are prepared to change time zones in Cincinnati

“We have moved everything up. Every day, (our start) has been earlier. Today is even earlier. Tomorrow will be even earlier than that, and Saturday will be the same thing. Whether it works or not in terms of our body clocks changing for Sunday, we are doing everything we feel like we can, trying to get the players up a little earlier and trying to get out on the practice field a little earlier every day. Hopefully by Sunday, it will kind of feel normal to them being on the East Coast.”