McNuggets: Week 12 Tuesday presser

Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels (R) runs onto the field to get a play to Denver quarterback Kyle Orton in the second quarter of their NFL football game against the San Diego Chargers in Denver November 22, 2009. (REUTERS/Rick Wilking)

Head Coach Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and Brian Dawkins meet the media midweek.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On QB Kyle Orton’s status

“He should do everything we’re doing today and tomorrow. (There is) not going to be a whole lot of tempo in terms of physical (work) today and tomorrow. It’s a lot more mental today and the same thing with Wednesday. He should be able to do everything we’re doing. We expect him to be healthier on Thursday than he was last week.”

On how having only a few days between games affects the Broncos’ preparation

“You just slam it all in there together. Both teams are going through the same situation. It’s exciting to play on Thanksgiving. I’ve done it one time before. You don’t have enough time to worry about some things. You’ve got to try to put your best stuff out there and get your players to understand who you are playing as quickly as you possibly can and then go forward.”

On whether not traveling for Thursday’s game against the N.Y. Giants is an advantage

“I don’t think so. We’ve traveled on Thanksgiving before and won and played well. What’s going to matter is how they play. (They’re) a good football team. I’m sure they’ll be ready to go on Thursday.”

On controlling emotions following four consecutive losses

“Like I said after the game, it’s an emotional sport. We’ve got a lot of emotional players. I show a lot of emotion sometimes. I think we’ve just got to understand what is good (emotion) and what is not good in terms of showing that and letting that out. It’s okay to be emotional. We’ve told our team that. They know that. We’ve just got to make sure that we channel it the right direction, use it to create positive energy and play well and not worry about trying to show negative vibes at any point, whether it be on the field (or) on the sideline. We don’t need penalties unnecessarily or things like that. Our composure on Sunday was not as, obviously, good as we would’ve liked it to be, but we understand why it happened. We’ll go forward, and hopefully, it won’t happen again.”

On emphasizing red zone situations

“Obviously, if you go down there four times and score a field goal and turn the ball over two times, that’s not going to lead to too many victories. We’re going to hit it hard like we do every week. It comes down to what we do when we’re in there. We’re going to talk about executing and doing the things that we feel like we need to do against the Giants, but when we get down there in the game, we’ve got to make those plays that are going to determine whether we get seven (points) or three. The other day, obviously, we didn’t do a good enough job, but we’re going to focus on it just like we do every week.”

On the Giants ranking 32nd in the NFL in red zone defense

“The problem with that is they don’t let too many teams down in the red zone. I think statistics, sometimes, are hollow in that regard. This is one of the best defenses in all of football and has been for a long time, whether they’ve allowed some scores in the red zone when they don’t allow many trips. I’m sure that they don’t want to do that any more than any other team does, but that’s not reason for us to believe we’re just going to go in there and have great success against them if we get down there. We’ve got to do a good job of executing our game plan and try to beat them at whatever scheme it is that we’re using and see if we can’t score touchdowns.”

On S Brian Dawkins status

“We’re going to see. ‘Dawk’ is doing better, and he’s doing everything he can do to be ready to go for Thursday, so we’ll monitor that situation. We don’t have an answer for what’s going to happen on Thursday with Brian.”

On his response to the four-game losing streak

“I don’t think you can really come in and be a whole lot different. (I) try to stay consistent and positive about the fact that it’s a long season and we’ve got a long way to go. We’re 6-4, and that puts us in a position to compete down the stretch. We want to have that opportunity. I don’t think you can get too high or too low. (I’m) certainly not happy with losing four games in a row, but I don’t think acting completely differently or changing my demeanor here with the players and the coaches is going to do us a whole lot of good. We’ve got to work smart and work hard and then play better and coach better. When we do that, we’ll get the results we’re looking for.”

On keeping morale up after losing four consecutive games

“One game makes a lot of difference in this league. When you win, you feel great. When you lose, you don’t. I think you have to understand that you’re going to go through some ups and downs during the course of the season. (It) certainly doesn’t make you feel any better about going through the lows, but you fight through it (and) you push through it. It requires a lot of mental toughness and focus on your part to move on and go to the next team and get your team ready to play and focus on what’s important, which is the next game. If we win the next game, we’ll feel a lot better the day after.”

On if Thursday’s game against the Giants is comparable to a playoff game for the Broncos

“No, we want to win every game. The fact that we are on a short week doesn’t give you much, like I said, time to think about a lot of other scenarios. We’ve got a few days to prepare for a really good team. We know we need to get back on track and win some games. I think that’s our focus. Our focus is on trying to play well. If we can play well, we’ll be in games, and we’ll have an opportunity to win them at the end, which is what we were doing early. I don’t think we’re worried about all that other stuff right now. We’ve got to focus on a very difficult team to prepare for, and that’s where our focus is going to be.”

On T Ryan Harris’ status

“We’ll see. We’re not declaring him out at all. (We’re) certainly not declaring him out.”

On N.Y. Giants QB Eli Manning’s completion to WR David Tyree in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII

“I don’t think you’ll ever forget those days. I’ve had a great fortune to be a part of four (Super Bowls), and that one certainly sticks out negatively in terms of the feeling that you had after the game, but they played better than we did. (QB Eli Manning) had a great day and made a great play when they needed it the most. That’s why they won. He’s a great player. It’s certainly evident now as you watch him and get ready for him this week. There are so many things he does well that looking back on that doesn’t surprise me that he was able to make certain plays that he needed to make to win that game. It doesn’t taste very good when you think about it.”

QB KYLE ORTON

On the status of his ankle

“(I am) feeling good, feeling better. (I) should be ready to roll. Hopefully, (I’m) not limited in anything that we’ve got to do.”

On if his ankle affected him during last Sunday’s game against San Diego

“No, not really. (It) felt pretty good throughout.”

On responding to a losing streak

“We started off—my rookie year, we lost three or four games in a row and came back and went on a nice long streak, so hopefully, we can do that. It just takes one (game) either way. If you lose one game, it is tough to get that winning feeling back and (it) just kind of builds and builds and builds the more you go. It just takes one win for us. We’re not going to be given the win, by any means. We’ve got to go out and earn it and take it. Once you get that (winning) feeling, it is a lot easier to keep it on that roll, too.”

On improvements needed on offense

“(We need good) execution in all phases. That is really all you can say. Running, passing, red zone and third down, execute the plays, and we’ll be successful.”

On the crowd’s reaction when he entered last Sunday’s game against San Diego in the second quarter

“I knew we had a lot of energy going at that point. (I) thought we had a great chance to maybe change momentum in the game. (We) drove it kind of down there in three of four plays and really had things going and didn’t get any points out of it, so that obviously hurt.”

On the fans showing their appreciation for his play against San Diego

“It was great. It was great. We’ve got great fans here, and they’ve treated me well ever since I’ve been here.”

On playing in Denver

“The organization, the city (and) the fans, it has all been great. I’m happy to be here, for sure.”

On if this week will be tough on QB Chris Simms

“It is a tough week for everybody who has lost four games in a row. There is nobody feeling good about themselves. I’m sure (QB) Chris (Simms) is included. We’re all in the same boat. We’re all together. Whoever is playing has to go out and play well.”

On Simms reaction to the Broncos’ loss to the Chargers on Sunday

“Chris has been around the position a long time, obviously, with his dad (Phil Simms) and playing for seven years like he has. He has been in these situations before. It is tough. You’ve just got to dig yourself out of it, work hard and that’s what he is doing.”

S BRIAN DAWKINS

On the status of his neck

“I’m good. I’m fine.”

On if he expects to practice today

“Yep.”

On if he will play against the N.Y. Giants on Thursday

“We’ll see. That’s the plan.”

On the N.Y. Giants style of play

“Physical. Physical ballgame (from the) first snap to the last. Every year I’ve played them since I first got in the league, it has always been the same mentality. They are going to run the ball first and second and then take some shots in between. Very, very physical football team, a mentally tough football team. That is the approach you have to have going against this team.”

On tackling N.Y. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs

“(It takes) a lot of effort. You have to have a ‘want to’ to do it, too. To tackle this dude, it can’t be a second thought. You have to have in your head and your heart that you want to tackle him before the game because once the game starts and you see him running downhill, that’s not the time you want to make the decision. It’s definitely an effort thing, definitely a heart thing because he’s a big dude.”

On winning and losing streaks

“Obviously, winning, that is what you want to be in. You want to always put yourself in the position to get the confidence going in that direction. Losing, obviously, small things stand out a little more. You have to pay more attention to detail when you are losing to get back on the winning side of things. The thing that has to stay consistent is your effort, your preparation and your attitude. Your attitude has to be such that even though we are in a losing situation—that I believe that we are going to be able to pull out of it by doing the things that I just talked about—your attitude is very important. I’ve always bought into the comment that your attitude affects your altitude. If your attitude is way down here, you’re not going to be able to get to where you need to be as far as your mental edge going into that next game. Your attitude is very important. (We need) to have a positive one going forward.”

On if attitude can help a team end a losing streak

“Absolutely, it is very key. You’ve heard the same thing about people going in for surgery or whatever. Your attitude and what you are thinking about that surgery coming out of it and your healing process and how quick you heal has a lot to do with your attitude in the midst of it. It’s no different here.”

On if he expects the N.Y. Giants to run the ball consistently due to the Broncos’ struggles stopping the run

“Absolutely. Why wouldn’t you? If you were an opposing coach, why wouldn’t you do that? Why wouldn’t you test that out? They’re a running team anyway, so they’re going to do it anyway, but why wouldn’t you? We have to do a much better job, especially late, at holding up, but being dominant, (and) getting back to doing what we need to do on a consistent basis, and that is winning first and second downs, getting in third-and-long and then getting off the field. That is something that we haven’t been consistent in doing these last couple of weeks.”

On if the defense has been fatigued in the second half

“I don’t know about a wear down. I’ve said it before (and) I know I sound like a broken record, but when you get in those third and fourth quarters, the things that you did in the first and second quarter, you have to continue and do that (with) the same technique. Sometimes we get in those situations and think, ‘Ok, we’re still in a close game. I have to make a play.’ Then, you go back door or you swim a guy instead of just taking him down the middle, and that just opens up that hole a lot bigger and gives that crease in the middle where it wasn’t at the beginning. Now, it’s there not because of a physical thing but because of a mental thing that I think I have to do something extra instead of doing what the defense calls. It’s something that you’ve got to fight the urge not to do and do the right thing.”

On trying to force turnovers

“You can’t force things to happen. The thing that I’ve always known, grown to know, as far as being in the NFL is that if you are doing the right thing, doing it the right way and playing with the right energy, those balls that bounce the wrong way for you begin to bounce the right way at some point. You just have to continue to do the right things the right way. When those opportunities come, you’ve just got to make the play. You see the ball out, you get it out, you fall on it or you pick it. We just have to do the right things the right way.”

On keeping composure after losing four consecutive games

“It’s about doing what I do, and that is being consistent in what I do. Preparation, practice habits and my attitude has to be a consistent one. I can’t fluctuate and be tossed and driven by any storm that comes about. I have to be consistent. Not saying that it’s not going to be, I guess, a heightened a sense of awareness to things that come about, but you can’t be all over the place emotionally. That doesn’t usually lead to a lot of success.”

On if he is talking to the Broncos more during the losing streak

“A little more now, a little more. I do what I do. In the midst of winning, I still do the same things. If I see something I think I need to talk about, I’ll talk about it. That doesn’t change in this situation. If I feel there is something I need to say, then I’ll say it.”

On N.Y. Giants QB Eli Manning

“Eli is just one of those guys who I’ve obviously played against who you know at any given moment, he can get into a rhythm and he can eat you up. With the receivers who are growing up—they’re still growing up, obviously—he has the potential to go outside to get some big plays. He’s put up some big plays already. We have to look at the ‘good Eli’ and make sure we prepare for the ‘good Eli,’ if you want to call him that. Like I said, if at any given time you let him sit back there and pat that ball and look at your secondary, he can put the ball where it needs to be.”

On what he thinks about playing on Thanksgiving

“(Situation wise) it’s not just another game, obviously, for where we are. Do I like playing on Thanksgiving? No, I would I love to be sitting and watching somebody else play if I had my choice, but that is what the job calls for and that is what we are going to do.”