McNuggets: Broncos 44 – Chiefs 13

Postgame quotes following the Broncos‘ 44-13 win in Kansas City Sunday.

Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton (L) hands off to running back Knowshon Moreno during the second half of the Broncos win over the Kansas City Chiefs in their NFL football game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri December 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Dave Kaup)

DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

Opening Statement: “I am really proud of the effort from our team today. We talked a lot about how difficult it was to come in here and get wins this late in the season in Kansas City. It was a big division game for us and I thought our team prepared hard and was familiar with the opponent. We played with a lot of energy today and we knew that we would be the only ones to bring it today from our side and I thought we were really into the game and executed early and continued to stay with it for 60 minutes. I am happy to get a victory.”

Can you talk about the play made on the fake punt? “They went to a gadget-type formation and I know that there was a guy leaking out the other way and they had an opportunity to get that ball out there but TE Richard (Quinn) made a heck of a play. I don’t know what happens if the ball gets thrown but it probably wouldn’t have been too good for us. Whenever you break the formation and have a gadget-type play, we were prepared and we split out with them but you are never sure who they are trying to pick for or who they are trying to spring free. That was a big play in the game because we obviously took possession of the football in their territory.”

Is your secondary a key component you paid attention to when putting together the defense? “At certain points in the National Football League, you have to win games by throwing the football or defending the pass when you know you have to throw it or they have to throw it on third downs, red zone or in two-minute [drills]. So, certainly, the secondary is an important piece to your defense. The rush helps the secondary and the secondary helps the rush and that is what we have preached all along. When our rush is giving some pressure, our guys have done a nice job of covering for the most part this year. They have covered well and we have allowed our rush to get there and it kind of works hand in hand. You don’t really have a heck of a secondary when you don’t have some type of pressure and rush to force the ball out quicker.”

Will you prepare differently knowing you are going up against the unbeaten Colts? “I think we have a veteran team who understands that we have to play our best football no matter who our opponent is. In December, we have to play our best football of the year if we want to have an opportunity to live longer than the season says we are supposed to live. Our focus was on improving our football team in the areas that we needed to improve on the most and getting ready to play the Chiefs. That is going to be our challenge again this week against Indy.”

Does it help coming off a Thursday game? “It was an opportunity to try and get healthy and we came into the game for the most part pretty healthy. We had an opportunity to have an extra day of preparation. Extra days never hurt when you are getting ready to play a team for the first time that you are not very familiar with. Even though this is a division team, we have a lot of new players and Kansas City has a lot of new players, so it was a new week for us. It can be an advantage if you use it right but certainly teams have done well against opponents that have had more time off than them.”

How did you feel going up against QB Matt Cassel? “I want to win, I am a Bronco. We are going to have more games against the Chiefs and QB Matt Cassel. He made some plays on us and certainly he is a young player who is going to continue to get better and do big things in this league. He is a good football player, I know that, and it is going to take a good effort to contain him and stop him every time we play him. We play this team again in four weeks so we are going to have to do it again.”

QB KYLE ORTON

On RB Correll Buckhalter: “Buck has done a great job all year. He’s the guy that once he breaks through that line he’s really got a lot of home run potential and I know he was real close on the one that he got tripped up there on the end. But, Buck played real well. He had two hands on that ball the entire day and ran hard.”

On having more rushing yards than passing yards: “My entire career we’ve had more running yards than passing yards coming from Chicago. So the stats do not matter. I told Josh [McDaniels] we’ll throw it 50 times or run it 50 times. It doesn’t matter to me.”

On his individual performance: “I certainly wasn’t happy about the pick to start off. I had a couple of guys come from behind and get there right at the end. I’ve got to get the ball out a little bit faster and I’ve got to block them a little bit longer and get open.”

The Broncos had lost 17 out of 18 games in December at Arrowhead Stadium. Did you know that or listen to stuff like that? “We knew. We really didn’t take too much stock in it. You know, we figured if we came in and played good football and played the way we are capable [of] we’d get of here with a win.”

Does this kind of offensive output carry you over to next week? “Well, I hope so. That’s two good weeks in a row that we’ve put together on offense. I think, as a team, we played well for two weeks in a row and hopefully we can continue that momentum.”

On WR Brandon Marshall: “We’ve got a lot of guys like that. You just give them the ball on short passes and let them do their thing. Whether it’s the running backs, the wide receivers or the tight ends, we’ve got a lot of guys that can make plays without having to throw the ball 50 yards down the field.”

Normally you can’t get away with three turnovers and win by 30. How did that happen? “The defense did great holding them to field goals for the most part. The one, there at the end, they [the Broncos defense] let them get in. For the most part, they held them to three points after the turnovers, which is huge. We were able to just keep on going and scoring points.”

WR BRANDON MARSHALL

What was the game plan offensively? “Basically, we were going to run the ball and pass when we can. That’s the game plan every week and it’s to be tough whether it’s in the secondary or upfront.”

C CASEY WIEGMANN

On his time as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs: “I had seven good years here. I was happy to be a Chief. We’ll probably call this home when I am done playing. I definitely miss the Chiefs. It’s good to be here.”

How do you explain the running game over that last couple of weeks? “The running backs are hitting the holes really well and they are running so much harder, not that they weren’t running hard before. But, you can really tell when they hit the holes they’re trying to break a big one. Buck [RB Correll Buckhalter] almost got the big run. He was tripped up a little bit. Then, Knowshon [Moreno] had the big short yardage run for a touchdown. Guys are just stepping up and it feels good.”

You remember what this place was like when the Chiefs were playing well. Is it almost sad to look up and see the seats half empty before the third quarter? “It is. I feel bad for the guys that experienced the good years when I was here. It’s unfortunate. But, they’ll get back to where it was. The fans in Kansas City are good and they know how to root their team on. They’ll be back. But, I feel sorry for the guys.”

RB CORRELL BUCKHALTER

What was the difference in you being able to rush 100 yards today? “Our offensive line did a great job their sustaining blocks and allowed me, Knowshon [Moreno] and Peyton [Hillis] to be able to get to the second level.”

One of the things that running backs always talk about is trying to find some rhythm, get some consistency going. When you have that kind of line play that enables it to happen, doesn’t it? “Coach [Josh] McDaniels is always talking to us. We have to control the line of scrimmage. We have the kind of offensive linemen here and that’s what they do. They get out there and do their job. It’s critical. As a running back it is my responsibility to get it to the second level and theirs is to sustain their blocks.”

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS HEAD COACH TODD HALEY

On the game: “Disappointing that the game ended up in that fashion. We went into that game knowing we would have to be efficient on offense and I thought the drops hurt us a great deal, obviously turnovers. We knew after last week that we’re not going to be a team that has a chance to win games when we turn the ball over or have a lot of dropped balls.

“Defensively, we knew we had to stop the run first to have any kind of chance to win and when you have nine or 10 carries over 10 yards it’s probably going to be a long day.

“I thought the guys fought hard.  We had some guys that gave it everything they had. You have a guy like Tamba [Hali] with the sacks and tackles who is playing all over the field along with some others who are playing to the final gun. But effort wasn’t the issue. It was about being efficient offensively, stopping the run defensively and we did not do either one of those things.”

What about that fake punt you tried in the third quarter and did not make? “It’s a play we practiced and felt good about, obviously. The nature of the play is one we wanted to do in our end [of the field] where they wouldn’t have any kind of cover. We missed a block, turned one guy free and then we’ve got to execute the play. The ball was knocked down. The guy who the ball was going to appeared to me to be open for a very big play.”

Did you ever have a stretch like that in the third quarter where nothing went right? “Yeah, I’ve been part of bad stretches before. But again, I think it’s pretty simple:  if you drop the ball on offense or you throw the ball to them on offense and you turn it over, you’re not going to do very well. And, defensively, when you allow runs of nine or 10 yards you’re not going to have much of a chance. Those are things we said going into the game that we had to do to have a chance to compete and we did not do them.”

Was taking Matt Cassel out of the game a quarterback change or was the game out of hand at that point? “To me, the game was at a point where it was going to be very difficult for us to even get in the game and it was a chance to get Brodie some snaps.”

So Matt’s your quarterback next week? “Yes.”

What did you see in this game and last week’s game that tells you that this team is making progress? “This is a results business, so off the results it would be hard to say that. I have to go by what I see all week long and as hard as it is to say it, I believe in what we’re doing, knew it was not going to be easy. There have been some flashes of encouragement and some disappointing Sundays.  We’ve got to get back to work and believe in what we’re doing and continue to try to get this team on a more consistent basis.”

How confident are you of Matt’s progress? “I’m very confident in Matt. Our first series we had a chance to make a huge play on third down. I thought that Matt prepared and was ready to go. The game didn’t go the way he or we wanted it to go and then we let some negative things happen.”

Did you see some signs of efficiency the first half or do you look at the whole afternoon and say we weren’t efficient at all? “We’re not a team that can let opportunities go by the wayside. I know that first possession we had a great opportunity. Then on the long drive not getting seven points there is something that hurts this team. We just need to take advantage of all opportunities. When we do, I think we’re fairly competitive and when we don’t you’re going to have some games like this.”

QB MATT CASSEL

Was this just a bad day at the office? “I would say so.”

What was going on? “I mean, you name it. There were a lot of things going wrong out there. We didn’t get in much of a rhythm all day; we didn’t take advantage of a few big-play opportunities. I can’t throw [my receivers] the ball, obviously, and there were a number of issues, especially on the offensive side of the ball today.”

Did you guys quit today? “I don’t think so. I think we fought all the way through. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get anything going.”

What do you see out there that makes you think that progress has been made the past two weeks? It’s not easy to see much progress: “We took a big step back the last two weeks. You come in and beat a team like the Steelers and we’re going in the right direction. Last week against San Diego got out of hand and this week got out of hand and the team [has] been working hard. We’re going out there each and every day and practicing the right way and doing the things that we need to do, we just have to transfer that over to gameday and perform better.”

Do you see this offense, specifically yourself, getting better week to week, or is that something that’s hard to see? “Well, like you said, I sometimes think it’s hard to see, especially after results like today, when there are so many mishaps and so many problems we need to fix. We’re just going to have to go back and keep working hard at it, you know, there’s nothing else we can do. We’re not going to give up. This is not a team that ‘s going to give up and lay down; we’re going to keep working hard and try to get this thing figured out and be better next week.”

When you’re on the sideline and they send QB Brodie (Croyle) out there, are you itching to get back out there or are you telling yourself that you’ll get them next week? “I always want to be out there with my team, I always want to fight. Part of the situation of us being where we were was my fault. Every time you get the opportunity to go back out there on the field, you want to do better the next time. Coach (Todd Haley) felt like it was time to put Brodie in the game and the game was out of hand at that point, and that was part of his decision making.”

You guys have stressed the opening possession. On second down, incomplete pass to FB Mike Cox with a blitz in your face. On third down, incomplete pass to WR Bobby Wade. Are those just missed connections? “I think that you put the ball out there and hopefully he makes a play and it didn’t happen.”

QB BRODIE CROYLE

What led to the fake punt on fourth and eight and what happened: “He (Coach Todd Haley) saw something earlier in the week that we could exploit. It was our fake punt for the week and it was just a shame that it didn’t work out because we had somebody wide open if I could have just gotten it over that guy.”

On the offense and defensive play today: “It wasn’t good; it wasn’t good at all. Any time you lose it obviously isn’t good enough but losing the way we did obviously is not good enough.”

On the opportunity to play today: “It felt alright, but there are some plays I want back. But I just have to play and let it go.”

RB JAMAAL CHARLES

You came out of the game for a short amount of time. What happened? “My shoulder came out of place. It always happens like that [even when] I was in high school so I just put it back in and kept going back into the game. It wasn’t that serious. I’m going to get bruises and I just have to fight through it.”

How comfortable are you feeling, especially starting the ball game? “I’m feeling real good. We started off the game real good but somebody has to step up, help out and make plays.”

What happened on the fumble? “I never had control of the ball. Once I had the ball, the defender was right there and he hit the ball.”

On the 3^rd quarter when nothing seemed to be going right: “It was just another day that the X’s [defense] were on us and it hurt us. This shouldn’t be allowed around here.”

How do you keep your head up when you have back-to-back games that aren’t close? “We all have to come through as a family, stick together. You’re going to have bad days, you’re going to have good days. This was one of the bad days we had and we’re just going to have to pull through next week; put this in the past and look toward the future.”

Did the team quit today? “No, we didn’t quit. We just made some bad decisions and they really hurt us. When you turn the ball over like that, the game goes by fast and that’s what happened today.”

You guys played great against Pittsburgh, how do you explain what happened today? “I don’t know. It’s hard to say what happened today.”

Were there missed opportunities on offense? “Yeah, there were missed opportunities trying to convert on third downs and it was hurting us. I think we just couldn’t do anything today.”

LB MIKE VRABEL

Things are snowballing on you; turnovers become 20 third-quarter points. How do you keep it in perspective? “It’s tough because you put a lot into this and we only had so many opportunities to go out there and perform. We’re not making the most of our opportunities; we’re not making the most of the 12 games that we’ve played so far. At times, it looks like something, at other times it doesn’t. We just have to do a better job and we have to know that we only get one opportunity a week, so all that work we put in and the recognition that we’re trying to have during the game, you only get 60-70 snaps and you’re only going to get one game a week. You can’t say, ‘well if we play them again,’ which we do play them again, but they can’t be real concerned about playing us again after what we did out there today.”

You seemed frustrated after the fourth-and-one TD run. Was that frustration with the defense? “Just frustrated with everything. We’ve got to do a better job. They can call whatever they want to run; they can go for it on fourth down every single time if they want. We just have to stop them. I’ve been on the other side, when things are good, it’s good, it’s great, and being on this side, isn’t so good.”

Did your emotions get the best of you today? “We play, we walk around and we play. I don’t know, just frustrated, frustrated by the game. You don’t envision it going the way that it goes and we’ve got good players. It’s sad that we couldn’t win for a guy like LB Tamba (Hali) who played his a– off, so we just need to try and play up to what Tamba and guys like him are doing. If we win, it’s a great story. Instead, we’re all just frustrated and upset.”

DE GLENN DORSEY

What happened out there today? “We came out, played hard, but it just didn’t go our way. They played a good game. We just have to go to work this week and try to correct it. We’ll see them again.”

You couldn’t stop the run today even though you knew they were going to run. Why was that? “I really do not know. We’ve got to go watch film, but they were the better team today, plain and simple, in all aspects of the game. I don’t know, you’ve got to stop the run, and we didn’t do it today, so we’ve got to come out next week and try to.”

Did guys quit? “No. I’ve never seen that. We go to work every day, we work too hard to quit. I’ve never seen anybody quit.”