Morsels of deep-fried football quoteables, dipping sauce not required.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

Opening Statement

“It was good to get off to an energetic start. It was a great atmosphere – the fans certainly make it fun to go out there and work and I think the players enjoyed it, but the effort is certainly where you want it to be on the first play, the execution certainly isn’t and that’s what we’ve got to go to work (on). We’ve got to put in a lot of time and that will start with our film sessions this afternoon. I look forward to coming back out tonight and hopefully having some signs of improvement in the first day.” 

On RB Knowshon Moreno

“I don’t know. Don’t know anything at this point. I wouldn’t talk about injuries anyway, but I don’t really have anything. I just kind of got out of a meeting and haven’t been updated on that.”

On Moreno and RB Correll Buckhalter

“Yeah, certainly you don’t want to see two of your guys that you really count on in the same position to come off the field on the first day of training camp. We know that’s part of the game and that’s why you have to have people behind them. We’ll see what the timetable may be or the diagnosis. I’m not sure exactly where that’s at, or how severe – any of that stuff and hopefully we’ll get them out there at some point whenever they’re healthy.”

On impressions of players from the first practice

“(WR) Matt Willis made a few nice catches. He kind of continued his push from the spring – had a real nice spring and then had an opportunity to make some plays down the field today and really came up with them. Today is usually a day of a lot more impressions that are so-so – a lot of good, a lot of bad, some so-so performances. Guys just are getting the feel of being in pads again, the speed of the game seems to be different you could tell in the stretching lines, nobody was really talking much and that’s usually the first day of training camp. They all know what’s about to happen and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

On his confidence today compared to the beginning of last year’s training camp

“I think my confidence and my comfort level comes from the players and I think they reported yesterday, had a great attitude, had an extensive day of meetings after we did the conditioning tests and all that. You could just feel the energy and the vibe and the confidence that they have. I’ve been to a number of different training camps on reporting day and the first day of practice and I’m not sure I’ve seen a team more excited to go out there on the field so that was exciting for all of us to feel that energy from all of them and like I said, I think my confidence or my comfort level with where we’re at is going to come directly from them.”

On what time he woke up

“I was awake at probably 4:25 a.m., something like that and my daughter was too – unofficially.”

On whether he saw the line of fans when he arrived to the facility

“It was pretty neat. I think that people here in this town and in this city really just love this team and it’s a privilege for us to be here and work for this organization and hopefully go out there and represent the people that come out and support us like that very well.”

On the crowd’s support for QB Tim Tebow

“I don’t know. We had a lot of people here last year too. Hey, I think that ultimately like you said, we have different players that they all cheer for and all that stuff so those cheers will really, I think start to be more for performance when we start playing instead of ‘Well, this guy came on the field today, or he walked on the field today.’ I think they’ll be more eager to cheer for the guys that are doing really good things on the field and everybody knows that.”

On newly-acquired LB Joe Mays

“Well, he killed us last year in the kicking game, first of all, when we played against Philadelphia. (He’s) very physical, fast linebacker that can absolutely play and factor in the kicking game to a strong degree. Young kid who we feel may have some really positive upside to him. He’s a different style of inside linebacker than we have (in) some of our other guys here. Most of our other guys are taller, obviously, but he’s a physical player and he kind of looks like Mike Tyson and hopefully he’ll play like Mike Tyson (laughing).”

On whether WRs Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker are able to fully participate

“Yep.”

On Broncos players who will only participate in one practice per day

“There is really no list of them. There are going to be a few guys like (OL) Russ Hochstein, for example, that you won’t see there tonight – that’s just get him into training camp, get him started, make sure that the things that we rehab and those things are all in order before we start to put those two practices together on people. I think you’re going to see for the most part our full team out there for a little while and then we may start to rest some players as we go but we’re not going to just determine that as of right this minute and start just taking guys out of practice. I think that everybody’s eager to get out there, bump off some of the rust and get some of those first collisions in and then eventually there will be some soreness that will set in. I think we have about 30 guys in the cold tub right now so we’ll see how it goes and then we’ll be smart with it.“

On former Broncos RB J.J. Arrington (traded to Philadelphia for LB Joe Mays)

“Again, I think some of those decisions you have to make and make the determination on how you feel or what you feel may impact the team the most. We knew we were looking for a player that could help us in certain areas in the kicking game. We know there’s a chance that (LB) Darrell Reid may not be ready to go right at the beginning of the season and all that so there are some things that factored into those decisions. None of them were easy, I don’t pretend to like having to do that and he was a very good person, obviously worked hard to get himself ready to go and then we just made the decision – we felt like it was best for us.”

On whether WR Demaryius Thomas was behind because of his contract negotiations

“I would expect him to be behind in that regard. Those three days that we’re here are, like I said a couple days ago, I think they’re really valuable for guys like him and some other guys. He’s not only a rookie, but he’s also a rookie that’s coming off an injury so he’s got kind of two things to battle through there. There’s a steep learning curve to playing in this league and doing all the little things right so he’s going to have to make a lot of those mistakes first and we’ll correct them and hopefully he can show what he did in the spring which was he had the ability to make a mistake, correct it and then try not to make it again, and that’s the biggest thing for Demaryius but it’s exciting to have all our guys out there. It’s a competitive situation and a competitive group that he and (WR Eric Decker) ‘Deck’ have joined and I mean, you can see how many guys can do things out there just in one short practice.”

On LB Darrell Reid’s offseason procedure

“I don’t really have any thoughts in terms of that versus another procedure. I think we’re all kind of eager to see how it goes and hopefully the rehabilitation and the actual healing of what the issue was kind of can go as smoothly as you’d like it to. I think that’s really the biggest thing for us is just, is it going to be where we want it to be, is it going to take a little longer and right now, he’s doing everything we’re asking him to do, it’s just a question of when he be ready to participate and help us.”

CORNERBACK CHAMP BAILEY

On the start of training camp

“Yeah, I feel like we started training camp three months ago so it’s been football, football. So everybody came in ready to go. I think the energy here is great and I think that’s the first step in getting to where we want to go.”

On the grind of training camp

“You know, training camp is always tough. You kind of dread it but I think I’ve grown a little bit and matured a little bit and try to appreciate it a little bit – try to put a positive spin on it because it’s tough – the daily grind is tough. I won’t always be this positive but it’s something that I try to train myself to do just because I know I have to get through it to get to where I want to go.”

On the new offensive line

Oh yeah, when you look at it, we know we have depth, now we just have to get the right guys out there on every down and figure out who we’re going to play. We’ve got a lot of depth though.”

On whether he noticed the crowd’s reaction to Broncos QB Tim Tebow

“Oh, absolutely. The guy was a great player at college and he’s going to do some great things for us.”

On whether that gets him excited

“I like it – you’ve got to think, he’s probably the most marketable guy in the league right now (laughing) so he’s definitely going to get that attention. The only knock on him is that he went to Florida (laughing). Can’t hate him for that.”

SAFETY BRIAN DAWKINS

On the first of training camp with the full team

“(I) get anxious, get excited – breathing a little hard and all that good stuff. It’s still football, still training camp, still putting the pads on getting a little contact. You should always get those juices going and they still run hot for me.”

On if he ever dreads coming to training camp

“You know, I know it’s a necessary evil. You have to get back used to the pads, get back used to the contact and all that good stuff. (I) wish we could get out of the way real quick but that’s not the way it works.”

On the crowd reaction rookie QB Tim Tebow received

“That’s to be expected. He is excitable and a lot of the intangibles he brings to the table are at work…and fans love it.”

On what he thought about Tebow’s performance today

“I mean you guys were paying attention more than we were. I am trying to concentrate on what I need to concentrate on and that’s helping my defense be a better one this year, so I wasn’t really paying attention to too many details.”

On if it helps to have the fans involved in training camp

“I mean, really and truthfully, whether they are saying anything at all or cheering it should not change our demeanor or intensity. If we’re depending on our fans and we are playing in the road games then that’s not a good thing. We need to be able to focus in and push through fatigue on our own without that. Obviously, it is going to help from them cheering, but you know you shouldn’t need that.”

On if he still gets nervous on the first day of camp

“Not really butterflies, but I get anxious. I am real anxious to get this thing started.”

On if he is excited to have so much help up front on the defense

“Absolutely – Not only up front, but another year of being together. I know we have some new guys up front but the back half – another year being together.”

WIDE RECEIVER ERIC DECKER

On the start of training camp

“You know, it was exciting to walk out that door and see 3,000 people here. It was definitely a different scene for myself and gets the adrenaline pumping a little bit but (you) still have to get some work out. Thought I did OK – I have a lot of improvement to do. I thought I could have gotten that long ball that went through my hands and some blocking techniques to work on and just all around get better.”

On whether there is more pressure on the first day of camp

“Yeah, you want to make a positive impression right away and that’s the way you get on the field is by performance, so I think the biggest pressure you have on yourself is yourself so to come out here and do the little things right – that’s what I’m focusing on.”

On the quarterbacks

“Oh, they did a great job. (QB) Kyle Orton is really taking the leadership role and from my experience, I feel really comfortable with him in there and (QB Tim) Tebow is coming along, (QB) Brady Quinn is throwing a good ball and all three of did a good job I thought today and we’re clicking as an offense.”

On Orton’s leadership

“Yeah, he was out here with us during the rookie (practices) – soft opening they call it – and he was kind of teaching us through all the routes and what he wanted and he really took that role on and I think as a receiver you have a lot of confidence in your quarterback when he does something like that.”

On his health

“Yeah, I think every day I’m getting better and it’s been a long haul for me. Eight months out of football – I have a lot of catching up to do but every day I’m pushing myself to get better and I can’t put too much pressure on myself because I know that I’ve got to ease myself into it and help out any way I can and that’s where I want to make a difference – on special teams right away and if I get a role on offense, let’s do it.”

On the last time he worked in the punt game

“I think maybe sophomore year in college, but it’s fun. It’s a different aspect of the game but it’s a very important aspect in the game and you can help win some ball games doing that.”

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN BEN GARLAND

On when he will make his decision on Air Force pilot school

“I am not sure. I am not sure of that exact date. It should be pretty soon.”

On if he will have to leave camp early to go to school

“Yeah, my No. 1 commitment is the Air Force, and if they ask me to come back early, then I will be more than happy to come back early and serve my country and do what I can do.”

On if he is eligible to play in the preseason games

“I am.”

On how it will feel to take the field

“I mean, yeah that will be a dream come true just to be able to do it. I mean if I make it that far a lot comes with it when that happens, but I would love to.”

On how different the NFL has been compared to college football

“I mean it’s faster. The guys are bigger, stronger, more dedicated, but you get a lot of things you get from the academy. These guys are dedicated, they work hard, excellence in all they do and all that stuff.”

On how much he has learned from the veteran players

“That’s one of the coolest experiences of being out here. You get those guys that are nine-to-10-year veterans, like you said, and they’ll give you little pointers and little tips that helped them along the way. They’re not selfish. They’re not trying to just earn a job. They are trying to make this team as (good) as possible.”

On if the training camp schedule is more than he anticipated

“I think it’s definitely a challenging schedule, but it is not more than I expected. I thought training camp would be very difficult and I was looking forward to it.”

QUARTERBACK KYLE ORTON

On first day of camp

“Yeah, you know there is a lot of excitement around here. All the players are excited too, we are happy to be here and want to get this thing going and see what we got.”

On last year’s camp and the way Head Coach Josh McDaniels runs things

“In general, not even the system but just with the schedule of things. I know where I am at and I am not checking my schedule every other minute to make sure I am not late to something. I think just the comfort of all the guys and being around the same guys for two years now and you can be comfortable and be yourself around them.”

On his confidence

“This is the best I’ve played and just hopefully just keep on continuing this progress. I worked real hard during the offseason just get the timing now with the receivers. Like I said in the past, I have more confidence going into this season than I ever have and I am excited for it.”

On the offense

“Having the same faces is huge but we really have guys that can make plays all over the field. We have eight receivers that can play at this level and a number of running backs and three good tight ends. We are going to have a lot of talent and we should be able to score a lot of points.”

On (RB) Correll Buckhalter and (RB) Knowshon Moreno

“It just happens, it’s the first day of camp. It’s the guys are excited and are kind of tight. I don’t know what they did but it happens to every team. We are no different. We’ll see how they are and hopefully we will get them back as fast as we can, otherwise other guys are going to have to step up.”

On having rookies carry veterans’ pads

“Teams do different things. There is nothing out of out of hate or spite, it is just a little fun ridden. I did it my rookie year. I am sure (S) Brian Dawkins did it his rookie year. (WR) Brandon Stokley did it 13 years ago, so I don’t think anyone is having issues with it.”

QUARTERBACK BRADY QUINN

On how today was different than previous workouts

“The speed of it you could definitely tell. I think everyone has got their adrenaline going, especially with all the fans being here.”

On the cheers

“When we’re in there, we’re so focused. We’re tuning everything out. You’re focusing on your job on that particular play. But it’s definitely nice to see a great turnout by the fans. Being my first year here, you can tell they’re a very fan-favorite team and they get a lot of support from their fans.”

On his grasp of the offense

“It gives me a ton of confidence. It’s something I’ve had some success with and it gives a lot of control to the quarterback when you have the opportunity to be in here. I’m excited about the offense, the players we have and the coaches who are coaching us.”

On whether he is flying under the radar

“That’s fine with me (if I am). I’m just going to keep coming to work every day and doing my best.”

On the first few days of training camp

“You work for perfection. Everything you’re doing out there, you want to make sure you’re doing (it) perfectly every single time. Whatever your job is you want to do it to the best of your ability and help your teammates around you, too.”

QUARTERBACK TIM TEBOW

On the start of training camp

“Oh, it was fun, it was a lot of fun to get back out here and just compete offense versus defense and seven-on-seven and nine-on-seven – it was a lot of fun.”

On whether it was more running than he expected

“I don’t know, it was a lot of fun and just going out there and just trying to help contribute.”

On his performance

“I think I did OK. I still have a long way to go and just trying to get better with every drive and every play and just constantly learning.”

On whether he’s ever been cheered by the fans while stretching

“(Laughing) We had some pretty passionate fans at Florida too.”

On the Florida Gator fans in attendance

“Gator Nation is everywhere (laughing).”

On whether his mechanics feel natural

“It was feeling really good. It wasn’t feeling like I really had to think about it. I’m still working on footwork and my drops and things like that but as far as just my throwing motion, it’s more of just getting my feet in place.”

On the receivers

“Oh, we’ve got a bunch of great receivers, I like throwing to them all. I just was able to put it up for them a few times and they went and made a great play.”

On the difference between today’s practice and the pre-camp opportunity practices

“Well, I mean, you’re in pads, you’re competing versus the defense, you’re competing live, things happen a lot faster when you have full pads and you’re going against the first-team (defense).”

On what it felt like to run onto the field to applause

“I was excited. It definitely gave you a bit of an adrenaline rush and it’s great to have such passionate fans and fans that believe in your team and support the team. It’s great and I only think it makes the team play that much better.”

On whether it’s overwhelming

“I don’t know that it’s overwhelming. I know that it’s definitely exciting – that’s for sure.”

On whether it makes him want to show off for the fans

“(Laughing) I don’t know that show off is the right (term) but definitely you want to come out here and compete and as a team give them a good look and something to be proud of.”

On whether the crowd support is humbling

“Well, definitely you see them all and there are a lot of them out here and they’re all supporting everybody and I think that makes a difference.”

On his leadership

“Well I think that it’s just trying to come out here and work hard and encourage and just be a member on the team that’s someone that has high character and a high work ethic and the more guys you have on the team like that I think the better it is and so that’s just what we’re trying to get.”

On whether players are buying in

“I don’t know that they’re buying in as much as it is they’ve already had it. I think that just coming to a team that has a great work ethic and coaches that have great work ethics so the players see that and then we have leaders that come out every day and show up and work hard. Guys like (S Brian) Dawkins and (LB Elvis) Dumervil and (QB Kyle) Orton and all those guys come out here and work hard every day and those are great leaders for everybody else to watch.”

On his popularity

“Well I think there are pros and cons. Just like everything, you’ll definitely get joked on more because of it but you also have that opportunity because people know who you are so you have to popularity to go into a hospital and make a kid smile or sign an autograph and so that’s also a big plus with it too.”

WIDE RECEIVER DEMARYIUS THOMAS

On signing his contract

“I just wanted to be out here with the team. It went longer and longer and I was just frustrated and I was just happy to sign yesterday.”

On whether or not he was in a rush to get the contract signed

“Yeah, I talked to him every day (his agent) and every morning and every night and he was like ‘We will get it done as soon as possible.”

On if he feels behind on his work at practice

“A little, a little, but I am going to be alright.”

On what he felt today as he walked on the field

“A little rusty, a little rusty – I’ve still got some work to do.”

On what he feels like he needs to improve on right now

“Maybe just reps. I need to get more reps and I’ll be better.”

On what excites him about the three different quarterbacks

“All of them are good.”

On if he feels like his teammates are watching him closely because he was the Broncos’ No. 1 pick in the draft

“Yeah, like (CB) André Goodman and (CB) Champ (Bailey) were trying to help me out with stuff – what I have been doing wrong. I feel like they are trying to help. They are just telling me what I do wrong. Maybe if I have an inside cut – if I am going to break inside I need to make sure I use my body. If I don’t then the cornerback will break my route.”

On if it is intimidating to line up across from CB Champ Bailey

“It is, but I am just trying to get better.”

On if having QB Tim Tebow in Denver has taken any pressure off of him

“It takes a lot of pressure off me (laughing). Everybody loves Tebow, so I don’t have any pressure on me. It is just working hard and trying to get on the field.”