McNuggets: Broncos training camp quotes, 08/03/10 a.m.

Josh McDaniels, Perrish Cox, Toney Baker, Renaldo Hill, Brian Dawkins, and Justin Bannan address the media after Tuesday a.m. practice.

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On if he saw any improvements today

“Maybe on one side. You know, again, we started well. I thought the offense finished well on the two-minute drive. You know, there were some things in the middle we weren’t real pleased with, but again that’s training camp. We’re making progress in a lot of different areas. It’s hard to come out here as the head coach and feel like you had a great practice because when you are going against each other, you know, somebody is usually on the losing end; so you know there’s a lot of things to work on but (I) love our attitude and our energy and hopefully we can keep that up.”

On how much WRs Brandon Lloyd and Matthew Willis learned from being here last season

“Yeah, they’re playing like players that have been in the system before even though they didn’t play a lot of game snaps in that system, and that’s great for them. That means they did a lot of work on their own. They took all the information in. They paid attention in meetings last year. Again, those guys, that’s a – particularly for guys that have been in the National Football League for more than one year, to go through what they went through and kind of sat and waited their turn – they are making the most of their opportunities now.”

On what he sees differently in (LB) Jarvis Moss from a year ago

“He had a great offseason, and you know we talked to Jarvis about that being important for him. I think he’s stronger. His weight – he’s maintained his weight, which has been an up-and-down thing and has kind of fluctuated in the past (with) Jarvis. He’s got such a lean body, but he’s very powerful and as long as we can do that and keep him at the weight we want him to be at that will be good for him as far as the long term; but he’s playing, he knows the system better – it’s not his first year in this system playing as an outside linebacker and he’s doing a lot of the little things right that takes some time to learn, so we are excited about what we’ve got with Jarvis this year.”

On how tough it is as a coach to evaluate talent in training camp

“I think you can evaluate the athleticism and the things that you need them to do in terms of the speed, the separation that you want them to get or not in terms of the defensive backs. We are looking more at those things right now. Certainly, we’ll find out through our preseason games and then some of our tackling drills and those kinds of things – who’s willing to tackle and hit and bring people to the ground. But, we think that we’ve assembled a fairly tough football team in that regard too, you know, the skilled players. We’ve got some bigger corners this year. We know we got physical safeties. We have some bigger receivers, so I think that’s something we look forward to in the preseason, but the athleticism and the skill level – we can evaluate it.”

On what he has seen from RBs Kolby Smith and Lance Ball

“Up and down. There’s some good and then there’s some learning experiences that they’re going through. To me, I am treating them all like rookies – that group there – because even though some of them have been in the league for a little while, to learn our system and then to go out there and play fast in it and physical and do the things mentally we’re asking of them, it’s not easy. They are going through some ups and downs. The good thing is they are getting a lot of reps and I think with every rep, hopefully, they are learning something and then we can get better each practice.”

On if he is trying to ease (LB) D.J. Williams into practice

“There are going to be a lot of guys that are kind of fluctuating like that. I mean, I would be sitting here talking for 10 minutes about it every day if that was the case. There would be more guys tomorrow morning that won’t be out here. It’s just, you know, there’s some guys we want to make sure we monitor and are smart with – we take care of. D.J. is one of them. That doesn’t mean that guys don’t have things we need to nourish back to health either, so you know, there’s nothing wrong with D.J. We’ll have him out here soon.”

On his expectations for (LB) Mario Haggan

“Well, he’s a captain and everybody respects Mario incredibly. He’s a guy that’s worked his way from a special-teams player into a starting defensive player and now he’s moved positions and he’s playing – having a really good training camp so far. I think the guys expect him to be vocal, loud – which he is never shy about doing that – and physical. That’s showing up in the middle of our defense right now and we are excited about what that group can do. He’s a 270-pound guy playing ‘Mike’ linebacker and there’s some other guys in that linebacking corps that have size too, so he just makes it even that much bigger.”

RUNNING BACK TONEY BAKER

On getting increased repetitions

“Just taking it as an opportunity to get better each and every day. We’re praying for (RBs Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno) to come back soon, very soon, but we’ve just got to keep on trying to get better each day.”

On the opportunity the increased repetitions represent

“It’s a great opportunity, it really is. I’ve just got to keep my head in the book and just come out and work every day and try to solidify a spot on this team and that’s what I’m up to do every day.”

On coming in as an undrafted free agent

“Really, I just took it as an opportunity. I kind of expected to get drafted and when that didn’t happen, I was a little upset with that but the Broncos, they brought me in and I think they believe in me and I’m just going to keep working hard and do the best I can.”

On when the Broncos called him

“They actually called me late in the seventh round saying that if I didn’t get picked up by anybody that they’d like me to come out and they wished me luck for the rest of the draft and they sure did, they called me right after the last pick.”

On which other teams called for him

“Yeah, I got maybe five or six other teams that called and they just kept calling and I just had to think about it. I really felt that this would be the best spot for me and the best opportunity.”

On why he chose to come to the Broncos

“Really, I didn’t see any power backs on the roster, and I just thought that it would be a great place to play. I grew up watching the Broncos and I liked the Broncos a lot watching (former Broncos RB) Terrell Davis and those teams and I just thought it would be a good opportunity.”

On Denver’s history of successful players who were chosen late in the draft or brought in as free agents

“Yeah, obviously, that is something I hope could work out for me and they’re very open minded here which I love and the best players are going to play.”

On whether he likes to run over a defender or run around him

“It really just depends for me but I definitely love lowering the shoulder and running between the tackles. I think that’s why they brought me here but I definitely can get outside as well.”

On whether he feels more in a rhythm getting more repetitions

“Absolutely, particularly in pass protections and things of that nature. Everybody here can run or we wouldn’t be here, but just things like that in the passing game, that is really helping me get comfortable with the offense.”

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN JUSTIN BANNAN

On camp

“It’s tough, I’m tired. It’s a grind, there’s no way around it. The first week of camp is always a pain in the butt and you just have to get used to wearing the pads, wearing the helmet, running those sprints after practice – they’ll kill you but it’s just the way it is. This is why it’s football.”

On whether this camp is any different for him than previous camps

“Not too much, at the end of the day, it’s all universal. There are 31 other teams out there doing the same thing, so like I said, it is what it is and you just have to get through it.”

On the defensive line

“We’re coming along. I think each day we’re improving and that’s a good thing. I think the main thing throughout this camp is going to be us building the chemistry together, learn how to work together, just learning how each individual comes about going to work and just becoming a cohesive unit – that’s going to be the key on defense. Learn that chemistry with each other.”

CORNERBACK PERRISH COX

On his impact in special teams

“There was one extra good reason I got drafted – for special teams. It’s kind of one of the big things I love to do. Any way I can help out. (WR) Eddie (Royal) has got a lot of plays, offensively. If I can help him out by returning a lot of kicks, I wouldn’t mind doing that.”

On his performance on special teams so far

“Actually, I think I’m doing pretty good. I get a lot of reps after (practice). I catch a lot of balls and work on ball security, so I get a lot of work at it.”

On the emphasis on special teams in today’s practice

“It kind of broke me down a little bit, but it’s something I’ve got to work through. I’ve got to just get my stamina up and work hard and do what I can do after practice and get a lot of extra work in.”

On his conversations with WR Eddie Royal during drills

“We just put in a few extra returns earlier today, so I ask him for a little help –  who am I cutting off of and who do I look for when I return kicks? That’s one of the things I look forward to — just like I do with (CB) Champ (Bailey) at corner.”

On what he’s learned from CB Champ Bailey

“Everything. I actually go to him more than I go to Coach – every little aspect. What am I looking for on this play and that play. He helps me with everything.”

On the difference between punt and kick returns

“Punt (return) is more difficult than kickoffs because you’ve got a lot of players running at you, and then you’ve got to focus on catching the ball and the punt team. I’d say I like kickoff return better.”

On practicing in pads

“It’s kind of better. You don’t have a receiver coming off the line easily – just a free route. You can jam and work on a lot of different techniques.”

SAFETY BRIAN DAWKINS

On his memories of Vikings QB Brett Favre

“I think the thing for those who can look past the late decision every year – what the last five or six years (was) – that to me was just a warrior. He was one of those guys that fought through a lot of injuries. He not only fought through injuries but played at a high level for a long period of time. He took a lot of chances. You knew that playing against him and you knew that playing with him, but you knew that in those chances a lot of those chances would be good chances as far as your team being able to make plays and win the game. He’s definitely a warrior.”

On if he believes Favre will retire for good

“Man, I don’t know. Do you see how the sun is out here beaming? This is the third day of two-a-days, and I’m trying to make sure I get everything down defensively. I’m not worried whether this is for real or not.”

On the physicality today

“It’s a mindset. Your body gets fatigued. Your mind gets fatigued. You have to push through it. You saw the guys. It’s not just one guy pumping up everybody. It’s a collective thing. Guys start to feel that and you push through. That’s how you build a strong mental football team – when you have to push through things like that together.”

On LB Mario Haggan

“Not thinking, just playing. He just has to go out and be Mario and not think about stuff. If you’re thinking, you’re going to be a step slow. When you don’t think and you know, you can let your athleticism show. That’s where I think Mario is going to go.”

On CB Champ Bailey

“Champ – he’s one of the best guys I’ve ever seen of conserving energy. Champ’s laid back and just chill, but when it’s time to play, he lights that thing up. He’s just one of those guys that has obviously God-given ability, but he can dial in. But when he doesn’t need to dial in, he’s laid back and letting everything just happen.”

On the emotions of today’s practice

“This is camp. You’re hot, aggravated, tired. You need to have a little aggravation – a little fisticuffs sometimes.”

On what impresses him in the young receivers

“Hands in traffic, being able to catch the ball when a lot of things are going on around you and being able to catch the ball, and then being able to separate. Obviously, some things are a little different between college and pros. There’s a certain degree of separation that you need to have as a receiver whether you’re old or young, and you can see it in the good young receivers.”

On how quickly he can evaluate a young receiver

“It takes a while, especially until you get in pads. In shorts, everybody looks good in shorts. You get in pads, camp, fatigue a little bit. It will take a while.”

On WR Brandon Lloyd

“Brandon’s been making some big plays for us – in minicamps and here in camp. He’s making big catches on a consistent basis. You were just talking about him not being consistent. For us, he’s been consistent thus far, so hopefully he can continue to do what he’s doing and make big plays for us.”

On LB Jarvis Moss

“You can see (he’s re-dedicated) in his mindset. Obviously, I haven’t been with Jarvis in other years – what everybody’s talking about. All I see is Jarvis today. What I see of Jarvis today is a guy who is dialed in, dedicated. He’s pushing himself and asking questions left and right in the meeting room to make sure he’s where he needs to be for our defense. That’s what I see in him.”

SAFETY RENALDO HILL

On whether each camp he’s been in has been different

“I think each year is different. Coaches – there are certain things they want to work on from day to day and as a player you have to come out and be ready to attack it because we’re going to go through those certain situations during the season and it’s important for us to go through it now so we’re prepared when the season comes.”

On what being in his second year in the system means to him

“It’s definitely good that we have one year under our belt, especially with the guys on the back end. I played with (CB) André (Goodman) but as far as playing with (CB) Champ (Bailey) and (S Brian) “Dawk” (Dawkins), that was totally different and we really had to come in quickly and gel but having a year under our belts, we kind of know each other’s mannerisms and we talk a little bit more. I know what Champ is thinking a little bit more, I know what “Dawk” is thinking at certain times so it’s about getting on the (same) page and then getting that to the next level. It’s always about getting better and getting to the next level. We feel we should be able to take another step forward in this second year.”

On new faces bringing improvement to the defensive line

“It’s definitely important because I think we go hand in hand from the back end to the front seven and we do have some guys playing in a different position. (LB) Mario (Haggan) is moving around a lot. We’ve got (LB) Robert Ayers, who is a newer face, plus the three down linemen we have, so it’s important for us all to get on the same page and continue to talk – not only on the field but once we get into the meeting room. That’s when we can make those adjustments so that when we come back on the field we don’t make those some errors and continue to get better from there.”

On playing for defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale

“It’s important for our defense so when we have a defensive coordinator that is vocal, it’s only going to make us want to be more vocal. If I can hear him – and I want him to hear me making the calls and I’m sure the rest of the guys feel the same way – and when everybody is vocal and talking that’s when the mistakes cut down and that’s when we can go out there and play faster and that’s all we want to do – play fast, physical, tough football.”

On WRs Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker

“They’re doing a great job of coming out here each day and just getting better – listening to the coaches and we already know they had the stature, they already have the physical abilities but it’s about being able to read the coverages and listen to the coaches and just getting better day to day. They have some great veterans in front of them so taking their advice as well.”