DENVER – A few hours after speaking with season ticket holders on a conference call, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway and Head Coach John Fox headed to Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
There, they hosted A Night With the Coaches alongside Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy, Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio and Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers.
The event, presented by US Bank and Del Frisco’s, was emceed by Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Saccomano. After an hour of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, the attendees made their way to tables and awaited the main event of the evening — an hour-long Q&A session.
The coaches touched on a variety of topics, including each of the team’s seven 2012 NFL Draft selections, the ways the offense, defense and special teams units will change this season and how to ensure the stadium stays loud.
After the event, raffle prizes were given out — including gift certificates to Del Frisco’s and footballs autographed by Elway and Fox. All five guests of honor stuck around afterward to talk with attendees and snap a few pictures.
Click here for a photo gallery of the event.
WHAT THEY SAID:
ELWAY
On Fox’s coaching job in 2011:
“If you look at where we were a year ago, the January before John (Fox) came on board, we talked a little bit about it last year — our football team really needed a lot of football rehab. We needed to get back to where players were loving the game and playing the game hard. I will say this — the year we had last year was obviously very exciting, getting a playoff win. But this guy was as responsible as anybody for it because of the attitude change that he was able to put in last year without an offseason. His first introduction to the football team was when we went to training camp, and he just did a tremendous job last year. One thing that’s a mark of a John Fox team when you talk to other people around the NFL, the first thing they’ll talk about is they play hard down-in and down-out. That’s one thing we showed last year — they followed his lead. We got every bit that we could get out of last season, being 9-9 and getting that playoff win. That was a tremendous coaching job, and that credit goes to John.”
On how to keep Sports Authority Field at Mile High loud:
“Play good football. If we play well, you’re going to be happy, you’re going to be screaming. That really is the bottom line. We have to play well. We have to give you a reason to get loud and to get excited about what you’re seeing on the football field. The bottom line is we have to be a good football team and we know the noise is going to be there. This is the best stadium in the league. And we have to do a better job playing here. We have not done a good job controlling our home field — for us to be less than 7-1 or 8-0 at home every year is something that we should strive for. Because it is such a great home field advantage.”
On whether Denver wants to host a Super Bowl:
“We’d love to have (a Super Bowl) here. I know it’s been brought up several times … we’d love to be able to have one here. With it being in New York, maybe that cracks the door a little bit farther for us.”
“One of our selling points to the league should be — because it was our selling point to Peyton (Manning) — the fact that in 519 home games, the average temperature is 61 degrees. That was something in the recruiting process we made sure we repeated that several times.”
FOX
On former Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen:
“We were fortunate — one thing that comes with success is guys get opportunities to go and move up. Dennis Allen got that opportunity. We’re going to do everything to make sure his life is miserable, because he did go to the Oakland Raiders.”
On Von Miller:
“Von had a superb season. I think he would’ve shattered all the rookie records had he not torn that tendon in his thumb. Really he played one-armed and one-handed the remainder of the season. I thought he had a great rookie season. I think he’ll build on that. The type of young man he is, he’s very humble, he’s a great teammate and a guy that’s not afraid to work. He looks great. We’ve had the opportunity to see him on the practice field — his thumb’s fine. He’ll be a great, great player for years to come.”
On how he would define success in 2012:
“Obviously when you acquire a player of Peyton Manning’s caliber, the expectations immediately go up. Those are all fine. The expectations are much higher this time this year than they were at this exact time a year ago. I think that’s what you’re trying to build. Basically our goal every year is to win the world championship. To be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. That really ought to be our fan’s expectation. I don’t think there’s a player in that locker room that doesn’t have that goal in mind. To do that, obviously, we’ve got to have baby goals before that. A year ago we talked about winning a championship — well, the championship we won last year was a good step. We won the division championship. Now you’ve got to win the conference championship and then the world championship. We took decent steps a year ago. That’s now where we want to be. We’ve spent a lot of time, effort, money, resources to acquire better talent. That’s the name of this game, acquiring the best human talent available and motivating them to be the best that they can be. That’s going to be our goal this year. You can’t put it in wins and losses. The Super Bowl champions last year were 9-7 in the regular season. Who cares? They got that trophy. They did win their division. Our goal is to win our division. That gives you a chance. You get in the tournament, then anything can happen.”
On the team’s rookies:
“Their work ethic, the way they go about their business, their focus and the type of people they are, they’re going to be people you’re very proud of.”
On something about the team that fans might not know from the outside looking in:
“Our team understands what it is to be a team. We won a lot of games in the fourth quarter when it didn’t look so good. They keep fighting. They compete. They stay humble. They fight for each other. The kind of things that are important that winning, championship football teams build from within. All-in-all I think playing together as a team is what can push you over the edge in a very competitive football league.”
DEL RIO
On defensive improvement:
“For me, even though the defense was considered a strong unit last year, we ended up ranked 24th in scoring and 20th in yards. Those are not numbers that I’m looking for. We expect to be a lot better on defense this year.”
On how the unit will look in 2012:
“A couple things you can count on. One, we expect our defense to know how to tackle and be able to tackle. I don’t think you can play good defense without doing that. We count on our front seven to be able to shed blocks and make plays. So we don’t have to population blitz people in order to stop the run. We’re going to blitz because we want to. We’re going to have multiplicity to what we do. Going back to 2002 when I was a defensive coordinator for the first time with Coach Fox, I believe and he believes in multiple fronts, causing the offense to work. We’re going to be in different fronts, we’re going to cause the offense to work to identify where people are. Obviously we have a couple special edge rushers, we’re going to make them a threat. And we’re not just going to bring them, we’re going to bring other people. We’ll have plenty that we will offer in terms of packaging to utilize the personnel we have available. I promise you this — you have to stop the run in this league even though it’s become a passing league. You have to be able to stop the run so people won’t just shove it down your throat. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to affect the quarterback. You’ve got to be able to make the quarterback uncomfortable, whether it be not knowing his read or being pressured. We’re going to do a little bit of both.”
On DT Derek Wolfe:
“Derek Wolfe is an inside pass-rush threat that really has been lacking here. Last year the defensive tackle position went without a sack. Derek Wolfe was the top producer of sacks in the NCAA last year (at defensive tackle). He’s a guy that will need to work to build an anchor in terms of playing inside on the run downs, but in terms of generating pass rush and giving us a presence inside with Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil coming outside, I think he’ll be a valuable addition, so we’re glad to have him.”
On CB Omar Bolden:
“Omar Bolden is a tenacious corner. Really both he and Derek Wolfe are hard-charging, effort-filled players. You’re going to like watching them play. They compete hard, they play hard every snap. They’re very, very competitive. Omar’s in a stacked backfield, so coming off his injury we won’t have to rush him, but he’ll certainly get every opportunity to compete at corner. So we’re excited about them.”
On LB Danny Trevathan:
“The guy Coach Fox and I probably received the most emails and texts about is Danny Trevathan. He led the SEC in tackles the last two years. Obviously the SEC is one of the premier football conferences in the country, and he led that conference in tackles the last two years. This guy came to minicamp and showed a lot of that flash right away. He’s an exciting, young football player. So those three guys right away grab your attention.”
On DE Malik Jackson:
“Malik Jackson, a defensive end, will put pressure on Robert Ayers to perform at a high level. That creates competition. I feel really good about the guys we were able to select in the draft and they’re going to be able to help our football team.”
McCOY
On how Manning will factor in as the offensive scheme is designed:
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to win a world championship here. He’s going to adjust, and he’s already adjusted and bought in to what we’re doing. Then we’re going to take some of the things he did in Indianapolis and install them here.”
On QB Brock Osweiler:
“We were very fortunate to get Brock Osweiler from Arizona State to play quarterback here. And he’s very fortunate, because he’s going to be learning from Peyton. Being a young quarterback, it’s not always where you’re drafted, it’s going to the right situation. A young rookie can learn from Peyton, to be around John (Elway) and learn from two of the best to every play the game — he’s very fortunate. He’s a young kid, he’s 21 years old now, he’s got a bright future, he’s got great size, very mobile in the pocket for his size. One of the things that really stood out with us when we went and worked him out individually at a private workout is you could see everything people had talked about. The improvements he needed to make, he was already headed in that direction. He got some great advice once the season was over, worked extremely hard, so you know what type of kid that is. He was very smart in the classroom with us when we talked about some things. We kind of quizzed him before we walked out of the room and he nailed every question we had. We look for great things in the future from him.”
On RB Ronnie Hillman:
“Taking Ronnie Hillman from San Diego State, this kid is explosive. This is something we have not had here in a while. This is a kid who’s going to catch a check-down from the quarterback, and a 5-yard completion could turn into 80 in a hurry. You see that on film. He looks smaller to people, but he runs inside the tackles. A lot of guys that are built like him, they want to bounce everything and run to the sidelines and go out of bounds. This kid’s not afraid to run inside. So we’re looking to add another dimension to our system here. He’s very similar to Darren Sproles, I would say. So we’re looking for great things.”
On C/G Philip Blake:
“On the offensive line, Philip Blake from Baylor will be great because he’ll give us some position flexibility inside. Whether he’s going to play center or guard, you’re always looking to add depth at those positions. When it comes to gameday, a guy who can play two spots always helps us offensively.”
RODGERS
On changes on special teams in 2012:
“I think the main thing that will change is Eddie Royal has been the primary punt returner the past few years here. We’re going through some transition there. We’ve got two guys on our roster in Syd’Quan Thompson and Eric Decker who have both returned in NFL games. Then we’ve got a number of young guys who are learning how to do that and have done it in college some — but obviously on Sundays it’s a different deal. For the most part, we’ll continue to improve on things that we did well. This year will be the second year in the system. Just expect guys that are returning to play better.”
Tags: Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway, Head Coach John Fox, Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, Speical Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers
Im gald we got Hillman we need that type of back IMO
1. Gald 20 up, 4 down
A person that does not answer or respond to numerous questions or statements and never says goodbye before they leave first, because they think its funny to piss people off.
You know that kid Sai? He’s SUCH a gald sometimes!
2. Gald 29 up, 16 down
The form of currency used in the Tales series.
I need 2,000 Gald to buy that!
buy gald mugs & shirts
3. gald 12 up, 29 down
n. A balding goat.
Goat/bald=gald
Dude, that is one really huge gald!
Dude!!!
from the urban dictionary!
LOL – gocha AB! LOL
Sorry Daddy – nice try – but I had this one already.
Where’s Iggy? the igniter??? never heard of him? Go figure!!! Bwahahaha!!!!
I’m here blog killer! You see…………I’m more of a morning person than a night owl. And I know being here in the morning I can wake the blog up and get it moving again! Bwahahahaha!
I love how fox says he’s gonna make dennis allen’s life miserable! hilarious! stick it to him and eddie royal for going to the enemy!
JDR must be licking his chops at the potential this D has for the upcoming season. I think we’re gonna turn a lot of heads this year and make people take notice that while we’ve got a highly potent offense, our D will be exceptional as well. Let’s go top 5 O and Top 10 D!
I think Rodgers has one of the bigger challenges. Let’s face it, our special teams was horrible last year. We didn’t get great field position on returns……….or when we did they were called back due to stupid penalties. And even worse, our cover team gave up huge chunks of yards, allowing teams to start at the 35-45 yard line. We really need to be better on special teams this year.
Agree with what he’s doing or not………….Elway has a vision for this team and he’ll either ride the accolades or sink with the ship. Whatever the outcome, I appreciate the fact that he’s taking ownership of the team and is being a leader. This team has lacked focus and direction for quite some time so I’m loving what I’m seeing.
Jeez……..how many matches do I need to light under this blog to get it going……….BlogKiller…………you’re winning again! haha
Good Morning Broncos Country:
I love JDR’s enthusiasm,he will make our Defense a lot better,I like the fact he likes Wolfe,Bolden,Trev,and Jackson!
I got a feeling Hillman is going to be something special!
Blake will add the Depth to the Oline,that we never had last year!
Heck we might have had a better draft than people think?
BFE
lol@BlogIgnitor…………the blog will heat up, don’t worry. It’s like a cold engine in the mornings sometimes………..takes a while to get going.
Morning BFE! I agree……………I absolutely love JDR’s enthusiasm. I can easily see our D in the top 7-8 in the league this year….but even with our O, if we can stay in the top 10-15 our team overall will be in great shape.
Awesome to see a canadian player on the broncos!
Eric Page, a rookie out of Toledo,had 125 receptions for 1,182 yards and 10 TDs last season. Page tore up the vaunted Ohio State defense for 12 catches, 145 yards and two TDs….WOW!
Morning kod!
They have a little video on the top prospects this year on my NFL OnDemand………watched some clips on both brock and hillman………and they looked impressive…………..specially hillman. I don’t think we’ve had that type of speed at RB in a long long time. That dude can motor! And it’s not just on the outside…………he runs it up the gut too.
Yeah the coaches are high on Hillman,because of the fact he can bust open plays,not just on the outside,but up the gut!
We need a Sproles type player,outta the backfield!
I even read that Oz might even compete with Hanie for the #2 QB spot,cool!!!
Morning All…
Tide! Sorry I missed you yesterday, I have been having some internet connectivity issues… (part of living in the Middle of nowhere literally!)
The babies are doing great… I put them on solids this week (Calf Creep) and they have graduated from the bottle to the bucket (at least Daisy has… Norm is an aggressive head butter and just can’t keep the bucket on the fence!)
*** Not sure how many of you guys trade stocks but here is one to watch (MSTG) Small Gold/Silver company that routinely hits $1 per share… today it yo-yo’d town to .26 and is trading at .28 currently (I picked up 200 shares for $67.00 and that was with my etrade commission!) anyway, stocks are like gambling so never bet more than you can afford to lose! No such thing as free money
Peace!
Alright kod,I got my coffee finished,got some things to do this morning,nice chatting,peace out.
BFE
morning turtle…………….great thing about the market is that it might go down, but it’ll always bounce back. But yeah, it’s always a gamble and if you can keep your money in for the long haul, you’ll be better off.
Good Morning Broncos Country!
Nice read on the Q&A with the Staff. JDR looks to have a sound plan in place moving forward with the D!
JDR mentioned no sacks from the interior of the D-line. Thought McBean had at least 4 last season, but at anyrate, none from the holdovers from last season. As you mentioned B.F.E, look forward to the new blood on the line and new DC….(JDR).
I thought Timmy was the starting QB entering training camp? LMAO!
RBF1 that confused me too. McBean had 4 sacks last year.
Also Ayers had 3 of his 5 sacks while lined up at DT.
Maybe he forgot that or just meant they didnt get enough?
IMO If they keep Doom Hunter Ayers Warren Bannan and Vickerson that would be great for our Dline. The additions of Wolfe and Jackson being added also makes it better because of their versatility. We could have a package of Wolfe and Jackson on the edge with any 2 of the three at DT on third and shorts. Because its hard to say whats teams will do. Sometimes run sometimes pass. If they run we have our big boys out there yet if they pass we still have to good edge rushers on our Dline alone with Jackson and Wolfe.
I also think Denver should look at Franklin because hes good and has is bigger than any current Dlinemen we have.
Im also even more anxious about our offense because I guess Fox is going to be adding/removing plays same with McCoy Elway Manning and surprisingly JDR. Our playbook is going to be much the same but looks like its going to be a whole group of people adding and subtracting to the playbook.
(A lot of the option stuff is of course being taken out lol since Manning wont run and well you know…) LOL
ab- I like the fact JDR is focusing on different fronts to confuse the opposition… should be interesting.
hey ab……..yeah, I think the playbook doesn’t change a lot…….except for the fact that this year we can use about 90% more of it. lol
I’m hoping PM whips our D into shape in practice everyday running no-huddles. That will give both sides of the ball a distinct advantage when playing at home…………and even away as well.
I completely love that Fox said this. Was very smart thing to say and a good way to show how serious the Bronco/Raider rivalry is!
“We were fortunate — one thing that comes with success is guys get opportunities to go and move up. Dennis Allen got that opportunity. We’re going to do everything to make sure his life is miserable, because he did go to the Oakland Raiders.”
Thanks for the birthday wishes B.F.E. & Tide !
Best wishes to Coach Nunnelly !! Congrats to Coach Rodgers! With Coaches Fox & JDR at the helm… no worries there.
No matter how good your O and D are………….if your special teams suck………..it can cost you the game. I hope we play much better in that area than we did last year. We never started with great field position and usually gave up a ton on kick coverage. Def an area we need to improve on.
It’s hard to win the field position game when you lead the league in 3 and outs…
Hey OT! True enough my man……..true enough. I feel a series tie coming on tonight………Lunquist bailed them out in the second last game and they were badly outplayed most of the game………….but props to them for hanging in there and coming out with the W. Don’t see it happening tonight tho……..
We haven`t signed any of our draft picks yet have we?
What’s good kod? Should be a great game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it go seven games.. (I’m sticking to my no smack talk approach!) btw, those “Mar-ty” (Brodeur) chants were classic!!! Lol
Hey Strand……………not that I’ve heard of.
Soon I hope.
OT……….I dropped Marty in my pool this year when he was horrible……….then he turned his game around and I regretted it bigtime………cost me 3rd place and some cash. He’s still playing at an elite level for his age, which is amazing……and he owns pretty much every record there is for goalies………..yet he still wants to win another cup. gotta love the guy.
Strand no we havnt. Im sure when we do there will be a blog about it lol.
Ricky Williams says he doesn’t feel the effect of concussions…………hmmmm………he’s prob still smoking way too much pot to even notice! lol
I respect Brodeur big time, just thoughts those chants were hilarious. His glove save when driving to get back in position was amazing! He is one of the beat all time goaltenders IMO. Remember Grant Fuhr and Ron Hextal??
*one of the best of all time… Whoops…. Lol
imagine…………grant fuhr did all that while doing a lot of coke……….lol (at least that was the rumor) Hextall was one bad MoFo…………I’ll never forget him going after Chelios against the habs in the playoffs one year……….CLASSIC. No one got in his crease without ever paying for it.
Good stuff. I grew up watching those guys, brings back great memories! That Oiler team was one of the best of all time for any sport IMO.. Too bad they couldn’t keep those guys together..
Brodeur IS the best goalie to ever play the game, that pains me to say because cheering for the Avalanche their whole existence, I obviously favoured the second best goalie of all time. Patty Roy! But have to give Brodeur his props, he has been very good for a very long time and still seems like he has a couple elite years left… Kings-Rangers final with LA taking it in 6!!
Is it just me or does it bother anyone else when they talk about Decker doing returns? I don’t like haveing one of our best O weapons doing Kick returns lets plug that rookie running back in there and see how he does. Sproles whent crazy in SD when they let him do that. Hard to pick up a fast little guy when everyone is going full tilt. TD started out that way. just saying is all 2012 prediction Broncos go 11-5 and win the west going away. yeah I am crazy but I told you all that we would win the west last year and I was only off by 1 win sooooooooo. Go Broncos! and does the Orange Jersies bother any one else? hhhhmmmmmm,