HEAD COACH JOHN FOX
On if he envisioned having powerful offenses and defenses vs. Oakland
“I just envisioned us getting better. A lot of people expected it to happen from Game 1 and that’s not reality. I think it all started Wednesday when we started preparing for this game and it’s just ultimate of team sports but it relies on a lot of individuals. Guys kind of looked in the mirror and practiced better and for that we played better.”
On QB Peyton Manning’s performance
“He’s getting more comfortable. Let’s not forget he didn’t play all season, probably more than a year. This is a new team, a new coaching staff, a new city, a new field, a new everything for him. The type of guy he is, he’s just going to get better and better. He’s a championship guy and he’s going to get used to his teammates, our players. He just was better at it today than earlier.”
On going to New England with QB Peyton Manning
“I think I probably look forward to going just about anywhere with Peyton but again, they’ve got a pretty good combination there, too. We didn’t do too well last time we were there during the playoffs. It’s obviously a big game for both of us. They’re 2-2, we’re 2-2. We both had big wins in our divisions today. That stage will be set and whoever executes the best will win.”
QUARTERBACK PEYTON MANNING
On his general thoughts on the game
“Well, I thought we got off to a good start again. We got a good start today for the first time, a good start to the first quarter and third quarter—that was something we really emphasized all week in practice, was coming out of the blocks early, having good execution and we really had a chance to get two touchdowns there. The only time you get a bad ball is when you got a guy open—I thought I had (TE Jacob) Tamme open there, right kind of hooking up on the goal line, and (Oakland) got their hands on it, so good play by them. And, I thought we had some chances even in the second quarter to score even more points, so, we were pretty determined at halftime to come out and finish some of those drives that we started. Get some more touchdowns on the board, and that’s what we did. So, that was encouraging.”
On the offensive line protecting him
“I thought the protection was good. I thought guys were doing good getting open on time. I thought I had some steps to get the ball out of my hand, to get the balls into the receiver’s hands. It was a good plan by (offensive coordinator) Mike (McCoy). We really wanted to play fast today. We wanted to run some of their defensive players, so, I thought we executed that plan well.
On the Broncos’ receivers
“Yeah, I thought all the receivers did a good job getting open. I think they all played with a sense of urgency, playing with the clock in their heads. We had a pretty good distribution, spreading the ball around. I thought that was important, keeping the defense from honing in on one guy. And once again, I thought the protection was good. The running game always opens up the passing games. I thought (RB) Willis (McGahee) ran great. I thought (RB) Ronnie (Hillman) and (RB) Lance (Ball) did a good job. I’m absolutely sick about J.D. Walton and his potential injury. I haven’t heard the official, but it sure didn’t look good out there. I know how hard he has worked. My heart goes out to him. I thought (C) Dan (Koppen) came in and did a great job—we feel fortunate to have him on the team.”
CORNERBACK CHAMP BAILEY
On stopping Oakland RB Darren McFadden, given his success against Denver
“We know that, especially on this field. He has been outstanding on this field and we knew going in that we had to contain him; don’t let him make any big plays and we were able to do that.”
On getting third-down stops
“That is always a great point of emphasis but I think when you play well on first and second down, it gives you a better chance to get off the field. We did that today. These guys were great up front and you have to give them credit because they stopped the run. This is a good running football team and to pound the run like that, I have to give them a lot of credit for that.”
On what the win means
“It just says that we are 2-2. We have a lot of work to do. We are nowhere near where we want to be or what it takes to be a championship team. We are striving towards it; we just have a lot of work to do.”
TIGHT END JOEL DREESSEN
On getting off to a fast start
“It was important to score on that first drive for sure. It just feels good right now, total team effort. Anytime you can win by more than four touchdowns in the NFL, it is a good day.”
On his touchdown catch
“It was a little play-action, little seam route and [QB] Peyton [Manning] threw it up there and gave me a chance to come down with it.”
On the team’s confidence
“It is just one (win) and Coach (John) Fox was quick to point that out to us here in the locker room. It is important – our details and preparation this week were on point and that is what we have to remember. We will enjoy this one until tomorrow when we have to start lifting weights and then it’s on to New England.”
LINEBACKER KEITH BROOKING
On the Broncos allowing only two field goals to the Raiders
“It was a great team effort defensively. We had a couple things during the first half where we really could’ve stomped on them. There were some mistakes that we made, and we talked about it in the second half. We wanted to go out there and play the kind of defense we know we’re all capable of playing consistently, every snap, and I thought we did that for the most part.”
On getting off the field on third down
“(It was) just a combination of getting in (Oakland QB Carson) Palmer’s face and making him uncomfortable back there. At the same time, (we stressed) playing responsibility defense. There’s been a lot of football players in this league in the past 15 years, and I know that as long as we take care of our responsibilities and play with sound technique, they’re not going to beat us. That’s just the type of players we have on the defensive side of the ball.”
On stopping Raiders RB Darren McFadden
“We felt like he was one of their bigger weapons on offense. He has the ability to take it the distance if he gets into the open field. He’s a game-changer, and he got on the edge of our defense a couple times there early, but we kept the edge of our defense there at the end of the first half and through the second half an didn’t allow him to sneak out for any big gains. That was a point of emphasis the whole week, and I thought we did that for the most part.”