From left, Owen Daniels, Peyton Manning and Max Garcia during the first half against the 49ers. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post )
The Broncos defeated the 49ers 19-12 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday to extend their preseason record to 3-0. Here’s what coach Gary Kubiak, Peyton Manning and other players had to say after the win.
GARY KUBIAK, COACH
On if he’s concerned about the offense:
“The biggest thing offensively is we don’t have a lot to show for some of the good things that are going on. You hold the ball for 20 minutes in the first half, you’re over 50 percent on third downs, you think you’d be scoring some points. That’s the thing that’s discouraging. I had us in a couple of tough situations that I’ve got to do a better job with our quarterback. They’re things that we can fix. Now there needs to be a sense of urgency. We’ve got a couple weeks yet to get some things cleaned up. We’ll get there.”
On Manning’s comfort level in the offense:
“I think he’s fine. We went back to some no-huddle stuff. Obviously, those are things that he’s extremely comfortable with. Under center, two of the sacks, actually, all three of them, happened with him coming out under center. I feel pretty confident from a coaching standpoint we can go fix those things. We’re going to continue to do a lot of things offensively and we just have to do some of them a lot better than we did tonight.”
On the punt return job:
“I’m concerned with the way we’re handling the ball. That’s the biggest thing. I like our ability to make plays back there. I think Omar (Bolden) can make some big plays, but we haven’t handled the ball very well. We’ve put the ball on the ground the first punt return, if I’m correct, and fumbled another one. Obviously, we’ve got to settle down there. Emmanuel (Sanders) is very capable and could be a great, great punt returner. We have to get him back. Protecting the ball is of the utmost importance.”
PEYTON MANNING, QB
On playing under center:
“I’m pretty comfortable doing that. I’ve been doing that for a long time. I’ve been in the shotgun a little bit more as of late, but I’ve definitely played under center for a lot of my career, so I feel pretty good doing that.”
On the up-tempo offense:
“It’s whatever’s coming in from the sideline. We talked about that during the week, about mixing some huddling and some no-huddling, and that’s what we did tonight. We moved the ball well out of both scenarios. Just didn’t score touchdowns.”
On decisions about the offense:
“This is the Broncos’ offense. I don’t know about how much negotiation is going on, but I think they’re all trying to put us in the best situations for us to move the ball and get down the field. It’s our job to do that.”
On the defense:
“They have high expectations and they had like zero passing yards in the first half. I don’t know if I’ve seen that in quite some time, so I think they have high expectations, but they want to get better as well. Our offense can feed off them.”
C.J. ANDERSON, RB
On the biggest improvement the offense needs to make before Week 1:
“We just need to score. We’re doing everything we want to do, but in Houston we had four possessions and zero points. Today we had possessions and are moving the ball, but had a turnover here, penalty there. We’re just killing ourselves. It’s not like the defense is beating us. We’re beating ourselves up.”
OWEN DANIELS, TE
On the offense’s timing:
“I don’t think there’s a lot of concern. We’ve got to make good use of our time the next couple weeks. I think people are used to seeing a lot more points on this offense. But I don’t think there’s a need to hit the panic button.”
LOUIS VASQUEZ, RG
On the performance of the offensive line:
“I was a little disappointed. We didn’t score in the red zone, we were put in some tough spots, but whatever the coach calls, we have to respond and put it in the end zone. … We have to trust the scheme and we have to execute better.”
On fixing the mistakes on the offensive line when there’s interior pressure:
“Technique. You have to see it coming, you have to react to it faster. The pre-snap read will help guys see it and react to it quicker.”
BRANDON MARSHALL, ILB
On the first-team defense not giving up a single touchdown this preseason:
“We haven’t really focused on not giving up a touchdown. But those are the facts. We haven’t, and that’s a testament to the hard work that we’ve put in.”
On if he’s surprised by the success of the defense so far:
“I don’t know if I’m surprised, because of the players we have and who Wade Phillips is. But I’m very happy and I’m very excited for what’s to come.”
On if the Broncos could have the NFL’s best defense:
“Oh yeah. We can be No. 1, and I think we will be No. 1.”
SHANE RAY, OLB
On playing alongside DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller:
“You have to do what the great ones do if you want to be remembered. I want to make my name worth something.”
On his sack dance:
“I don’t have any names for dances. It’s all fun. It’s football. I learned from my big bro Von and DeMarcus with their celebrations. When you get a sack, it’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, so it’s always fun to just go up there and turn up a little bit.”
DANNY TREVATHAN, ILB
On his first game back from injury:
“It felt good to get out there and get a little movement and live action. It’s the first time I’ve been live in about a year. I feel good about where I’m at right now and how I strong I can get.”
On if there was any relief in getting the first game back out of the way:
“Yeah, there was. But I want it more and more. It’s hard when you’re getting warmed up and they take you out. But it’s all for the best. Once you get it out of your system and you get back to being that linebacker, being that instinctive person that you were born to be — it feels good.”
On the Broncos’ style of defense:
“This is linebacker heaven.”
DEMARCUS WARE, OLB
On the defensive performance:
“Defenses win championships. That’s what we’re trying to do, is be consistent and not just play six games like we did last year well. We’re trying to play well throughout the whole season because that’s what it’s going to take.”
