Broncos players (11.3.19)
BRONCOS TIGHT END NOAH FANT
On playing with QB Brandon Allen
“We had a full conference with Brandon and we had a team meeting where we found out that Joe [Flacco} was going to be out for a significant amount of time, and we just said we were going to rally around Brandon and the whole team did just that. He played a great game. He made some great passes and some great scrambles, so we are definitely happy to have him. Obviously, it would have been nice to have Joe out there too, but we have to rally around the next guy.”
On if he felt like he had a breakout game today
“I’m not huge with breakout games. I’m just looking to stack bricks on top of each other. I’m looking to do better any way I can. There are definitely some plays I made in that game that I could have done better on, but I’ll come in tomorrow and see where I can improve.”
On the offense’s ability to make plays with Allen
“I think our mentality as an offense was just to make plays whenever they came our way. [RB] Phil [Lindsay] had great plays out there. [WR] Courtland [Sutton] had a phenomenal catch over the top of a corner, and everybody feeds off that stuff. Everybody does better when those plays happen, so those definitely help a lot.”
On his performance and what was going through his head on his 75-yard touchdown play
“For me, it’s one of those things where I am just happy about the game. I am definitely looking forward to not just having one great game and then kind of fizzling off after that. Like I was saying before, it’s kind of all about building blocks and stacking bricks on top of each other. So, I am definitely looking forward to building, and I am just happy for our team.”
On breaking the Broncos’ rookie reception record for catches by a tight end
“For me, I am my biggest critic. I hold myself to a very high standard. It’s nice to have that rookie record, but I am definitely trying to attain a lot bigger goals and I’m trying to do a lot better. So, it’s always good to attain certain milestones like that, but I’m looking to keep pushing forward.”
On how he stayed positive and focused despite some early struggles
“I attribute that to my parents, just the way they raised me. I had some tough games in college that I had to get through, and life is not going to be perfect. There are going to be ups and downs, and hard times, and it’s all about how you bounce back. I am happy to have bounced back, but like I said before, you just have to keep grinding to keep improving.”
On his 75-yard touchdown play
“It was a special play; I remember breaking the first tackle and seeing Courtland coming down and blocking for me. He picked up a great block, and I was able to crease up on the sideline. It was something pretty special. It meant a lot to me especially seeing a guy who a couple plays before had made a spectacular catch over a corner, and now he’s working and grinding to be a blocker downfield after the ball was already caught. That’s kind of our whole offense though, everybody did a great job playing as a team. We want success for everybody.”
On the sideline reaction to his big play play and if he caught any flack about ball security at the end of the play
“It was wild. Ball security definitely wasn’t working for me. But you know right when I came off the field,[Tight End] Coach [Wade] Harman touched on that a little bit. But that was good though, he was happy. He’s always trying to get me better and I absolutely love having him as a coach. I fully trust him, and he’s been great towards me this whole time I’ve been here. It was just a super special moment with my teammates, being able to celebrate on the side and enjoying it with the fans.”
On his reaction to Sutton’s touchdown grab
“I was amazed, truly, and then he came down the sideline and he was super pumped up. It was something that was super cool. Like I said before, he literally went over the top of somebody to catch that ball which was pretty spectacular.”
BRONCOS RUNNING BACK PHILLIP LINDSAY
On if he was surprised QB Brandon Allen’s performance
“I’m not really shocked because I told you guys before how impressed I was that he got the terminology and how confident he was. He was the same dude he was in practice. It just goes to show you that everyone has their time, and it was his time. He’s doing a hell of a job with us, making plays out of nothing and keeping the chains moving, and that’s what you need. I’m proud of him and it’s time for him to continue to step up and lead the team.”
On the run game getting going today
“The offensive line did a great job. All of these teams are going eight, nine in the box, and it’s going to be tough for us to run here and there, but if you can pop one then it’s going to be a long one. That just goes to show you the respect they have for the run game, the respect they have for the linemen and the respect they have for the running backs. And people are going to continue to do that, so at times it may not look like nothing and then you might break something. That’s just how it goes.”
On gaining the first down out of the direct snap and if he’ll ask to run more Wildcat plays
“That’s not my job to ask for any of that. I just do what I have to do and whatever is told, but we [worked] that a lot in practice especially for third and one. We actually were going to do it earlier in the game, but they called it off which was probably the better thing to do and it shows the confidence they had in myself and the offensive line to do that.”
On how Allen looked in his NFL game
“What you have to understand is that he’s been around a lot of good quarterbacks. It’s not like he’s a rookie. He’s been in the league for four years. He went to the Super Bowl with them, he’s seen how it’s done. That takes a lot and he just used his technique and everything that [QB] Joe [Flacco] was telling him and they have a close bond. That quarterback room does do a lot of talking with each other, a lot of meetings and Joe got him ready as well. Like I said, it’s not surprising because of how he is, he’s just a confident dude. A confident dude with a lot of energy and he’s calm.”
On if felt there was a more aggressive gameplan today
“Yeah, definitely. I think you guys seen it too. We’re taking a shot. When you’ve got a 6’4”, 220-pound receiver out there, you have to take shots to him. We’ve got a lot of young receivers that are talented, we just have all get the ball and we’ll all get it eventually. A lot times you get a lot of plays on the broken plays. We have to continue to help Brandon out by moving around when the pocket’s not there and the throw’s not there.”
On if they felt they needed to make plays to help Brandon
“I feel like we have to make big plays all the time because that’s how you win football games. [Head] Coach Vic [Fangio] is a stickler on that, about breaking tackles, about breaking off long plays, long receiving plays, that helps you win games and we know that, we just have to put ourselves in good situations to do that. We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot, and I think we’ve done that a lot. We just need to continue to take what we did today and continue to grow with that. I think it just gives the offensive line confidence, the quarterback gets confidence and the OC gets more confidence in you to continue to run the ball.”
On how Allen’s ability to run helped open the running game
“It helps because you’re not just one dimensional. They have to play the quarterback now, and if they’re not playing the quarterback, then your receivers are open, and if you guys are covered, then he’s open. That’s how this game is nowadays. You’ve got to be able to move around and you see that every week, every week there’s broken plays. I think someone like [Texas QB] Deshaun Watson is a good person to see how he does. He creates things all the time. That’s how you win football games.”
On how big the win is heading into the bye week
“It’s a confidence booster. We’ve been in a lot of tough games. Majority of our games have been down to the wire. We just finished one, it would’ve been great if could’ve finished all of them, then we would be sitting pretty right now. Now we just have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to win again. That’s all it is, every game is different and there’s games that are going to be close, but that’s the NFL for you.”
BRONCOS OUTSIDE LINEBACKER VON MILLER
On if Quarterback Brandon Allen had some of Jaguars Quarterback Gardner Minshew’s magic, as Miller referenced previously
“Yeah, I feel like when Lil Wayne found Drake. I called it at the beginning of the week. I said it. I said he was going to give us the magic. He was going to be ready to go. He was balling in college. I just knew if he got an opportunity, he would be good. There’s a lot of talented guys in the National Football League and it was great to have him step up for us and give us a boost. He was incredible.”
On the status of the defense
“We’ve got a great team spirit. I feel like the spirit decor is excellent with this team. We just keep fighting. The young guys are playing. [TE] Noah Fant had an incredible day today. I called that one too. I called that one a long time ago. I feel pretty good to go out there and see some of my teammates have the type of success that we did. Winning, it just feels incredible.”
On playing in the red zone and holding opponents to field goals
“It was good. We’ve been good on the red zone this whole month really. It just comes down to great coaching. We’ve got great coaches. We’ve got great players and that leads to success.”
On any other players he has ‘called success on’
“I don’t want to be on the spot. It’s natural. I called [OLB] Malik Reed at the beginning of the year. [LB] Justin Hollins, he stepped up for us. We’ve got a lot of guys. [WR Dionte] Spencer, the punt returner, he is going to be great for us. He’s going to be that magic guy for us. Those two guys I can call. Brandon Allen and Noah Fant, those are the guys right there.”
On what changes when going into two away games after the Bye Week
“Honestly, today instead of feeling like crap today we feel like superstars. We get to carry that energy into this week. We have practice tomorrow and Tuesday. Then, we have a couple days off to heal our bodies. We’re going to Minnesota to play a great Minnesota team.”
On what kind of year DE Derek Wolfe is having
“He’s doing incredible. He’s the [former NBA player] Steve Nash of the bunch. I’m [former NBA player] Dirk Nowitzki He did his job today. Honestly, he’s been doing his job these last couple of weeks. He’s on fire. He’s making a lot of money for himself right now. I’m proud of him to see the type of success he’s having. I said it in 2012, I probably took five sacks away from him. He had, I want to say, eight or nine sacks that season. He’s been healthy this year. He’s been on the field. To see my brother get that type of success is incredible. I’m happy for him.”
BRONCOS CORNERBACK CHRIS HARRIS JR.
On getting the win
“It was a tough battle. They are a tough team. They are struggling kind of how we were and were trying to get a win. We just had to finish strong at the end and that is what we did.”
On the Browns coming back in the fourth quarter
“Teams are going to make a run. It is the NFL. They’re fighting for their lives too for the rest of the season. We know they are a team that rides a wave and once they get hot, they get hot.”
On Broncos CB Davontae Harris
“It was good. He played a solid game for us. He is going to keep getting better, keep working and hopefully he just keeps balling like he did today.”
On the red zone defense
“You just have to play better, tighten up your coverage and try to do whatever you can to not let them get in the end zone. I think we made some plays down there and got some third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 stops that were huge. We know the red zone is win or lose for us.”
On mentoring Harris
“I’m just happy, man. He is one of my kids. I am just happy and try to give him as much knowledge as I can. He is improving every week and is getting better every week. That is all we need him to do. If he can lock down the number two receiver and hold them up, we have a chance to win every week.”
On covering Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr.
“That was a tough challenge and a great challenge. Coach put a lot of responsibility on me to play man (coverage) and to bottle him up. I thought I did a great job the whole first half. In the second half, I was just a second too late to get those interceptions. That is something that will eat me up all week. I know I can make those plays and the pick sixes are right there. It is something that I will bounce make next week and have a great game next week.”
BRONCOS CORNERBACK DAVONTAE HARRIS
On finding a way to get the win
“It was a hell of a game. On one of the plays I missed the tackle and I was kind of beating myself up about it. The guys were like, ‘Man, keep flying around. There is a lot of game left. Just go make some plays.’ That is what I tried to do.”
On using his teammates to get better
“It has been huge. I am always around [CB] Chris [Harris Jr.] every single day asking him questions. He is probably tired of me by now. I ask him a million questions a day. I’m asking K-Jack (S Kareem Jackson) a million questions a day. [S] Justin Simmons and basically all of the vets really have by back. If I have any questions, whether at night when I call them, in the morning when it is late and we are about to leave they will stay after and do extra stuff with me. Those guys have been huge for me in my growth.”
On making big plays
“That is a really good feeling, but at the end of the day there is a long season left. I have to move on and look at the stuff I did wrong and try to capitalize on those plays and just look forward to the future to making big plays.”
On how the defense preformed
“We have some really good guys up front. We have some really good linebackers and have a lot of vets in the back end. We are really just bouncing off each other and making sure we fly around and keep that same energy all year.”
On his pass deflection in the end zone
“I knew that is was coming actually. I was seeing it all week and knew that they were going to test me on third-and-something in the red zone. I just played under and I was hoping to pick the ball, but I got there a little late in regards to getting the pick, but I was able to get my hand on the ball.”
On red zone defense
“We all stayed together. I think we have been in that position a whole lot this year. Whenever you see a scenario over and over again, it is easier to get back to that situation and stay poised. We were poised the whole time. We were well prepared and knew what they were going to give us and we just made plays when plays were presented.”
On getting a win going into the bye week
“It is huge. For me, I am still a young player. I am going to go down to Florida and I am going to train to get my footwork right and get my body right. I am going to focus on football. I am not sure what the other guys are going to do, but I know we have at least seven more games left. I want to get ready for the next games to prepare myself.”
BRONCOS GUARD DALTON RISNER
On saying today was the “Day of the Rookies” while coming off the field
“I was just messing around. I just thought that [TE] Noah [Fant] had a great game. I think that Noah deserved that. He works extremely hard. I was just joking around and saying it was the night of the rooks. It was a night for Noah Fant right there.”
On how much it helps to get over the hump and finish a game
“It helps a ton. That’s what the game of football is about. That’s the game of life. Sometimes you’re going to put in the work and get to the end of the game. We found out the hard way that sometimes we’ll lose those games, but today we came up big and we won. We get to go into the bye week feeling pretty damn good getting ready to go onto the road for two games.”
On what he thought about the play of QB Brandon Allen
“What impressed me the most was how he stayed calm. You’d think a guy would go out there wide-eyed but holy cow, that guy kept us all calm. He kept me calm. I thought I was going to have to keep him calm a little bit, but he kept me calm towards the end of the game. A lot of credit to him. He’s worked extremely hard. He gave a postgame speech and gave all the credit to [QB] Joe Flacco. That’s the type of guy he is, kudos to him.”
On running the wildcat at the end and if they’ve practiced that play
“Oh yeah. We didn’t just draw that up in the dirt now. We’ve practiced that for a while so that went really good for us. That was a play that we knew that if we got to the end of the game, we were running that. We knew the linebackers would bite and we would be able to hit [RB] Phil [Lindsay] with Noah leading the way.”
BRONCOS SAFETY JUSTIN SIMMONS
On the defensive performance
“I thought we did well. Our tackling wasn’t great at times. We were there to make the play and let them break free, but I think ultimately we ended up winning it, like you hit on, was the red zone. We did pretty well in the red zone that’s what got us over the hump.”
On what allowed them to play well in the red zone
“Execution. I’ve talked about it every week. I talked about it in preparation for this week, we just have to execute. We’re there to make the plays and you just have to execute and stay on top of it and we did. That’s a great offense, a lot of weapons around the board, we did a good job.”
On the offense and defense complimenting each other this game
“They did great and they did more than their job today. When scored late there in the fourth, we kind of got together on the sideline and said not this game defensively, we’re going to have to go back out there and get a stop and that’s what we did.”
BRONCOS WIDE RECEIVER COURTLAND SUTTON
On how excited he was for QB Brandon Allen
“It’s really good to see Brandon come in—for all the people that have doubters for him coming in and taking over from [QB] Joe [Flacco]—coming in and leading this offense, it’s awesome to see him get the success and see us as an offense have success and him lead us and be so calm when he was doing it. He was in the huddle and he wasn’t rattled at all. You would think that he’s been doing it for years. The composure he had in the huddle was awesome to have.”
On what Allen brought differently to the office
“Y’all saw the same thing we saw. Brandon escaped the pocket and made some plays on third down that we really needed. He had a big third down run that ended up with us scoring. Those things are really huge and it’s good to see him have that success. It’s awesome to hear him give the props to Joe for helping him along the way and helping him with the small things that a lot of people probably don’t see that doesn’t show up on the field, but Joe helped him a lot in the behind the scenes in the meeting rooms and everything. He gave the props to him, but it’s good to see Brandon have the success he did.”
On what he and Allen did to get a connection this week
“We made sure we maximized our reps that we got in practice, every single rep whether is was routes on ir, 11-on-11, seven-on-seven. Whatever it was we maximized our reps not only just he and I but as an offense. As y’all saw, we were clicking and moving the ball and getting the movement that we needed. That’s something that comes with repetition. We made sure—we take every rep serious in practice, but we have to really lock in. If something didn’t look right we ran it back again to make sure that he felt comfortable and we all felt comfortable because, like you said, this is his first start. We all needed to be on the same page and we made sure that we did that.”
On if being able to make the touchdown catch was a relief to him
“It was good to be able to go up and make a play not one for—it was good to make the play for the team but also for Brandon him building that confidence in us and us having confidence in him. I think seeing that play come down everyone was like ‘OK, Brandon’s going to be able to do this and Brandon’s going to go out here and make plays for us and we can trust him back there.’ It was good to be able to be a part of that.”
BRONCOS DEFENSIVE END DEREK WOLFE
On being able to finish a game strong after losing a few games on the last drive
“I think it gives us a lot of confidence. We still have a young team. We have some vets on this team, but we still have a lot of young guys as well. Those guys have to know what it feels like to win those games. They already know what it’s like to lose them, so now that they know what that feeling is like when you actually win them, maybe it will give them that little kick in the butt when it comes time to make a play at the end and get that first down or make that tackle. I’m really proud of them.”
On if he was surprised by Brandon Allen’s performance
“No. That guy’s got moxie, man. He carries himself like a professional, he’s a personable guy. He talks to everybody on the team, I see him every morning eating breakfast with the guys. I didn’t know much about him. I said it right before the game that Brandon Allen was going to go out there and give us a spark, and he did.”
On if Brandon Allen’s career journey can make him a better player
“I’ve said this many times that adversity either makes you tougher or makes you quit, and look what it did to him. It made him tougher, it made him a better football player, and who knows what’s in the future for him.”
On having five sacks in the last four games
“I’m healthy. I think Vic’s defense and defensive calls are top notch. He’s making good calls in the right situations and putting me in the right situations as well. Today I just came free, they didn’t block me. That’s the easiest way to get there [to the quarterback], the hard part is bringing them down. I missed a lot like that last year but being able to bring them to the ground this year definitely feels good.”
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