Broncos QB Peyton Manning

On the NFL’s inquiry into the Al Jazeera report
“Just like I said back in December, I do welcome it. It’s no news to me. I still stand by what I said then that I welcome it. It’s garbage from the first day it came out and it’s still garbage today.”

On what he sees in the Panthers’ defense
“You see just a fast, physical football team that’s created a lot of negative plays for offenses. They’ve created a lot of turnovers, given an offense a lot of short fields, which as you watch the game unfold, and you see the scoreboard, it’s 7-0, it’s 14-0. It’s like the guy singing the national anthem is still on the field and the game hasn’t started yet.”

On comments he made to Patriots coach Bill Belichick following the AFC Championship Game
“I don’t know if it’s been confirmed or not. What happened to private conversations on the 50-yard-line? I guess they just don’t exist anymore. No confirmation on that whatsoever. We are on to Carolina.”

On if dual-threat QBs are distinct from pocket passers
“I think that is 100 percent for [the media] to decide. That is not in my department. I think every coach tries to call some plays that play to all of his players’ strength—quarterback, running back and receiver. I guess the only thing I’ll say is it seems like every year, they say: ‘The pocket passer is a dying breed and will no longer be.’ And I kept saying: ‘Well, I hope that’s not true because I will be out of a job and my brother will be pretty close behind me.’ We enjoy this profession, but hey, I think there are different types of quarterbacks and different ways to be effective.”