Broncos QB Peyton Manning
(on advice he’s received from his father and brother Eli)
“I have always enjoyed my conversations with my dad and Eli, as far as things that have to do with the NFL. I had dinner with Eli the other night. He and I talked about a lot of things. Certainly he played against these guys earlier in the year. We talked about the practice routine and the set-up. He is great to bounce ideas off of. My dad has always been a great sounding board from me throughout my lifetime. I am very grateful to have both of those guys, who have played in the NFL and still in the NFL, to be able to talk to. I feel very fortunate.”
Broncos RB C.J. Anderson
(on if they need to establish the run early against Carolina)
“Why not? You want to run the ball as a running back and you want to run the ball and be successful. It doesn’t have to be early, it wasn’t early last week and it wasn’t early against Pittsburgh. We just picked our spots and when that time came. We know there are plays to be made in the run game and when those plays have to be made then we’ll make them.”
Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders
(on his pride of growing up and playing football in Texas)
“I take a lot of pride in the state of Texas and how I represent it. Texas is known for football, you go out there, we were practicing at Stanford and I remember talking with Brock (Osweiler) and we were stretching and I said man can you believe there are stadiums like this in the Texas for high school. High school football is big out there and guys take pride in it. My brother, he is actually coaching a spring football league now. So these guys are playing football 365 days out of the year and it is definitely big, and I am just happy to be able to represent the state of Texas.”
Broncos WR DeMaryius Thomas
(on how his mom wasn’t able to attend the last Super Bowl and what’s different now)
“It’s totally different. Up towards the Super Bowl my mom and granny were able to call me, I talked to them I don’t know how many times, they were excited for me. They were saying this is going to happen, that is going to happen, but you know we didn’t come out on top last time and now we get another chance, and it’s special as well to also have her here. I don’t have to talk to her on the phone anymore. I can be in the same room, we can play together about it. It’s just special, and I will know she’ll be sitting at the seat, know she’s there and it’s just like a dream come true.”
Broncos CB Aqib Talib
(on the atmosphere from when he was with New England)
“It’s a lot similar. I’ve been saying this all week. It’s a lot similar, you’d be surprised. People think New England is like a military school and boy school and don’t talk. It’s not like that – they have fun over there as well, it’s just a tight knit group. Bill (Belichick) just doesn’t mess with you all. He just doesn’t mess with the media.”
Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on why he calls Denver his “football family” and why this team with all of the former Texans players in the group)
“Well I mean that’s where I got my start. To be honest with you I never dreamed I would play in the National Football League. Dan (Reeves) drafted me in the eighth round. There is no longer and eight round, so thank God for that back in the day. Nine years of playing kind of got in the way. I wanted to coach when I got out of college. It was something I wanted to do and nine great years got in the way as a player with the Broncos and it became my football family also. Really as a pro coach I got my first start there. I know I had a year in San Francisco, went there with Mike (Shanahan), and Mike took a chance on me as a young coach and made me a coordinator. I’ve got many, many years invested in the organization, Mr. B (Pat Bowlen), his family, the city, and yet I come back ten years later and a lot of things are still the same. In that way I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of that for a guy whose been in this business as long as I have, I haven’t been in a lot of places and for the most part it’s been right there in Denver.”