HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS (opening comments) * *
"Start out with giving credit to the Colts. They certainly set the bar here in the AFC. We found out why when you play sixty minutes and make the mistakes we made today it is going to be difficult to beat a winning, top-caliber football team that plays well under pressure. That team is extremely well coaches, Coach Caldwell and his staff do a great job and I want to give them credit today- they forced us in to making a lot of mistakes in situations that ultimately determined the outcome of the game."
HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS (on whether it was the game plan to throw to WR Brandon Marshall so much)
"It is part f it but not necessarily the game plan to throw it to him that many times. We knew we'd have our chances to get the ball outside to the receivers. It just so happened to be Brandon a lot more than usual."
HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS (on costly mistakes)
"You can't set yourself back the way we did today. We had a few third and short opportunities there and end up with third and six- whether it is a delay or false start. There was also that big penalty in the two minute offense right before the half that put us with the ball instead of on the fifty on the thirty-five. You can't give them yards and opportunities because they take advantage of them. We knew that coming in that they are the best team in football at taking advantage of your mistakes and they did that."
HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS (on the Colts Defense getting multiple short yardage stops)
"They got penetration. That is something that if you are going to create a hole or a running lane there-you go off tackle- you're going to have to stop the penetration. They did a great job today of getting in the backfield on a couple of those third and one's. They did that a few other times too. Those big plays on those third and one's was all because of penetration."
HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS (on the WR Brandon Marshall's twenty-one catches)
"He played hard. I think everybody on our team played hard today. Brandon had a lot of productivity. That's great but I'm sure he would trade a bunch of that productivity for a victory today. Again, individual things are great but we are looking for team accomplishments."
QB-KYLE ORTON (on being down 14-0 early)
"Certainly not the start we wanted to get off to, we thought going in we'd be right with them all the way to the fourth quarter and we end up doing that. We'd talked all week about finishing every play and finishing every opportunity. Certainly, we didn't do that and kind of ended up like five or six other teams in the same situation-losing late in the fourth quarter to a great team."
QB-KYLE ORTON (on the possibility of meeting the colts again in the play-offs)
"Well, we know where we need to go. They are clearly the class of the AFC and I'd love to see them again. Right now, we are just focused on getting to that point. Where we can finish those plays, finish those drives, finish those games, and compete."
QB-KYLE ORTON (on the Red Zone being the strength of the Colts Defense)
"That is where their speed shows up, their defensive ends get so much. That's when you've still got a timing issue because the defensive ends are coming at you and creating a lot of pressure and they've got that much less of a space to defend. It's a very good defense in the red zone- we knew we were going to have to be on top of our game and didn't capitalize."
QB-KYLE ORTON (on WR Brandon Marshall's twenty-one catches)
"In his case, it means a lot. He got into a rhythm and we got into a rhythm together. We were going after them and he kept making plays so I kept feeding it to him."
WR-BRANDON MARSHALL (on the game being bitter sweet)
"I believe it is one of those games where whenever you accomplish something like that it definitely feels good but at the end of the day we have one goal. Our ultimate goal is to win games. I would definitely trade in a couple of those catches for a win anytime. So, yes it is bitter sweet."
* *
WR-BRANDON MARSHALL (on the possibility of meeting the Colts again in the play-offs)
"I don't know about beating them, but we definitely saw today if we play our best and eliminate the mistakes we have a shot to play with the best of them. We can walk away with our heads held high today."
WR-BRANDON MARSHALL (on being down 14-0 early)
"It is scary! It is scary when you have Peyton Manning over there leading the offense and you're down. It is a scary feeling but with the character, the leaders we have on this team, the character we have in the locker room, we can't do anything but keep going."
WR-BRANDON MARSHALL (on giving a ball to a fan)
"Before the game I just felt her spirit and her vibe. She had my jersey on and that's always a good feeling being on the road and seeing your jersey in the stands. My fans have been behind me through everything I've been through and seen me grow. For them to still support me means a lot to me."
WR-BRANDON STOKLEY (on Brandon Marshall's play)
"Those days just happen. You don't plan for them. They just happen. He made some great catches for us and he really kept us in the game."
WR-BRANDON STOKLEY (on making mistakes against the Colts)
"You can't do it if you want to win. You can't make those mistakes against a good team like this and expect to win the game. Every time we made a mistake, they made us pay for it. Also, we can't settle for field goals. You got to score touchdowns. A couple of times we had to settle for field goals and it always comes back to bite you."
RB - KNOWSHON MORENO (on lost opportunities)
"There were definitely a lot of opportunities out there, but we played a really good team. Unfortunately, we didn't come out with a win."
RB - KNOWSHON MORENO (on frustration of defense giving the offense extra chances)
"It's definitely frustrating, but you've got to give it to them. They flew around today and made some big plays on defense, and we didn't capitalize on our opportunities. Our defense played really well for us to keep us in the game so now we've got to get back to work."
DL - KENNY PETERSON (on making the Colts offense look ordinary in the 2nd and 3rd quarters)
"We just calmed down and played our game and everyone was playing together. We got them off their spot a little bit and pressured him (Peyton Manning) and shut them down a little bit."
DL - KENNY PETERSON (on giving the Denver offense a chance with the three turnovers)
"It's a team game. Games that they don't play as well we pick them up and they do vice-versa. It's a tough one. At the end of the day we got a loss."
* *
DL - KENNY PETERSON (on having the chance to win and not capitalizing)
"It's the Colts. Now we know how to play in this league. They are a barometer of a good team in this league. Now we know where we got to go. We know where we got to go and what we got to do."
* *
OLB/DE - MARIO HAGGAN (on what they did different defensively in the 2nd and 3rd quarters)
"We just had to calm down and play our type of game. We were just making small mistakes. Once we got that going and started playing our style of defense we made some things happen. We just came up a few plays short."
OLB/DE - MARIO HAGGAN (on making Peyton Manning look ordinary for a part of the game)
"I wouldn't say ordinary. He's an elite quarterback. We made him do some things that are out of his character. We feel like we have a great defense. We feel like we can play with anybody. He just came up as elite quarterbacks do and made the plays when they count."
OLB/DE - MARIO HAGGAN (on the 4th quarter drive that put the game away)
"Definitely. The Colts, they trust him (Peyton Manning) and thats why he's Peyton Manning. First ballot guy in my opinion. Once again we just have to keep fighting and have to give our hats off to them. They played well. They did the things to win. We just have to go back, look at the film, see what we did wrong and get ready for Oakland."
OLB/DE - DARRELL REID (on getting a piece of the ball on an interception)
"I don't know much else I did today."
OLB/DE - DARRELL REID (on the difference defensively after the Colts jumped out to the early lead)
"We tightened down. I think coach (Mike) Nolan did a great job of mixing up the calls and getting guys opportunities. I think they tightened down on the back end. We tried to get to the spot, get a little pressure on Peyton (Manning). I know Robert Ayers had a hit on him early. A couple tipped balls caused a couple interceptions. It's tough. You get a couple stops and they come right back and he is right back at it hitting (Reggie) Wayne and (Dallas) Clark."
OLB/DE - DARRELL REID (on there being a moral victory since the Broncos hung with the Colts who are undefeated)
"At 21-0 the game could have gotten ugly at that point. So, you walk away with a little pride that we hung in there even though we were down early and didn't give up and kept fighting. You can't make the mistakes we made today and beat that team. They set the bar in this league. They are the best team in this league. They proved that again today."
CB-TY LAW (on disappointment with the loss)
"It was very disappointing because I think when you into the game with high expectations. We felt very confident coming in that if we do what we were supposed to do that we could win the ballgame. But, you know, you got to give those guys credit. What else can you say? They are the standard for the NFL along with New Orleans. We played with them, but we just didn't play long enough to win."
CB-TY LAW (on his team's slow start on defense)
"It's just about us getting into the rhythm defensively. It's always those first couple of series. You're getting warmed up and things like that. But they were just on it better than we were and we gave them too much cushion."
