Head Coach Brian Daboll

DABOLL: So, we get back out here after a couple of days off. On to the Broncos, (Denver Broncos head coach Sean) Coach Payton, tremendous football team, 4-2. Just had a tough game overseas. Start with their defense. (Broncos defensive coordinator) Vance Joseph is really coaching incredible football right now. Pressuring the quarterback, first in the red zone, first and third down, can play a variety of things. There are a lot of really good players. One of the best defenses in the league, coached well, and tough to block. Just held a team to under 90 yards of offense. So, tremendous challenge with that defense.

Coach Payton, on the offensive side, has won a bunch of games in this league. Really good offensive scheme. (Broncos quarterback) Bo Nix has done a good job with him. Four talented receivers. Different tight end groupings. (Broncos running back J.K.) Dobbins, who can take it to distance, (RJ Harvey), another productive rookie running back. Can do a lot of different things. Run-wise, bootlegs, screens. You name it, they have it. And then (Broncos special teams coordinator/ assistant head coach) Coach Rizzi, a New Jersey native. I've known him for a long time. Veteran coaching staff. 4-2 at their place. It will be a good challenge.

In terms of injuries. So, we'll see where (wide receiver Darius Slayton) Slay's at. He may or may not do something today. He's getting better, might be off to the side. We'll see here in a few minutes. (Linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-) Fowles won't practice. (Inside linebacker Swayze) Bozeman won't practice. (Center John Micael Schmitz Jr.) JMS is in concussion protocol. And we're going to open the window for (outside linebacker) Victor Dimukeje.

Q: You mentioned that the Denver defense. Have you ever seen an outing like they just had with -10 passing yards?

DABOLL: They're impressive. They're impressive every game. They create a lot of negative plays. They have 30 sacks in six games. There were nine last week, I think. They rotate guys. But (Broncos outside linebacker Nik) Bonitto is an unbelievable pass rusher. You can't have a plan for all of them. They all can rush. I think 12 guys have at least a sack on their defense. We've got the reigning defensive player of the year, as a corner, (Broncos cornerback Pat) Surtain II, an Alabama guy. They're just really good. They play good coverage, complemented with the front. They disguise well. They're as good as it gets right now.

Q: You just rattled off some of their coaches. Their quarterback's coach is a protégé of yours. Did you see some of what you taught (Broncos' offensive pass game coordinator/ quarterbacks) Davis Webb showing up there? And how quickly did you know he was going to be a bright star in coaching?

DABOLL: I would just say I've known Davis for a long time. He was a pleasure to work with. Incredibly smart. Could see the game the right way. He's always primarily been a backup quarterback. But (he) offered a lot of good insight in those meetings. Someone I have a great deal of respect for. Working with him, player-coach. But now on the coaching side of it, I'm proud of him. Not a lot of guys just do that and jump right in and become a quarterback coach. He's done a great job with Bo. But this is Coach Payton's offense. Coach Payton's got 180-plus wins. Super Bowl. Go on and on. But Davis was one of my favorite guys that I had to work with in my time at Buffalo and here. He's doing a great job.

Q: It seemed like Denver really took advantage a week ago with a quarterback that was holding the ball a little longer, and they were able to get to him and bring him down a lot. We've seen (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) at different points hold the ball longer as well to give this guy time to get it down. But against a defense like this, is there an added point of emphasis this week in practice to get the ball to your hands? It's maybe not necessarily a team that you can dance around with a little bit.

DABOLL: I think you've got to play good team football all the way around. Defense has to complement the offense and special teams. This is a team that's 4-2 for a reason. Everybody's got to do their job, whether it's the quarterback, whether it's the interior part of the pocket, whether it's receivers getting open against tight press coverage against some really good corners. It's going to take a total team effort. But they're very productive, make no mistake. They do that to a lot of teams. I would say that after watching the tape. They're hard to block. You have to do a good job of creating some positive plays when getting in those bad situations. They made every team they played in those situations. Not a lot of third-down conversions. There's a lot of third-and-longs when you watch the tape. Not a lot of touchdowns in the red zone. They play really good team defense. Vance has done a great job for a long time in Miami, Arizona. We were up against them in Buffalo. They're well-coached. They've got a lot of good players. They put you in bad situations; it's hard. Then you're on the road with a loud environment, you're going to have to play good team football all the way around.

Q: You guys have scored a touchdown on three straight opening game possessions, which hadn't happened since 2009 for the Giants. What do you attribute that to? People make a lot about scripting the first X number of plays and whatnot. The early game success, the early touchdown job, what do you attribute that to? How much of a difference has that made for you guys?

DABOLL: You always want to get off to a fast start. The preparation that these guys put into it and the coaches, that's important. You give a lot of credit to the players that are out there doing it, making plays. I think last week we converted on the 3rd and 8th, 3rd and 12th, or somewhere around there. Some of the other ones we haven't had many third downs, either 3rd and 1st, 3rd and 2. It's really 11 people doing their job at the level you need them to do their job at. That goes with any drive. I know it's the opening drive, but that really goes for offensive football, any job. You have 10 guys doing the right thing and one guy not, it could be a recipe for a very bad play. We're just focused on trying to do our job the best we can.

Q: The energy from outside the building seems different with Jaxson as the starter, winning two of the last three games. What have you seen from the guys the last few days inside the building as they sort of return from the time off?

DABOLL: Business as usual. We have a very tough team to get prepared for. You only have a certain amount of time. Nothing really changes relative to preparing for a team. Meeting-wise, film study, walkthroughs. We adjust here and there, whether we want to do some more red zone today or third down or do this, but we are focused. We've got a big challenge ahead of us. All these guys are doing everything they can to put themselves in a good position for Sunday.

Q: If you've got JMS in the protocol. Maybe (offensive lineman Austin) Schlottmann has to play. How confident are you in him, and what did you see from him last week when he had to step in?

DABOLL: Confident in all the guys we have. That's why they're here. He did what he needed to do, which was to come in and operate at the center for us. He did a nice job. He'll get all the reps today.

Q: Has he made progress, JMS?

DABOLL: He's in the protocol.

Q: Is he going to be out here running around and doing something?

DABOLL: He's in the protocol. That's where he's at.

Q: Is (quarterback) Russell (Wilson) still your backup quarterback?

DABOLL: Yep.

Q: Why?

DABOLL: He's our backup quarterback.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: You guys have started three straight games with touchdown drives. Can you talk a little bit about your pregame preparation with (head coach Brian) Daboll, whether that's coming up with a script or whatnot for however X number of plays? What do you attribute getting off to such fast starts to?

DART: It's just something that we talk about on a daily basis. It's such a big tone-setter for each and every game. It was something in college that when I played with (Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin) Coach Kiff, he always elected to have the ball. One of the biggest things since I got into college was starting fast, and that's something that I really believe in. Just trying to push everybody to play fast and execute at a high level. Early on in your first drives in games are probably some things that are out of the norm or more scheme-based of what you're seeing from a team. You kind of see that all around the league. Games start out really fast and it kind of slows down because teams are able to make adjustments, but it's definitely really important for us to get off to a fast start.

Q: When you say scheme-based, do you mean based off stuff you saw on film or what's different about the first drive planning?

DART: Each team does it. It's not out of the ordinary. Every team does it. You have a different game plan each week for whatever a team is doing. That's kind of just the plan.

Q: You're down receivers, you're playing quality opponents, the schedule is monstrous, and yet you go into every game, it seems, with this moxie, this confidence. Could you share with us what that's all about?

DART: Well, first of all, I have a ton of confidence in everybody that's here. We work really hard on a daily basis. We communicate at a high level. We all have really good relationships. Obviously, there are some guys that were beat up and weren't able to go, but a lot of these guys I've been getting reps with when I was on the scout team and all through camp, so I feel comfortable with them out there.

They're all really good players. The biggest thing for me is I have a ton of confidence and faith in my coaches to go out and play at a really high level each and every week.

Q: How would you describe the vibe around here off that victory and having won two out of three? You're now the starter.

DART: Obviously, we should have won the three in a row. That's something that I look back on and if we don't have - we could have won that game if we had four turnovers. But definitely just trying to learn from those experiences, learn from the good and from the bad of each of those games, and just trying to prepare for each week. But I think the vibe is just we're trying to set a standard in the locker room, we're trying to play tough, we're trying to win at all costs. The guys are coming to work with the right mindset.

Q: How much do you sense that it's different, that you won a couple games here, that you did beat the Eagles, if at all?

DART: Winning helps. It definitely puts more smiles on people's faces. But at the same time, as players, this is what we come to work every day to do. So, we can't treat it as something that's surprising or out of the ordinary. We work our tails off to be able to go and win games. If we slouch at all in this league, you're going to get beat. So, we're just trying to prepare the right way and just keep the main thing the main thing.

Q: Talk about this defense you're going to face Sunday. This is a very aggressive, high-blitz defense. Talk about the challenges when you look at them on film.

DART: Obviously the sacks stand out as the first thing and their ability to rush the passer at every down, not just third downs. First of all, they're just coached really well and they play really well together. They play really hard. So, it's going to be a really good test for us, one that I think that we're all excited for just because, in my mind I see them as one of the best defenses in the entire league. So, being able to just go out and compete, yeah, they do a lot of really good things and they're coached really well.

Q: What do you think you learned the most from that first road game that you want to try to carry over to this game as far as just preparing for the road crowd or even this Broncos defense?

DART: You've got to be able to weather the storm. Not everything's going to be perfect. There's going to be mistakes. There's going to be momentum shifts throughout every game. I think for us, just trying to weather all that and regardless of good things that are happening or bad things, being able to reset each and every play to try to put our team in the best situation.

Q: It seemed like there was a lot of energy after that last win. How do you carry that over into this week with it being a long week and all that?

DART: Like I said, it's just simple. It's just trying to keep the main thing, the main thing. Like I said earlier, we understand that if we don't come to work the right way with the same intensity, the right mindset, that we'll lose. So, we have to be detailed, we have to be committed and persistent in our study habits and being able to prepare for each game.

Q: I think something that stood out Thursday is how comfortable you looked running the offense. Can you talk about the evolution of that, of fitting it to what your strengths and your likes are?

DART: I think that it's not even as much just me, it's just the guys that we have on this team. I think for a little bit, we were trying to find a consistent identity, and I think that we're not there yet, but we're trying to get that part down. We've got a lot of good guys, so just trying to, as a quarterback, just be able to put the ball in their hands, get the ball out of my hands early, let them make plays for me and definitely just get our O-line going.

Q: How much ownership have you taken of what the offense actually looks like, what you're running and fitting it to either your skill set or what you're comfortable with?

DART: I'm very vocal on the things that I feel comfortable with. Then at the same time, I'm very open-minded to trying new things as well. So, these reps in practice are huge, being able to stay after and just get walk-throughs and some throws on air with the guys. But I think that I'm just trying to play efficient, play comfortable and just try to be as efficient as I can within the offense.

Q: What do you want that identity to be that you mentioned? You said you're trying to develop an identity. What do you want it to be?

DART: I think for us, I think it needs to start at the line of scrimmage. It has to start with our effort, how hard we play on every down. Regardless if things are going good or going bad, if we're up by double digits, down by double digits, the mentality has to stay the same. That's things that we're just trying to talk about in the locker room. We want to play tough as a team. I think that on offense and defense, we're just trying to do our best to get that done.

Q: Does anything intimidate you? Does anything make you nervous? Does anything keep you up at night?

DART: Well, this week we've got a really good defense to go against. So that's what's keeping me up and trying to just prepare as much as I can.

Q: Speaking of the line of scrimmage, what's it been like working with (tackle) Andrew Thomas? How have you seen him just kind of help make this transition feel a lot easier?

DART: Yeah, I mean, big shout out to AT. The level that he's been able to play at without getting really any reps in camp and really just kind of being thrown in there, it just shows what kind of player he is.

He may not be comfortable all the time just because of his reps, but he gives it all that he's got. I know that the left side of my line and that position, I know that I can trust him. His leadership's been contagious, so it's been great to have him back.

Q: You said you can trust the left side more. Just what is that like for you, confidence-wise, having that trust in Andrew there, knowing he's a wall, basically?

DART: I see him as one of the, if not the best tackle in the league, so that's just the confidence that I have in him. I know that he's going to go out and ball each and every week.

Q: Speaking of your offensive line, there's a possibility you might have a new starting center if (John Michael Schmitz Jr.) JMS can't go. How big of an adjustment is that for you?

DART: Maybe there's a few things, but quite honestly I've probably had more reps with (offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann) Schlotty than I have with JMS, just through camp, through preseason. I have a lot of confidence in all the guys up there. I feel like we have a ton of depth up front and guys who can play at a really high level and play well together. Obviously, we're definitely hoping to get JMS back, but at the same time, I know that whatever the role is and whoever's out there, I've got a lot of confidence in those guys.

Q: Are the adjustments nonverbal, verbal? What exactly are you thinking of?

DART: I mean, it's just the next man up. That's it.

Q: Daboll was pretty open last year about giving (wide receiver Malik) Nabers some say in play-calling and even personnel to a degree. I'm wondering if you've felt that from him in both regards, play-calling, and then also, like, (wide receiver) Lil'Jordan Humphrey was up. You guys seemed to have a good connection in the preseason. (wide receiver) Juice Wells (Jr.) is back. Obviously, you have a good connection with him. I'm wondering if you've felt that empowerment.

DART: First of all, it's just cool to be in an organization where everybody can cooperate and communicate with one another. That's something that I'm really thankful for, just being here. So, me and Dabs have conversations all day, every day, about kind of how he sees things, how I see things. There's definitely a lot of communication.