It wasn’t revenge, it was preseason. But the Broncos may have regained a bit of pride after they defeated the Seahawks 21-16 in their preseason opener at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Thursday. Here’s what some of the players and coaches from both teams had to say after the Denver win:
Broncos QB Peyton Manning: “It’s your first game of the 2014 season. It’s your job to go out and compete. Guys are fighting for jobs, so I don’t think it meant anything more than that, as far as guys trying to establish themselves as players on this team in 2014 and the guys that have the starting jobs right now are trying to keep their jobs and execute.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had an 18-play drive in the preseason. I’ve never had anything like that. I know the coaches will probably be pleased that it’s a lot of plays to learn from on the film.”
“You don’t like to have the penalties that kept setting ourselves back, but it was nice that we were able to overcome those penalties, which is something we did do a lot last year.”
“That was a heckuva throw (by Brock Osweiler) on that touchdown. That interception — I was watching from the sideline, and I was saying throw it to the same guy myself. It was one of those that the guy looked open when you throw it, and once the ball leaves your hand, there’s plenty you’d like to have back. Great job coming back and a great throw to (WR Jordan) Norwood on that touchdown, and a great catch by Jordan, as well.
Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas: “Being able to come back and put up some good football — we have some work to do, but it’s good being back. It felt great to convert, we really weren’t able to do that last time we played (the Seahawks).”
Broncos QB Brock Osweiler: “I was like ‘Shoot, I’ve been waiting six months to play,’ and a lightning delay happens. That’s part of the game. You just have to be patient. There are certain things that take place that you can’t control. That’s one of them. We just came inside, drank some Gatorade and tried to stay loose.”
“It’s certainly not an ‘A’ (his grade for the night), and I can tell you that with a firm answer. There are a lot of things I think I did well, and there are also a lot of things I need to clean up and improve upon.”
BOX SCORE: Denver 21, Seattle 16
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: “I thought offensively we clicked pretty well. After that first possession, I thought we made a lot of plays, guys were in-sync in the huddle, guys were calm, receivers looked really, really good, tight ends looked good. And in the second half, I thought we made a lot of plays. … And defensively we made some really big stops, as well.”
“We were going against a very, very tough team in the Denver Broncos, and we hate to lose. Disappointing, but at the same time we understand that we’re trying to get better, we’re trying to learn as much as we can. We’re trying to grow as a team and continue to stay together in everything we do and root for each other.”
“I’ll play all four quarters. I think coach Carroll wanted us to get back out there and get us in a groove, and get us in a rhythm — that’s offensive football, is being in rhythm.”
“We take everything as a championship opportunity. We lost that one. We felt like we could have won that game, for sure. But at the end of the day, we learned from it. It is preseason, but I think true champions never let up, and that’s kind of our mindset.”
“To be honest, I thought the refs did a really good job on both sides. … I think the referees are doing a great job, trying to keep it as clean as possible. This game is as tough as it gets already.”
“Oh man, ( DeMarcus Ware‘s) a force. He’s a talent, man. He’s played in the league for so long, I have so much respect for him. You want to play against the best, and DeMarcus Ware is definitely one of the best defensive linemen in the game.”
“You definitely could (see the changes the Broncos made). … When we see them in the regular season it’s going to be a battle, and we’re looking forward it and they’re looking forward to it, too. They’re always going to be really good. It’s the Denver Broncos.”
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll: “Well, we had a really sloppy football game tonight. And when you have 25 penalties in a game, it’s going to be kind of messy. That kind of shrouded the game, I think, on both sides. But it was a good night to get out to stat running, hitting and get the whole full-speed football thing going.”
“We had a great drive to finish to win the football game, and it didn’t work out the way we’d like to.”
“Paul Richardson (former CU Buff receiver) did a real nice job tonight in his first game on a couple of balls. Did a real nice job for his first time out. I love to see that.”
“I don’t think there were any instances (of the team adjusting to the new penalty emphasis). There was one hands-to-the-face penalty, which is a new emphasis. There were no offensive PI penalties called, which is a new emphasis. I didn’t think there were any factors. It was just on our end of it, just pretty sloppy play.”
PHOTOS: Seahawks-Broncos preseason game Thursday
Seahawks QB Terrelle Pryor: “I was happy with the game overall. I thought the team I was running with, the third group, we did a phenomenal job running the ball. The offensive line did a phenomenal job blocking. And the receivers did a phenomenal job catching. It just came down to me trying to win the game.”
“I lost the team the game, at the end of the day, and the only thing I can really look at is just the positive of my teammates all around. I thought my teammates did a phenomenal job, and I let them down. I just got to get better in practice.”
