Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak
On how the Panthers will counter the success of the Broncos' Super Bowl blitzes:"I don't know that. We just try to stay focused on ourselves, you know, from the standpoint of getting ready to go again and starting a new season, and doing what this group of players does best. I can't speak for them. I can only speak for us. We're excited about getting started and we've got a different football team. It's a different year. Like I said, we just really try to concentrate on what this group this year is going to do best."
On what he saw in the Panthers before the Super Bowl that he thought would make them susceptible to that blitz scheme: "We saw a great football team. They had tremendous football tune with what they do, we knew we would have to be as good as we could possibly be. Things change. But they've got the same guy pulling the trigger. He's the top player in football and we understand the challenges that we have, how well they run the football, and that includes him. Every year is a different challenge. It's a different game we'll see. Every year there is something different that you've got to do to be successful and a position you've got to put your players in to be successful."
On his comfort level with quarterback Trevor Siemian playing Week 1: "Well first off, Trevor has earned this opportunity. You know, from that standpoint, I'm very comfortable with his work and his preparation for this day. It's been over six months. It's not something that's happened in the last 10 days or something. But Trevor is young and this is a big stage early in his career, but he earned this opportunity and I just want him to go out there and play with confidence and play with his team. That's what we're going to try to get done. But I'm excited for the kids. I've been doing this a long time. Sometimes you have veteran guys, sometimes you've got young guys but the key is you coach them all and you try to put them all in the best possible situation you can."
On his team's turnover in the offseason: "We are a different team. I can't sit there and tell you the amount of turnover we had in our starters. I don't even know. It's probably somewhere in the seven or eight range, somewhere in there, then obviously the quarterback position. You know what, there was going to be change. I mean [Peyton Manning] retired and we knew there would be change somehow, someway and knew we would be young at that position regardless of what took place to be honest with you. That's part of football. We have changes on our defensive front. We've got some changes on our offensive line. So like I said, this is a new season. It's got to go find its identity and you've got 16 opportunities to do that. This is the first one this week so we'll just try to stay focused on that."
On if he will learn more about Trevor Siemian seeing him against the Panthers: "I think you find out about your players every day, not just on Sunday or Thursday night. We're out here working every day. We just had a really good practice. Trevor practiced really well. We're just asking him to stay focused and get better each day as a player and understand the type of football team he's on and do his job."
His thoughts on the Super Bowl rematch occurring during Week 1: "The biggest challenge, and I can't speak for Ron [Rivera] or anybody else, but the biggest challenge for me is just working through the preseason, making a ton of decisions and yet, we got home from Arizona at three o'clock in the morning Thursday night and had to cut players and get ready to play you guys. So that's been a big challenge from a physical standpoint. But I think we've settled down and like I said, getting into our routine today. It's not normal for us to be having a Wednesday practice on a Sunday afternoon. Just a lot of different things going on that we have to stay focused on."
His thoughts on the pregame ceremony: "We'll be sitting in the locker room, so we're focused on what we've got to do playing this week. We're excited. Like I said, it's just the start of another new season in this league and a bunch of new challenges. Game day is game day. We try to keep it as routine as we possibly can."
On preparation for the Panthers starting two rookie cornerbacks: "They've had some changes back there but they've got one of, if not the best front in football, the top front in football, and when you play as well as they do upfront and it makes it so difficult on you – if you can't handle the front or can't block the front and do those types of things, that's the most important thing. Our challenge is to start upfront with their front seven. It's as good as I've ever competed against as an offensive coach."
How the Broncos limited the Panthers scoring in the Super Bowl: "I don't know, I mean obviously there were some turnovers in the game. We had two ourselves. I can't remember how many you guys had. But there were some turnovers in that game which were probably the big difference along the way in the game. But we respect their explosion. We struggled offensively really after the first drive of the game. We really struggled so just tried to keep battling as a team. They're very explosive, the points they scored and their capability week in and week out is as tough as you'll face in this league."
Broncos LB Von Miller
His thoughts on the change from the Panthers' Super Bowl team to this season:
"They only lost two games that year. They were the best team in football in the regular season at the end. The best team of the league with the best player of the league. I really don't think they will try to change up much. They had ample opportunities in the game to win and be ahead. They had a lot of plays they just didn't take advantage of it. In my opinion, I think we're going to see the same championship type of team from the Carolina Panthers. They only lost two games last year and had plenty of opportunities to win the game last year. They just didn't execute. I feel like this year they are going to be the exact same team with all the challenges that they have, they're returning 18 starters. I feel like they'll be able to execute more during this game." His thoughts on going one-on-one with Mike Remmers during the Super Bowl:"I really didn't pay attention to it. What type of pass-rusher would I be if I'm worried about where they're going…If they're going to put three guys over, two guys over, four guys, I just try to go into every play and give max effort and try to be reliable for my teammates."
On how the Super Bowl changed his life: "I'm the same Von. I know what it feels like to have success. I know what it feels like to be the type of player this organization brought me in to be. I've had pretty good games over my career but those games throughout the playoffs… that's why Denver brought me here, to be that type of player, not to be that type of pass-rusher or linebacker or whatever it may be, but the type of player. To be able to play that and be able to feel that, it was definitely a great example of how to be that for this organization and my teammates."
On his relationship with Cam Newton: "Cam Newton. You can't go without knowing about Cam Newton. We have mutual friends. At the end of the day, I admire Cam. I feel like the type of player that he is and the type of quarterback that he is and the way he's able to get his teammates to play at a level that they don't normally play at, I admire him. I admire Cam. If I had sons that wanted to play quarterback, I would point them in the way of, in the direction of Cam Newton. I think that's where all the poking and fun comes for me is because I really do admire him and really respect him at the end of the day."
On if the Broncos are putting the Super Bowl success in the past: "I mean, last year is last year. We've got two totally different, we've got a whole new team. We got a whole new offense. We got a whole new defense. We've got a whole new team on special teams. Last year is last year. We really didn't talk too much about the Super Bowl. We don't want the success from last year to make us lackadaisical or to have us not prepared or to come into this game without having our guard up. We know exactly what type of team the Carolina Panthers is. We know exactly what type of talent and what type of coaching they have. They have a great team. They only lost two games last year and they had ample opportunities to win in the Super Bowl. We were just able to beat them to the points. I think it's going to be a hell of a game, another tough game and we'll have to execute. We'll have to do a lot of great things to come out with the win but that's how you want it to be."
On the Broncos having more offseason roster changes than the Panthers: "The Panthers are returning 18 starters. I don't think it's like that over here with our team. They're definitely returning the bulk and the majority of their team. They have the best player in the National Football League and one of the best offenses in the National Football League. They have a great team so we definitely have to be on our Ps and Qs come Thursday."
On the emotions he will feel when he steps onto the field on Thursday: "For me, I have had a class act here with the Denver Broncos for a long time. My teammates respect me. The organization respects me. The fans respect me. I think for me, I just want to go out there and continue the quest to be the player that this organization brought me in to be. I think it's another step to be the type of player I know I can be. I'm going to always hold myself to that no matter what. I hold myself higher than anybody else. If I continue with that standard for me, I'm going to be alright. I have great teammates around me and a great supporting cast."
On the pregame ceremony motivating the Carolina players: "I haven't even put any thought into pregame ceremonies, activities or anything like that. My whole focus has been on the Carolina Panthers' offensive line, the Carolina Panthers' wide receiving corps and Cam Newton – the best player in the National Football League."
On the return of Kelvin Benjamin impacting Carolina's offense: "It's going to impact the offense a lot. When you see the type of plays he's made in the preseason. He's like a safety blanket for Cam. He's a deep, really big receiver – really talented, very fast and can jump. Luckily we have one of the best secondaries in the National Football League. Let me rephrase that, we have the best secondary in the National Football League in Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, Darian Stewart, Kayvon Webster and Bradley Roby. They're going to have their hands full like we're going to have our hands full up front. I'm totally comfortable in the no-fly zone's ability to play the pass this game."
On if the defense has to carry the team since Denver is starting a new QB: "I don't know. We haven't even started playing yet. I don't know exactly what we're going to have to do. I know the type of defense that we can be and we have to go out there and hold ourselves to that standard. We're going to go out there and be the no-fly zone. We're going to go out there and me, Demarcus [Ware] and Shane [Ray] and Shaquil [Barrett] are going to rush the passer. But we just want to do the great things that we've been doing. We want to be the type of team that we were last year. We want to build on that and be even better this year."
If Denver has the best defense in the NFL: "Are we the best defense in the NFL? I think that's up to you guys. I think the standard that we hold ourselves to inside the locker room, we're totally comfortable with who we have on defense. We're comfortable with the type of success that we've had on the football field. I think when you raise your head and you start looking round to check out what this team does and what this team does, you kind of lose focus in the magic you have in the locker room. For us, we have a lot of magic here. We just focus on the type of defense that we can be. Coach [Wade] Phillips is a wizard. He's got great coaches underneath him that really preach the message. I feel comfortable with what we've got here in the Denver Broncos organization"
View game action photos from Carolina's 24-10 loss to Denver in Super Bowl 50.