Broncos
Broncos CB Patrick Surtain addressed his sideline confrontation with HC Sean Payton from this past season.
“Obviously, everybody was talking about that little confrontation on the sideline — but I wouldn’t call it a confrontation,” Surtain told Siddiqi. “Two guys who want to do what’s best for the team. They both have their different views of things, but when you have two guys like that, it just brings respect upon both of them and it makes the team better.”
“At the end of the day, we realize as a player that’s pushing the coach towards success, and as a coach pushing the player towards success,” Surtain told Siddiqi. “That brings the utmost confidence in the team and the utmost confidence in themselves.”
Chiefs
Chiefs S Mike Edwards signed a one-year deal to return to the franchise last week and gave his thoughts about the franchise and history with the team.
“The first time, I was coming into a first time (with) a new team. You know, I was in Tampa for the first four years, and then coming to a new team, so it was kind of different for me,” said Edwards, via ChiefsWire.com. “Then, knowing that they (Kansas City) had just won a Super Bowl a year prior, I was trying to get adjusted as best as I could. I knew what kind of guys they had over here, but I didn’t really know exactly who was over there, so it was kind of a little bit hard to get adjusted, but once the Chiefs and the players and all the coaches were real family-oriented and brought me into their world. I feel like during the season I was trying to get acclimated to the playbook and everything that comes with it, being on a new team.”
“Now, I feel like I kind of know everything about them – the whole players, all the players, and the coaches, and I know the playbook so it won’t be too hard as far as getting ready for a new team because I’m kind of already familiar with everything. I feel like it will be a different direction as far as taking on a leadership role with J-Reid (Saints safety Justin Reid) being gone,” Edwards continued. “He had that – I mean, he’s one of the select few guys that I know that has that type of leadership style that he puts on and shares with his teammates and everything, so I’ll try to pick up as best as I can and follow his footsteps and try to take on that role being the older guy in that room, I guess. As year seven, it sounds crazy to say, but yeah, so I take on that role and I feel like I can do that just because I feel like I have that respect from the coaches and my fellow teammates and knowing the playbook like I said and trying to get on that role as best as I can. So, as soon as I get there (on) day one, I’ll just try to take on that role for sure.”
- The Chiefs signed Edwards to a one-year, $1,337,500 contract with $500k guaranteed. The deal has a base salary of $1.17 million and a $167,500 roster bonus. (Over The Cap)
Raiders
Raiders QB Geno Smith is ready to prove that he is one of the league’s best quarterbacks when he debuts with his new team this season.
“It’s a really exciting day for me and my family, but also it’s an exciting day for the Raiders organization,” Smith said, via the team website. “We’ve got two really good guys to my right and my left who helped me become a part of this. We’re really excited to get here and get to work. Really excited to get to know all my teammates, get to know all the fans, really immerse myself in Las Vegas and be a part of this thing. I’ve always revered the Raiders from afar. The Silver and Black, all the nostalgia when you think about the NFL, the Raiders is a big part of that. We’re here to win. We’re here to do this thing the right way. I want to lead the right way. I want to be a big part of the culture here and just do the right things and really just leave my mark on my teammates, on the team and the organization.”
Smith also touched on his departure from Seattle, where he revitalized his career over the past few seasons.
“It’s just business and that’s the way things work in the NFL,” Smith said of Seattle. “There are no hard feelings for anyone there. I have a lot of love for everybody there, really. And I think it’s just business. There’s new opportunity for everyone. I’m so happy to be a part of this thing. I’m so happy to be here and where I am right now, looking forward to just creating so many new memories. It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be real fun.”
As for his new teammates, Smith has been in contact with DE Maxx Crosby, as well as his new offensive linemen and wide receivers.
“I was just talking to Jakobi [Meyers],” Smith continued. “We’re so excited about just getting the chance to work together. I followed him from New England to here and I always thought he was a really good receiver, a really good player. Brock Bowers, he’s an All-Pro. One of the better tight ends in the NFL already and I still think he’s got so much room to grow and to improve. A big part of my job is to help him do that and he can help me improve as well. All the relationships with the guys from Tre Tucker to Michael Mayer, all the guys that I feel like we can use and we can be successful with. But it takes an entire team. It takes an entire organization and every single guy is important and we want to make sure that they feel that.”
Smith will have plenty of familiar faces around, including HC Pete Carroll, QB coach Greg Olson, and even new OC Chip Kelly, who coached Smith’s cousin, WR Jeremiah Smith, on Ohio State’s national championship team last season.
“I’ve known his system from afar,” Smith said of Kelly. “He recruited me in college when he was at Oregon, and I really gave it some thought. I thought about going there. I really liked Chip then, just kind of followed him throughout. I saw when he went to the Eagles, I actually had an interview with them when I was coming out for the draft, so I got to meet him again there. And then last year, he was coaching Jeremiah, so I just watched their team.I watched the way that he handled the injuries that they had. I watched the way that he managed having two really good running backs and those guys equally had 1,000 yards. They had a bunch of really good receivers who they spread the ball out to. There’s a lot of things to like about this system. Obviously, I’ve got to dive into it and really just learn the ins and outs of it and how he wants things to be run. But just watching it like a fan from afar, I was really impressed.”
Smith is confident in his ability to take Las Vegas to the playoffs in his first season, as he feels he is one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
“This is the big leagues, and there’s a lot of talk that goes on,” Smith said. “But I understand that the work is what matters the most, and what you actually do is what matters the most. I know we’re here doing a lot of talking today, but I’m really about, just like Marshawn [Lynch] said, I’m about that action.”
“Not in a cocky or arrogant way, but I just feel that I’m one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL,” Smith added. “I’m out to go out there and prove it. I want to prove it to my teammates every day. I want to prove it to the organization every day, and then when the product goes out there on Sunday, I want to make sure that I’m one of the best.”
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