Broncos
Broncos HC Sean Payton thinks that his team has a real shot to make an impact in the playoffs despite being a young, underdog team.
“Young and hungry can sometimes be pretty dangerous,” Payton said, via NFL.com. “Most NFL seasons are filled with highs and lows.Do you have the grit and the fortitude to weather the lows? [Our record was] 0-2 and going on the road, we got to get a win in Tampa. That was an important stretch, that East Coast swing. When you can have some success, then you can have some confidence. Then it becomes something that can repeat itself. It’s hard to have confidence if you haven’t really demonstrated it yet, and so we began to see young players thrive in certain positions, some veterans, some key veterans, come in and fill in roles for us. So, it was a number of different transactions that worked out. I’m proud of them.”
Meanwhile, QB Bo Nix has become the second rookie quarterback since John Elway to lead Denver to the playoffs.
“It’s fun to clinch a playoff spot in the last game of the year against a divisional team, which is kind of a great story, but now playoff time starts,” Nix mentioned. “Our goal wasn’t just to make the playoffs, even though it hadn’t been done in a while. It’s for a lot more than that. We’re excited about the opportunity. I know it’s going to be tough, but we’ve got a game to play.”
Broncos
Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin avoided putting labels on the timeshare the team has in the backfield.
“I think everybody is just trying to get in and do their job,’’ he said, via 9 News. “Javonte does a great job, Audric (Estime) does a great job. Even when Blake (Watson) had to step up, he did a great job as well. Mike Burton as well. He’s great at fullback. So I just think whenever anyone gets in there they do whatever to help this team win. That’s what’s on our minds.”
Raiders
- Vincent Bonsignore reports that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady was likely just picking Bill Belichick‘s brain about the process of hiring a head coach rather than trying to recruit him to be the coach in Las Vegas.
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