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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. —** Garett Bolles won't be pushed around.

Through a tumultuous adolescence, Bolles fought to reach this point. And now that he's made it this far, the Broncos' first-round pick isn't about to give up the mindset that got him here.

"I came in here," Bolles said at his introductory press conference Friday, "and I made a promise to [Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway] that I'm going to come up and [not] get pushed around up front."

"So I'm just going to be that nasty prick that those guys like up front and continue to move forward and knock dudes in the dirt."

Bolles' on-field attitude is based in aggression, which isn't something he shies away from at his position. Looking to football's history, he sees his own mentality in the offensive lines that pushed their teams to great heights.

"If you watch The Hogs, the Washington Redskins back in the day, those were guys who were mean machines, and that's what it takes to be an offensive lineman," Bolles said. "You want to be like those guys, and that's what Mr. Elway teaches. He wants tough guys who come in here and get the job done and hold up front. That's where it starts, in the trenches."

Considering Elway watched those linemen pave the way for a Super Bowl-record 280 rushing yards against Denver in Super Bowl XXII, it should come as no surprise that he wanted a lineman who crafted himself in that mold.

But aggression isn't the only thing that defines Bolles. The rookie, who turns 25 in May, has maturity that separates him from other first-year players.

"I don't mess around, man," Bolles said. "I'm a husband. I'm a father. You don't have to worry about me on the off-field issues. I take care of business on and off the field. You're going to see that when I come in here. I'm going to work hard. I'm going to be the first one here and the last one off the field in everything I do, because that's the type of player I am.

"That's how I was at Utah, that's how I was at Snow College, and that's how I got here and it's going to continue to get me to reach my dreams of being a really good tackle in this league."

The fate of Bolles' dreams is in his own hands, and he knows the margin of error is small.

"You only get to do this one time and you want to make the best out of it," he said. "The NFL stands for Not For Long, so you want to do everything you can possible to take care of your family and do everything you can to play for a really long time and stay healthy. That's what I plan on doing."

With so much on the line, Garett Bolles is ready to take on the NFL.