ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –Peyton Manning said Monday that the Jaguars are an unfamiliar opponent. He hasn't played against them since 2010 and since then the Jaguars have seen multiple changes in personnel.
But the Jaguars aren't all that unfamiliar to a Bronco starter on the other side of the ball.
Defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, a fifth year veteran, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Jaguars and the Broncos are using that to their advantage.
"Earlier today, it's the first day we've installed stuff for Jacksonville, I told the D-Line things about the guys up front because their O-Line, I played with all of them," Knighton said. "Even their right tackle (Austin Pasztor), he was on the practice squad last year but I've hinted to them some things they get beat on, some of their strengths."
Knighton isn't paying attention to the 0-5 start that Jacksonville is off to and he went on to say that when watching film of the Jaguars, "you don't see a record, you just see a guy in front of you."
Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said on his conference call with Denver media that Chad Henne "is going to be the quarterback" because of a hamstring injury that Blaine Gabbert sustained Sunday against the Rams. Knighton said he pointed out some difference between the two quarterbacks to his teammates and also noted some of the weapons those quarterbacks have at their disposal.
"Henne is a veteran guy, he's won in this league," Knighton said. "He's had games where he's thrown over 400 yards, so he's capable. Their two receivers on the outside are capable of big plays, especially (Justin) Blackmon and I told guys that.
"We're not going to go into this game thinking we'll show up and they'll lay down. I told them the type of guys that are in that locker room."
Like every team in the NFL, Knighton said, the Jaguars aren't to be taken lightly. When asked about the Jaguars' status as an underdog, Knighton said that sometimes that can work as an advantage.
"I've been there before," he said. "In a situation where we went into a game and teams looked past us and it ended up being a close game. For example last year, we played Green Bay and New England. They were rolling and they probably looked past us on the schedule and they ended up having to play their best game in the fourth quarter and that's something that we're going to try to avoid."
Preparation for Knighton this week will be no different than any other week, he said, and his approach will remain the same on game day.
"We have to go out there and make sure we execute because they'll have unscouted plays that we haven't seen or something that they saved – some type of trick at the end of the game, if it's a close game," Knighton said. "We're approaching it like we do every week – go out there and beat them up early."
