ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Here are some of the highlights from the press conferences at Dove Valley on Monday after winning the AFC Title.
Head Coach John Fox
On if the moment has sunk in"I think you prepare for most everything. I spent most of my morning going through logistics in New York and practice schedule this week, our practice schedule for next week. There is a lot of planning that is involved. It has to sink in pretty fast because you have to make a lot of plans."
On the Seahawks"I know they're a great football team. I think Pete Carroll and his staff have done a terrific job. They've been the one seed all through the NFC for at least the last six-eight weeks. I know they got after us pretty good when we were out there in the preseason. We haven't dug into them too in-depth yet but any time you reach a championship game, the world championship game, I think usually the opponent is pretty good."
On if you can learn from the preseason game"I think you take something away from every experience. It'll be something we look at and I'm sure they look at. We've got plenty of time to look at a lot of tape – there is a full season of tape out there on both teams."
On what has the defense playing as well as they have all season"I think any time you get to the playoff season, the second season, you want to be playing your best football. It was something that we stressed, I think something that we learned the hard way. It's been a focus really since last January. I think you want to be playing your best football and I think over the last couple of weeks, we have. We still have another two weeks."
On looking for long drives by design"Well I think at the end of the day you'd like to do that every drive. The problem is that there is an opponent and there is some resistance. I think we've executed well. We didn't have great field position by any stretch. There were no turnovers in the game to create short fields. So we were having to sustain some drives to get into scoring positions. That's kind of always the plan. When you look at plays in those playbooks, they're all touchdowns but like I said, there is resistance and there are matchups that create problems sometimes. All in all, I think we did a good job yesterday."
Tight End Julius Thomas
On the team's mindset"Just excited. A lot of hard work goes into getting to this position. Some people think it starts in September, but for us it starts way back in April. We put in a lot of extra time and we do so much to focus and try to go out there to play so well as a team. To know that you're one of the last two teams left in this tournament—it's a great feeling. So we're definitely excited."
On if he's expecting a tough matchup against the Seahawks' secondary"It's the Super Bowl, so it's going to be tough. Nothing is going to come easy. I'm pretty sure you're going to see two teams playing as physical as possible. This is for all the marbles, so I'm pretty sure it will be a tough game all around."
On his breakout year which has included a Pro Bowl nod and now a trip to the Super Bowl"I just feel very blessed. It's great to be able to come out here and contribute. At the beginning of the season I said that I just wanted to come out here and do what I can to put my team in a position to win. I've been able to have success this year and I attribute a lot of that to our coaches—[Tight Ends Coach] Clancy [Barone], [Offensive Coordinator Adam] Gase—they do a great job of putting me in good positions and helping me understand what we're doing going into each week. And then my teammates for being there and supporting me through everything I've had to go through in my career so far."
Linebacker Danny Trevathan
On defense's performance over the last month"We've just been trying to play our kind of ball. We wanted to stay within our scheme. A lot of injuries occur – guys stepping up and guys getting motivated to play. A lot of young guys stepped up and played a key role in this. And the leaders did a good job getting them ready to get ready for this. We start off pretty slow, but we kind of find our swag. Guys have that attitude. What happened in the regular season happened then. This is the postseason. This is where people make their names."
On whether he believes it is a good thing for the defense to have a chip on its shoulder"Yeah. I mean, I think it's a chip. I think as long as we step up to the challenge and accept that stuff, a lot of people are going to talk – but our key is just to play our game, stay within our scheme and go out here and win games. Play 60 minutes, man. Like I said, a lot of people are talking but you've got to come out here and you've got to perform. That's what it's about. Our defense – a lot of people said they could run the ball, all this and that. But you've got to be well-rounded. You've got to be a pro, handle that stuff as a challenge, take it upon yourself to go out there and perform – and show them what's up."
On the emotional roller coaster this season has been for him"Life is a game. It's ups and downs, highs and lows. But, you know, I like my lows and I like my highs because without my lows, I never know what my highs are. It was a rough, roller coaster year but we pulled it together, man. I've got a strong faith in God and I've got a strong faith within my team. We're here now and we've just got to get this one more win. That is what I'm dedicating this whole week to."
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