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Denver Broncos | News

Shelley Smith's introductory conference call

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On getting the chance to work with Head Coach Gary Kubiak again**
"That was very appealing. Obviously being able to join back with [Head] Coach [Gary] Kubiak—I think he's a heck of a coach and some of the staff obviously followed him here, some of the same people that were there in Houston, they're all very good coaches. I was excited to be a part of that again. Obviously the zone blocking scheme has proven to be a very good system and I think it fits my capabilities pretty well. I'm familiar with it, so the terminology, I kind of know what to expect and what they accept out their players in that system. I thought it would be a good fit."

On his role with the Broncos
"Basically to come in and compete for a starting job. Basically push everybody and try to get better as a group and as a team. That's my goal—to come in and compete. That's every guy's goal—to come in and compete and hopefully be a starter. That's definitely my goal."

On his time in Miami
"I definitely thought I was set for a good year and hopefully stay on the field for the whole year. Things sometimes don't work out that way. Injuries happen and you just have to deal with that adversity. [You] try to come back as quickly as you can get healthy and try to help the team win. That's what I try to do."

On how his knee is feeling
"The knee is 100 percent. It's good to go."

On factors that led to his signing with the Broncos
"The visit with Seattle was fine, but I felt like this would be a lot better fit for me. I thought that the Broncos had all the pieces from top to bottom—front office to the coaches to the players—all the pieces are there to be very successful and win a Super Bowl. I just was excited and jumped at the opportunity to be a part of it."

On the early part of his career
"Starting off my career I had some injury issues my second year. I had an issue with my leg, so obviously I lost some time with that. I was able to come back and recover, thankfully, and be able to compete and try to get better every day. That's kind of how that situation went. Just trying to get better every day, every year, improve and help the team win."

On how excited he is to be back in Colorado after playing collegiately at Colorado State University
"I was very excited to come back to Colorado. I went to college here. It's kind of been our home base ever since then. Every offseason, no matter where we've been, I've came back and worked out here and kind of made it our home base. We're really excited to be here."

On what made him want to stay in Colorado every offseason
"We have a lot of family and friends here, a lot of support. Obviously I went to school here. I found a great trainer by the name of Loren Landow that I always go back to in the offseason. I feel like he does a really great job of preparing guys to play any sport really, but particularly the NFL. To be able to come back and work with him, obviously he has the high elevation as well, so there is a number of different factors."

On whether he prefers right or left guard
"There is really no preference for me. I played both sides in my career and both sides in college, so I feel comfortable at either side. Where ever I can plug in and help the team win, that's where I'll be."

On getting the chance to play with QB Peyton Manning
"Like I was saying before, I felt like the Broncos have all the pieces in place to be very successful. Of course Peyton Manning is a big piece of that. To be able to play with a future Hall of Famer, I think a lot of guys would jump at that opportunity. I'm very excited to work with him."

On if the zone -scheme appealed to him
"I felt like there were a lot of opportunities for big plays in the run and passing game. It fits my style very well and my abilities very well. It does require more athletic linemen, and I feel like I fit that pretty well. Getting to linebackers and being able to reach guys fits my system pretty well."

On his impressions of RB C.J. Anderson
"I haven't had the chance to meet him yet, but just from afar, he seems like a very good player and a hard worker. A lot of guys on this roster seem like they're really good players and hard workers and very talented. I'm excited to be able to play with all these guys."

On playing with All-Pro offensive linemen Ryan Clady and Louis Vasquez
"I'm definitely going to be picking those guys' brains a lot trying to learn technique. Obviously those guys are doing something right. They've been successful. Anything I can pick up from those guys, I'm going to try and learn from them. I'm excited to play with those guys."

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