Coach Brenahan spoke to the media following practice.
Q: This preseason, how would you evaluate what happened out there?
Bresnahan: Progress, but slow. It's a work in progress and, again, we're taking the strides. The things you saw in the preseason were very vanilla and not a lot of play time for the ones, obviously. We've got the practice time and we're excited to get out there and show what we got Monday night in Denver.
Q: Are you looking forward to getting to play your ones and key backups the whole game?
Bresnahan: That's just part of preseason. This preseason was unique because we're all right from the get-go in training camp is the first chance we had with the players, but we're excited. We've made progress. We're right on track where we need to be.
Q: In general, did you do a lot of change in terminology enough to negate the fact that you had 10 returning starters or is there a lot of carryover since you have 10 returning starters?
Bresnahan: There's a lot of carryover. That's something you have to do when you come in. You have to really watch that especially when you don't have an offseason. So you have to try to keep things. There's going to be new terminology and some new wrinkles, but again, that's part of the game. No matter what you do, every year, you change up and try to improve your defense. So whether it's the same coordinator or new coordinator, we keep taking those strides forward. Like I said, I'm excited to see where we're at on Monday night.
Q: What's the biggest challenge Denver presents?
Bresnahan: We're going to say it every week. The first thing we have to do is stop the run and we have to be physical and that's what we're trying to do, is we're trying to get out there and set the tone for the game on defense. The primary thing is to shut the run game down and force the game to be one dimensional and, when you do that, you have the opportunity to do some special things.
Q: The first team did that pretty well during the preseason.
Bresnahan: For the most part. We had a couple of things that we had to get ironed out, but they did a good job against the run. Now we have to tie it all together and play 60 minutes of good football with 11 guys playing the same defense and no weak links and some special things will happen.
Q: How much did DeMarcus Van Dyke learn in the preseason going against guys like Fitzgerald?
Bresnahan: It's excellent, especially when you don't have an offseason. It's getting thrown to the wolves a little bit, but DVD has a tremendous amount of confidence in himself and, again, he's made strides throughout the entire preseason. You look at some of the catches made on him and he couldn't be in better position. Now he just has to make the play on the ball and he'll be fine. He's got a lot of confidence.
Q: How much will it help to get Chris Johnson back?
Bresnahan: Big time. You can never underestimate the importance of a veteran corner that has a lot of experience and he brings an attitude to the field as well so we're excited as heck to get him back.
Q: In the brief time he played in the preseason, it seemed like [Rolando] McClain was more active than he was last year, a little more dynamic?
Bresnahan: I think Rolando is going to be the heartbeat of our defense. And we've got a lot of veterans, but I mean he is a guy who is our signal caller, he's in the middle taking control and he's excited to get going and I'm excited to see him play on Monday night.
Q: What did you see from last year on film when you watched him? What were your impressions of his rookie season?
Bresnahan: I think there's always going to be room for improvement, but I saw an incredibly talented young man that the sky is the limit as far as his future goes. The way he attacks the work week, in the meeting room, on the practice field, taking it to even the preseason games in the time that he played. And off the field, I think he's a professional and I'm excited to see the progress he makes in year two.
Q: Expect [Michael] Huff to play a lot of nickel corner?
Bresnahan: He'll play in the slot, he'll play our nickel corner, but again, we have some things we'll do, but he's had a very productive preseason for the limited amount of time that he's done. So we're excited, like I said, to see everyone in the positions they're at and the progress they've made through the preseason.
Q: What did you want to see out of [Quentin] Groves when he played more than any other starter this preseason?
Bresnahan: Well he's in a situation where he needs to gain experience at linebacker position so we played him in both base and in the nickel and it was really really beneficial for him because he got a lot of experience, a lot of play time, saw a lot of things he may not have seen yet in the limited experience he had last year even though he played a lot in the first year playing that position. We're excited about that too, so he's gained some experience throughout the preseason.
Q: It seems like you're very healthy, getting healthier throughout training camp until now and that's pretty much all you can ask for in the preseason.
Bresnahan: No doubt. You guys know how I am too. We're going to play with who's out there and if somebody does get nicked or banged up, then the next guy has to come in and pull his weight. I think our preparation throughout our total unit on defense has been right where we need to be and I'm excited to see them play. It's going to be fun.
Q: How does Trevor Scott look?
Bresnahan: Trevor has come back strong. He's had tremendous rehab, a very good offseason not being here and he's come back in tremendous shape so I'm excited to see him fit into the mix as well.
Q: [Matt] Shaughnessy made such an improvement last year. Is there still another level for him to attain?
Bresnahan: Everybody has another level. It's all up to how you put the time and effort into it. He's a professional and works at his trade, on the field, off the field, meeting room, at home. He puts in extra study so I'm excited to see him and where he progresses this year and my first year with him.
Q: Back to Scott…Is he exclusively end now or can he possibly go back to backer?
Bresnahan: That's something we won't discuss outside the locker room, but again, you know he gives you versatility, but he's comfortable with where he's at right now.
