Head coach Gary Kubiak
On what he sees from Kyle Shanahan's offense:
"Well, they're exceptional. Obviously they're at the top of the league right now, moving the ball all over the place. But Kyle is extremely bright, very sharp and a great teacher. Knows how to attack defenses; works extremely hard. When Kyle was with me (in Houston) he coached receivers, and he coached quarterbacks, then he was a coordinator. Kyle's moved up the ladder the right way: working his tail off."
On the challenge of covering Julio Jones:
"It's the ultimate challenge — the job that he does, and Kyle moves him all over the place. In this league there's one challenge after another, and you just try to get your guys to stay focused on what we do and how we do things. So that's what we really try to do as a group. On defense, all 11 of us will have to play well; it's not about one guy. So we're really going to try to stay focused on our football team and what we need to do to be successful"
On defending Atlanta's versatile offense:
"It's extremely difficult. Like I said, because Kyle does move people all over the place, and in this league you've got to do that to get guys the ball. They're running the ball extremely well; they're making a lot of explosive football plays. It's a lot of guys making those plays for them. They're extremely balanced in what they're doing and that's a credit to Kyle and the staff and the job they're doing."
On how Kyle Shanahan has evolved as a coach:
"I've studied his film all the time, obviously, because, being together for a long time, he's really branched out. Playing a lot of personnels. I think his offense has had new identities every year — I think that's a credit to him. He studies really hard, and like I said, you just watch that group grow together. Up front, they're playing extremely well up front. They're not only throwing the ball well but running the ball well."
Linebacker Von Miller
On the Falcons offense:
"They're running the ball pretty good, they're passing the ball excellent. They've got a very solid offensive line. Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Tevin (Coleman) of course and Matt Ryan makes it all go."
On how instrumental Richard Smith, Atlanta's defensive coordinator and former Broncos coach, was to the early part of his career:
"He was very instrumental. Really a catalyst in getting me going. still to this day I tell some of the rookies, some of the young guys, I tell them some of the stuff Coach Smith told me. That mindset that he had really got me going. Some of the stuff that he taught me, I still use to this day."
On what impresses him most about Matt Ryan:
"He's always had a strong arm. He's making all the throws, making all the decisions. He's leading the league in passing and only has two interceptions. He's been excellent this year."
On Devonta Freeman:
"Devonta, he's just legendary. He can make all the cuts, he's good out of the backfield, he's good in the backfield — he's just an all-around running back."
On Dwight Freeney teaching him his spin move:
"(A few years ago) I was talking about his spin move. That was something I really wanted to do, something I really wanted in my arsenal. I watched a lot of film on him, got with him; we worked out together. … He showed me what, essentially, having a great spin move (takes). I attribute my spin move to Dwight Freeney."
On Jake Matthews:
"Jake has grown tremendously. He's a tough tackle. You can just turn on the film, and you can just see, 'That's the alpha. That's the alpha O-lineman.' I'm proud of him, I went to school with Jake (at Texas A&M). Proud of him. He's legendary. Already a top left tackle in this league. And we're going to have to have a great pass rush to get the game going."
