Knowshon Moreno

NEWARK: New jersey native and Denver Broncos standout running back Knowshon Moreno at Tuesday’s Media Day.

RUNNING BACK KNOWSHON MORENO

(on returning to his home state of New Jersey for the Super Bowl) “It’s an awesome opportunity just to get back home and see my family, see friends and enjoy the atmosphere.”

(on the influence of his grandmother in helping to shape him into who he is today) “It means a lot. She’s been there for so long, she’s taught me how to become a humble man, respectful and to keep good people around you. She’s done so much, and we have a great time together for sure.”

(on what he was like as a child) “I wasn’t too wild as a kid. I just kind of kept everything simple and just did what I had to do to get my grades up in school and make sure I was doing the right things so I was able to play football. So I had to keep my grades up and all that stuff, so I kind of kept it under wraps. (My grandmother) didn’t have to put her foot down too much. It was good.”

(on receiving a visit from his hometown football coach) “It was awesome; he surprised me. I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ He has his suit on, looking all good. It was good to see him. It’s been a while since I saw him. Stuff is so crazy throughout the season, offseasons can sometimes (be) tough to get back home, but at the same time it was really good to see him.”

(on what his high school coach means to his life) “He means a lot. I almost thought about quitting football, not playing football. He taught me to just stay consistent, working hard to get better each day, so he means a lot. He’s like a family member to me; he’s like a dad to me. There’s a lot of other coaches the same way, but he has a special place in my heart, for sure.”

(on going from practice squad to starting in a Super Bowl) “It’s just been a great journey. Everyone has their own things that they go through throughout life, their own journey, and my journey has been something special. I learned from every mistake, I learned from all the good times and the bad times, and I just grew from every opportunity I got. You know, things don’t always go your way; it’s what you make of the opportunity and I’ve just done that. It feels good to be in this position, coming to a Super Bowl and have the opportunity to fight for a championship, for the trophy. It’s not going to be easy. It’s a tough test we have ahead of us, so these next couple of days (we have) to fine-tune what we already have planned and make sure we’re doing the right things so that when game day comes, we’ll just go out there and play football.”

(on his strategy to find holes and get up field against the No. 1-ranked Seattle defense) “Just to make sure we stay consistent, try to stay on the field as long as possible. You don’t want to have too many three-and-outs; you want to stay on the field and try to put points on the board. They’re a great team. Great defense, great offense, all-around a good team. We’ve got to make sure we’re on our P’s and Q’s, make sure we’re doing the right things to come up with a big victory.”

(on his relationship with QB Peyton Manning) “He helps so much. The guy strives for perfection, he knows so much about the game, so he kind of rubs off on you in that matter. I think this whole team has a special bond; we all play for each other. We go out there and try to get the win for each other each week. This is the main one. We worked so hard throughout the offseason to get into this position, and it’s not easy. There have been tough times, everything hasn’t been always good. We’ve fought through all that adversity to put us into this position. We’re going to lay it all on the line, our hearts on the line, and see what happens.”

(on his grandmother’s gold slippers he wore in high school for luck) “You know what, I do still have those; they’re at home. I don’t wear them anymore. But for some reason one day, I was running late for something and was like, ‘You know what, I’ve got to put something on my feet.’ I threw my grandma’s slippers on, gold, small, and I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to wear them.’ It was to a game, and we never lost after that, so I had to wear the slippers every time we had a game. They’re held up real nice and secure up in my room, and I don’t touch them. Those gold slippers mean a lot.”

(on if he sees any weaknesses in the Seattle defense) “They’re No. 1 for a reason: there’s not many weaknesses. They play too good. They fly around to the ball, they make good tackles, they get turnovers, they’re No. 1. (They’re a) really good team.”
(on pulling himself out of a game as a high school freshman following two fumbles) “You know, I was young and things happen. You never want to let your teammates down. That was always my thing: I never wanted to let my teammates down in any way. Those two fumbles cost us the game and could have cost us more than that. I was just upset, upset with myself, and I wanted to work on those things. Things happen in football. It’s football, things are going to happen. It’s what you do when no one’s watching, that work you put in when no one’s watching, and I tried to do that as best as I can.”

(on what will impact him most on Sunday) “You know, I’m going to have to try to keep calm the whole time. Different players that have been in this position say how everything is dragged out a little bit. I mean, the longer halftime, longer this, longer that. There’s a lot going on. For me, I get real emotional and real fired up quick, so they just told me, ‘You’ve got to keep it calm for a little bit because there’s going to be a lot going on.’ I think for me, that’s going to be my toughest thing, just staying calm and waiting for that moment to happen.”

(on being a running back in a pass-heavy offense) “We just try to stay balanced as much as possible. If the pass is working, pass the ball. If the run’s working, run the ball. We try to stay as balanced as possible, but at the end of the day, all you want to do is get wins. You want to get to this big game right here. We’re working hard right now to get the biggest win of our lives.”

(on who the first person will be on his mind if Denver wins) “I don’t even know what that feeling will be like. In high school, we won three state championships and each time was special. (The Super Bowl) is the biggest ever. Who will I think about? I don’t even know. I think emotion will just (be) flowing. The happiest I would be about is the older guys on this team, the Peyton’s, the Champ’s (CB Champ Bailey), I’ll be happy for those guys. I mean, they’ve been doing it for so long, to finally get one. So once it all sets in, I’ll be thinking about all kinds of stuff.”

(on dreaming of playing in the Super Bowl as a kid) “Every kid’s dreamed of that. Every little kid’s played out in the back yard or played out in the courtyard and dreamed about being in the Super Bowl. It’s just surreal, it’s just crazy that we’ve put ourselves in a good position. But at the same time, it’s not over yet. I’m a competitor, we’re all competitors, and we’re out here to get the biggest win of our lives. So we have a lot of preparation, a lot of work to do ahead of us just to get that win versus a very good team.”

(on not putting pressure on himself to go pro after college) “A lot of guys are good, especially in high school and college. A lot of guys are good, but it’s just a select few that make it. I never really pushed that. I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to do what I do, I’m going to play the game that I love to play, and if things happen, and I’m blessed enough to get there and make it to the NFL, that was my calling; it is what it is.’ So I never really pushed it too much. I was just like, ‘I’m out here playing ball.’ I mean, (at the University of Georgia) we had (Detroit QB) Matthew Stafford, (Cincinnati WR) A.J. Green, all those guys. I mean great, great athletes, great players, great people. I was just having fun with them and had fun being a part of that team.”

(on when he felt he could play professionally) “I’m a competitor. Every level, high school, college and the pros, you have to have confidence in yourself, you have to go out there and compete. It’s all about competing; that’s it. I’m a competitor, I don’t care if we’re playing chess, checkers, rock-paper-scissors, I don’t care. I want to win. I’m a competitor. So, therefore, I just made sure that every opportunity I got, I just went out there and competed (so that) the best man may win.”

(on returning to MetLife Stadium) “I had the opportunity early this season to play at Giants Stadium (MetLife Stadium), and that was awesome. I had so many family (members) here, so many friends from all over the place, so that was great. Just to be back to see their faces again, it just means a lot. So to come out with a victory would mean even more, but at the same time, I’m just happy to be back home.”

(on how Manning has taught him to be a better professional football player) “He taught me how to be a professional. The guy comes into work every day ready to work; he comes in prepared, he studies, watches film. That rubs off on me, and that’s what put us in this position, just to work hard each day and to get better.”

(on comparing all the coaches for which he has played) “Each coach is different. I have been blessed to be a part of a lot of different coaches: (University of Georgia) Coach (Mark) Richt, (Middletown [N.J.] HS coach) Steve Antonucci, (Denver) Coach (John) Fox, all those guys. Everyone has their own little gist, their own little style that they put on top of it. But I can’t lie, in high school, Steve Antonucci, he gets me too fired up. His pregame speeches are phenomenal, always got us ready to go out there and compete and go to work. That was our thing: we’d stand there at the goal line (saying), ‘Time to go to work. Time to go to work.’ And that’s what it was. We were going to work every day to compete and win, and that’s why we were so successful.”

(on if Manning’s arrival last year made the Super Bowl a more realistic goal) “I think every team, especially in the offseason and getting ready, preparing each day, you think you have that team. You say, ‘You know what, I think this is the team where we could really make it.’ But at the end of the day, you’ve got to make it. You’ve got to win those tough games. You have to put that work in during the offseason. You have to put that work in during the season. Everyone wants to be there, but it’s just a select few that really make it. We’re really blessed to be in this position right now, and I think a lot of guys want to take advantage of this opportunity, put their hearts on the line playing a very good team and come out with a big victory.”

(on soaking in the experience of playing in a Super Bowl) “It’s a great opportunity. This atmosphere is crazy, you know. You’ve never really been a part of this. There are so many media members around, fans, friends, family. It’s just really cool to be a part of this. You don’t want to take anything for granted; you want to kind of relish this moment, be happy that you’re here, but at the same time, you want to come out with a big win.”

(on if he will walk back to his New Jersey hometown if Denver wins like fellow native S Mike Adams) “No, he’s walking way too far. I’m not doing that. I’ll take a car. No, Mike Adams is awesome, but I’m not walking that far.”

(on what Draft Day was like for him) “That was a special moment, just to be able to celebrate that with my family and friends. We were all there hanging out watching it on TV, so just for them to experience that definitely meant a lot to me. Just for (former Denver) Coach (Josh) McDaniels giving me the opportunity to play in the league and try to fight for a position. Even though you make it, even though you get drafted or whatever it is, maybe you’re not drafted, you’ve still got to compete. You’ve still got to get better each day just to have a spot on the team. I’m really thankful to (have gotten) the opportunity.”

(on if cold weather affects the way he plays) “No, it really doesn’t. At the end of the day, you’ve got to make plays, you’ve got to execute, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to execute and put points on the board to win the game. It really doesn’t matter what the weather is going to be like.”

(on if he has ever considered that he is playing behind one of the best quarterbacks of all time) “It’s crazy because we’ve been together as a team, worked with him and put in that hard work, so it’s kind of crazy. We don’t really think about it. He’s a part of the family, we’re all family, and we try to get better each day.”

(on what kind of music he listens to before games) “I listen to all kinds of music to tell you the truth: slow music, rock, rap. (Slow music) gets me calm.”

(on how much he has changed over the last year) “With me, injuries definitely played a factor not being on the field and not being productive in that matter. I just wanted to get my body back right and make sure I am on the field to help out any way possible. I didn’t care what I was doing; I don’t care if I was running water out to the guys. I just wanted to be a part of this team, help them out any way possible and go out there and compete.”