Transcript of Tebow's meeting with the media.
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) prays in the end zone before the start of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, in Denver.Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow discusses Denver's 41-23 loss to the Patriots:
On what went wrong after the strong start
"Well, first and foremost I have to thank my lord and savior, Jesus Christ, first, and, I also want to thank my teammates for the effort that they played with all day. And the coaches coached extremely hard, and we kept fighting for the entire day, and that's something that I'm extremely proud of.
"We did have things going pretty well early. [We] scored on our first three possessions, and we felt like we were moving the ball pretty well, but then we put [the ball] on the ground, and that's something you can't do versus a great team and [New England QB] Tom Brady and [New England coach] Bill Belichick. Besides that, we were right there with them, and there's a lot of great things that we can take out of this game and try to improve and get better. I think every time there's a setback it's just more of an opportunity for a new step up and to make something even bigger and better. We're going to be excited about this week going to Buffalo, and we're going to be extremely motivated. We'll have a good week at practice."
On the team's mentality after the loss
"Everybody is very positive; just encouraging each other. We'll go at it here in a few days and get ready for Buffalo."
On his mind-set entering the game
"It was another game versus another good team, a team that's been a perennial power and a team where we feel like we can compete with, and we did. We just have to do it a little bit more consistently. We'll try to go and see if we can do that and improve a little bit each and every day."
On the feeling of being ahead (16-7) early
"You know that [Tom] Brady is going to make his plays. So we were just focused, and it was unfortunate that our next two possessions, guys made great plays. You've got to give them props for it, but at the same time we've just got to hang onto the ball. That's my fault, and I'll get that straight."
On the effect RB Willis McGahee's short absence had on the offense
"I think there are some other factors that went into that-the turnovers, and then we were playing from behind a little bit, and then we had 58 seconds where we were trying to get the ball down the field, so that possession wasn't one where we would have been running the ball too much anyways. But then [McGahee] came back in the second half and had a few nice runs, so Willis is a great player. But also [RBs] Lance [Ball] and Jeremiah [Johnson], they step in and do a great job as well."
On what he can do to protect the football
"There's something I need to do better to protect it, for sure. [New England DE Mark Anderson] just came in real fast, and I probably should have handed it off. I tried to make a play and get it out to [WR] Eddie [Royal] quick, and [Anderson] got a hand on it and made a great play. You could tell he was well coached with it. He played it very well, so he did a great job. But I've just got to do a better job."
On the Broncos' three turnovers
"That's one of our main keys, is holding onto the ball; no turnovers. If we hold onto the ball in this game, who knows what happens. That's one of our biggest keys, if not the biggest. So we've just got to improve with it and get a little bit better, and I know we're going to do that."
On if he and the Broncos are improving in the passing game
"I feel like we've gotten better throwing the ball. We were able to do a lot of what we wanted to early, throwing the ball. We were right in groove, and we were able to do some good things. Then we got behind and were pressing a little bit, but I think we're getting better, with the timing with receivers, and the receivers step up and do a great job. They definitely make me look a lot better than I am."
On if the Broncos can play in a shoot-out game
"I know for the most part that when we held onto the ball we were able to move the ball. So that was a good sign. We've just got to find a way to get a little bit better and improve, and I know we're going to do that."
On if he heard the hype of this game being Brady vs. Tebow
"I don't pay too much attention to [the hype] anyways. I just know it was the New England Patriots coming to play the Denver Broncos, and it was two teams going head-to-head-I believe two pretty good teams-and [New England] just had an edge on us because we dropped the ball on the ground, and that's something we've got to do better."
On putting together a full game for all four quarters
"We definitely have to be consistent. That's something that we can improve on. That's something that ... I think if we don't have those turnovers, I think we're able to keep that balance of run-pass and hopefully keep [the Patriots] on their heels a little bit. It's just something we've got to improve on."
"I think we're just trying to continue to stay balanced [in] run-pass. I think we can give defenses a lot of looks: under center to power run, to sub-formations, half-runs, to play-actions to some of the option game. So there's a lot of different looks the defense has to prepare for."
On how others may view his play today
"Honestly, to me, that really doesn't matter because ultimately you're judged on wins and losses, and that's why we play the game. It's disappointing we came away with a loss, but I know there's a lot of things we can build on, offensively, defensively and special teams-we know that in every phase we can get a little bit better. And I think that gives us a lot of confidence as a team because we were with [New England] for a lot of that game, and we still know there's a lot of improvement that we can continue to make every day in practice and every single game. So hopefully if we got another opportunity we could put forth a better effort."
On Denver's offensive struggles late in the game
"At the end, [the Patriots] are pinning their ears back because they know we're going to pass and we have to. We just don't have enough time to be balanced. They have some great players. [DL] Gerard Warren and [DL] Vince Wilfork and the two guys off the edges, they play hard and consistent, and they keep in their lanes, and they had some good stunts. They played well. I think every time Gerard Warren hit me (he played at Florida, like Tebow) he said something about Florida as well, so that was pretty funny."
"Our offensive line did a great job. They hung in there, and they competed, and I'm so proud of them and thankful for the effort they put forth."
On what New England QB Tom Brady said to him after the game
"He was very complimentary. He was very nice. What a great quarterback, and what a class act he is, and for a lot of young quarterbacks, he does a lot of great things to look up to and try to emulate."
On what New England coach Bill Belichick said to him after the game
"He was very nice. He said very nice things, as well, and he's always been very supportive. He just said that he believes in me, and [to] keep fighting, and he's proud of how I played and stuff like that. It's very nice coming from a coach like that."
On how being down three scores changes the offense's game plan
"If we feel like we don't have enough time than I think it would a little bit, which that was the case there at the end ... but we were able to move the ball kind of up and down the field, but then we got sacked and there's the fourth-down play where I was just trying to make something happen, and, I don't know, [I had] a loss of 40 [yards] or something, so that was disappointing. [I] felt like we should have gotten points on that drive. Wish we could have gotten a touchdown. And then at the end, you know, [the Patriots] are pinning their ears back and coming and double-covering some guys. So it's just disappointing. We just can't necessarily put ourselves in that situation."
On if the Patriots were running a 'prevent offense' late in the game
"They've got some great coaches, and they've got a great scheme-offense, defense, special teams. I think the reason they are so good and the reason they win a lot of games is because in situational football they are at their best-on third downs, in the red area, with turnovers. So, just that as an example (New England's offensive approach on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the game) is something impressive that we just have to improve on a little bit."
On being one game up in the AFC West with two games to play
"I definitely feel like we're alright. We've got two big games (at Buffalo, vs. Kansas City). We'll prepare extremely hard for each one; we'll take it one day at a time. We're excited about where we're at, and we're going to continue to be positive and stay motivated and just try to improve, like we've done every single day in practice."
On what Denver coach John Fox said to the team after the game
"He just [stressed] staying positive. We've got some big games coming up, so let's just continue to get better as a team, and we can't make a few of those mistakes. We can't put the ball on the ground on offense, and [we] just [need to] try and improve."
On the play of former teammate and New England TE Aaron Hernandez
"I wished he didn't do it against us, but good for him. He's a great kid and great player, and I'm so proud of him and how hard he's worked and what he's overcome. I'm not necessarily sure why. I guess you could say New England is smart for taking him [in the NFL Draft], but they also waited until the fourth round, so a lot of teams passed on a great player and one of the best tight ends in the league in my opinion. He's pretty good. I was happy to have him on my team for a long time, and it's not always fun to play against him."