Denver Native (Carol)
09-09-2010, 09:04 PM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Helmets-Off-Jabar-Gaffney/253ae41b-fc5f-445a-82f0-44ab39b6eb52
Jabar Gaffney sits down with DenverBroncos.com to discuss heading home to Jacksonville in Week 1 in the first edition of 'Helmets Off.'
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Jabar Gaffney sat down for a Q&A in late June just as the team was breaking for a month before the start of training camp.
Now after grabbing 10 passes for 143 yards in the preseason, the ninth-year receiver talks about the excitement level heading into Week 1 in the first edition of "Helmets Off." The Jacksonville native heads back home to take on the Jaguars on Sunday.
After a long offseason, Week 1 is finally here. Is this the time of year you live for as a football player?
"Definitely. There's nothing like opening day. With all that stuff during the spring -- the OTAs, the minicamps, the training camps -- all to get to this day, opening day. It's in front of us and we've got a great chance."
For you in particular, opening day means a return home to Jacksonville. Are you excited for the homecoming?
"It's always fun to go back and play in front of your hometown crowd, and family and friends are going to be there. Other than that it's just a chance to go out and play another game of football."
Will you have a lot of family and friends at the game?
"Definitely. Everybody will be at that game. Being out here, it's kind of far away, but going right back home everybody put in their request. They put in their requests as soon as the schedule was released."
Brian Dawkins, Tim Tebow and Marcus Thomas are also from Jacksonville. Do you four reminisce about the area?
"We talk about it every now and then. We're all looking forward to going back there. Hopefully it will be a great day."
As for the actual game, what challenges do the Jaguars present to you as a receiver?
"They're a good defense. Always have been. We'll have our hands full. We'll have to go out there and execute and do our jobs. If we do that, we should be alright. If not, then it could be a long day."
Now that the receiving corps is finalized, how would you describe the group?
"In my eyes, I think we're a pretty good group. Now we've got to go out there and show that every game. This is our first chance to go out there and show what we can be about. We're all excited. We're all looking forward to the challenge."
With the way the offense performed in the preseason, how excited are you to get on the field for four quarters?
"It's time. It's that time. We're ready. We've got to put 60 minutes together and play a complete game. There's no coming out -- it's not the preseason."
How important is it to get off to a fast start in Week 1?
"Every win is critical. As many as you can get, the better. Each week you don't want to let an opportunity go. It will be a lot better to come into the second game saying that you're 1-0 instead of 0-1."
Does it bother you to open the season on the road?
"We don't put any thought into it. You've got to open up somewhere. It's still going to be the field, 100 yards, and go out there and play whether it's home or away."
The way Kyle Orton spread the ball around in the preseason, is there a feeling you could get the ball on any play?
"Everybody is always a viable option. We've got to go out there and run every route like you're the main target."
How confident is the offense heading into the season?
"We definitely know we have a lot of weapons and a lot of talent on offense. If we execute, if everybody does their job, we can be real special."
Jabar Gaffney sits down with DenverBroncos.com to discuss heading home to Jacksonville in Week 1 in the first edition of 'Helmets Off.'
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Jabar Gaffney sat down for a Q&A in late June just as the team was breaking for a month before the start of training camp.
Now after grabbing 10 passes for 143 yards in the preseason, the ninth-year receiver talks about the excitement level heading into Week 1 in the first edition of "Helmets Off." The Jacksonville native heads back home to take on the Jaguars on Sunday.
After a long offseason, Week 1 is finally here. Is this the time of year you live for as a football player?
"Definitely. There's nothing like opening day. With all that stuff during the spring -- the OTAs, the minicamps, the training camps -- all to get to this day, opening day. It's in front of us and we've got a great chance."
For you in particular, opening day means a return home to Jacksonville. Are you excited for the homecoming?
"It's always fun to go back and play in front of your hometown crowd, and family and friends are going to be there. Other than that it's just a chance to go out and play another game of football."
Will you have a lot of family and friends at the game?
"Definitely. Everybody will be at that game. Being out here, it's kind of far away, but going right back home everybody put in their request. They put in their requests as soon as the schedule was released."
Brian Dawkins, Tim Tebow and Marcus Thomas are also from Jacksonville. Do you four reminisce about the area?
"We talk about it every now and then. We're all looking forward to going back there. Hopefully it will be a great day."
As for the actual game, what challenges do the Jaguars present to you as a receiver?
"They're a good defense. Always have been. We'll have our hands full. We'll have to go out there and execute and do our jobs. If we do that, we should be alright. If not, then it could be a long day."
Now that the receiving corps is finalized, how would you describe the group?
"In my eyes, I think we're a pretty good group. Now we've got to go out there and show that every game. This is our first chance to go out there and show what we can be about. We're all excited. We're all looking forward to the challenge."
With the way the offense performed in the preseason, how excited are you to get on the field for four quarters?
"It's time. It's that time. We're ready. We've got to put 60 minutes together and play a complete game. There's no coming out -- it's not the preseason."
How important is it to get off to a fast start in Week 1?
"Every win is critical. As many as you can get, the better. Each week you don't want to let an opportunity go. It will be a lot better to come into the second game saying that you're 1-0 instead of 0-1."
Does it bother you to open the season on the road?
"We don't put any thought into it. You've got to open up somewhere. It's still going to be the field, 100 yards, and go out there and play whether it's home or away."
The way Kyle Orton spread the ball around in the preseason, is there a feeling you could get the ball on any play?
"Everybody is always a viable option. We've got to go out there and run every route like you're the main target."
How confident is the offense heading into the season?
"We definitely know we have a lot of weapons and a lot of talent on offense. If we execute, if everybody does their job, we can be real special."