Vance Joseph - Head Coach, broncos Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-10 | Full transcript (primary source).
Vance Joseph, Head Coach of the Broncos, addressed the media during a press conference on September 10, 2026, as the team prepared for their opening game of the NFL season. The discussion centered around the return of key players and the team's readiness to compete despite recent injuries.
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Transcript
Joseph: Obviously Patrick's first game back, but what sort of challenge do you expect even as he's come out the injury? I think Patrick's gonna be Patrick, you know, in my opinion. He wouldn't play if he couldn't be himself. He's had a good, you know summer and spring kind of rehab and you know from what I hear and from what I read, you know, he's feeling great. You know, so we expect Patrick to be Patrick. He is obviously the guy in the league who wins awful lot, you know, and he's obviously motivated and it's a big game for them. It's a big game for us. Obviously, it's week one so everyone's healthy and excited to play so we'll get his best shot.
Joseph: Obviously when you lose a player like Coop he's been a starter for us for three seasons. You know that definitely hurts you, you know, but our roster is constructed where every player that we pick for the roster we expect to go in and play well, you know, the standard won't change, you know Jonah's played well for two years and you know to be quite honest I'm trying to get him more reps over the years. He hadn't played enough, you know, and he's been a good player for us for a long time so the world will finally see that.
Joseph: You know Q obviously played a little bit for us last year. I couldn't play him enough last year. So he's got a chance to play for us and that's a good thing. We've drafted very well that room. It's one of our deepest rooms, you know on our football team. So I expect no drop-off the standards to standard and I think those kids to play well.
Joseph: Well, he brings a run first mentality. I mean he can obviously he can you know, the tough runs for four yards five yards, but he has the ability also to take it 60 to hit home run. And that's that makes backs dangerous. Like I don't worry about the back stack and get four yards and you know, kind of one on one tap you can pick them up, but this guy's not that way. I mean he can get the tough for he can run through warm tackles but he can also make you miss and go 60 that makes him dangerous.
Joseph: And you know, the Chiefs have always been a great screen team. So this guy in space is a problem. You know, if he gets in a secondary University of your DB's he can break tackles. So having a plan for him is obviously important for us. They signed him for a reason. They want to get back to you know, run first and that obviously makes your play action pass game a lot better. You know, they want to take deep shots but to do that they got to draw the backers up and the safety sometimes and he does that for them. So it was a perfect fit for that offense.
Joseph: You and Eric the enemy are about as tight as it gets.
Joseph: Absolutely. You get a little jump in your step up against many times.
Joseph: Yeah, absolutely, you know, we talked what three times this week, but we have a rule, you know, we don't talk two days out. You know, so starting I guess Saturday no conversations until after the game, you know, but yeah, I mean he's my brother, you know, frat brother teammate all of that stuff and he's going through some things right now, obviously, you know, it's public and he's in a good spot right now. His family's getting better. He's getting better and uh be fun to see him on Monday.
Joseph: How about what he brings their offense back?
Joseph: Well, he's he's always been the fire starter and he's always been an intense competitor from a player to a coach a teammate. He's going to bring accountability, you know, he's gonna bring a discipline, you know, whatever they're doing offensively. His touch and his strength is to make him do it efficiently and do it right all the time. The standards gonna be high daily. He doesn't give you a break as a teammate as a coach on his staff. That's his personality. He's always been that way even as a teammate in college my first college start or college plays his senior year man. I'm in a huddle and I call a play wrong that like killed him, you know, I'm like he's my first play in college football he did not care.
Joseph: So he's never changed that he's a great coach and he's gonna bring that back to that football team.
Joseph: Hey, so Shawn transitions away from play calling I'm just curious if you noticed anything different about the way he handles practice or approaches his job as head coach just anything that you think is altered?
Joseph: No, but I think one of coaches strengths man is team building. I mean he is fabulous in front of the team. He can paint a picture each week for each opponent that we're playing. You know that Wednesday meeting is interesting because he can paint a picture and most of the time that's the picture that happens. That's his strength and you know, he can explain opponents. He can explain the keys to victory things we have to do to win games and he's usually right.
Joseph: So I think for him, you know, he can spend more time doing that. Obviously he's still involved with the offense and the defense and specialty because he's responsible for all of it but he has more time now to do his thing. That's that's his best trait in my opinion man. It's team building keeping guys on edge and keeping everybody, you know, humble and moving forward when it's really good. He's hard keeps you going. That's that's old school coach Purcell's, you know, and and when it's bad, you know, he shows grace, you know, and that's also old school and coach Purcell. So, you know, he's he's in his element. He's happy, you know, he's getting rest, you know, so it's been fun to watch.
Joseph: Adjustments as you figure out the unknown.
Joseph: Yeah week one is always tough. Even though, you know playing these guys every year twice a year and playing them for a long time week one is always tough because it's gonna be some unscouted looks, you know. And in both sides will have those and if you can nail those early and get past those without having, you know, tragic results. That's the key, you know so I think for us going a road is gonna be a hostile environment just playing clean early and obviously getting past the unscouted looks because everyone goes to the offseason within your system you have to adjust, you know, we do it every single year and I'm sure Andy and he's doing the same. So just getting past those looks earliest. It's the stress for me on defense.
Joseph: Since the last time you guys played Patrick Mahomes, do you have Patrick Sertan on your side?
Joseph: Yes, it's injured. How much of that help your defense schemes that helps that helps a lot. I mean obviously having Patrick out there, you know, we can game plan through a corner and not having Pat last year versus the Chiefs the first time it's it's more spreading the stress around but when Pat's playing corner for me I'm putting the stress on Pat and I want the ball to go there and that's my goal when I'm game planning I want the ball to go to Pat Sertan. So if you're gonna avoid that avoid it, but I'm hoping my game plans don't let you avoid it. So having Pat definitely is a big deal.
Joseph: Yeah, I think the stress with Watto is he's a fast guy that can stop and start he can catch the ball in traffic and if he catch the short pass he never loses speed and that's a problem because he can catch a slant and go 60. He can also run a nine ball pass you so those guys are the most dangerous in the league. The guys who can catch the ball moving full speed with great hands never lose speed man. So the slant becomes a 60 yard game the nine balls a nine ball. But I think that's that's what he brings to the table and in this league explosive plays that's what a point to score. It's stopping the run is always gonna be important but if you want to score points, it's done through explosive plays and that's what that's especially, you know, and that's short or long that makes them dangerous.
