Denver Broncos' Jarvis Green Talks Defense, Rookies, QBs and Playoffs

Veteran defensive lineman Jarvis Green knows who the quarterback is. So does the rest of his locker room. The entire team is united behind one guy.

In a Bleacher Report exclusive interview, Green pointed out that Kyle Orton had a great year last year and offered the statement, "He's our quarterback." Twice.

Ironically, that's the same number of Super Bowl rings the former New England Patriot has.

Jarvis was on the other side of the ball last season when Orton outgunned Tom Brady in Denver. After catching glimpses of him so far this year from the other end of the field in OTAs, he is still confident in what Kyle can do.

Furthermore, Green highlighted the fact that the locker room is simply united. The players are feeding off of each other's positive energy in order to get better.

Any perceived turmoil in Denver is nothing more than outsiders' perceptions, or, rather, misconceptions.

Green is hoping to establish himself as a leader on and off the field after joining the star-studded veteran line up in Denver.

When asked if he thought the critics were justified in questioning the age of the Broncos defense, Green quickly pointed out that it was an advantage. He viewed the accomplished players as experienced rather than old. He noted how exciting it was to play with guys like Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins.

Coming off of a knee injury, Green acknowledged that he had to play better than he did for the past two years. He said this was the "best (he has) ever felt."

While full pads have yet to be dawned in practice, Jarvis was also willing to note the competitive spirit of first-year offensive linemen Zane Beadles, Eric Olsen, and J.D. Walton, all of whom didn't strike him as "rookies." He even pointed out how funny that term was in referring to them.

The AFC West is a tough division, Green noted. He said he was ready for the hard hitting running games of divisional opponents. He will have to face rookie Ryan Mathews, Jamaal Charles, and Darren McFadden twice a year. Also, he'll likely get the opportunity to take on Darren Sproles and Dexter McCluster.

He had nothing but positive things to say about the Broncos running game, particularly Knowshon Moreno. He noted he hadn't been given the opportunity to go against him yet.

However, to the benefit of the Denver Broncos, he feels like the defense is entirely new and full of hope for the coming season. He described it as being unlike anything fans have seen before, and referred to it optimistically as the "2010 Broncos' defense."

The attitude on the field has been jovial, playful, and always friendly, but the players are attending to their business.

That should come as great news to fans who are interested in how Josh McDaniels' plan of only using high character guys is panning out.

Jarvis was eager to endorse defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who will be the Broncos' fifth defensive coordinator in five years. He described Wink as the type of guy who makes things, "fair."

Obviously, there has been some competition on defense for spots.

Jarvis himself has been involved in that with last year's starter, Ryan McBean.

The transition process has been good for Green, who has a long standing relationship with Josh McDaniels dating all the way back to his rookie year. Having former Patriots like Daniel Graham, Jabar Gaffney, coach Roman Phifer, and Lonie Paxton, has only served to boost his comfort with the change.

Aside from adjusting to the weather and altitude, Green said moving his family across the country was the hardest part. But he acknowledged how beautiful Colorado is and how excited he is to call it his new home.

Despite expectations for performance on the defensive line, Green said he isn't feeling "(any) pressure at all."

He was thankful to have a guy like Ryan Clady to practice against, as players who are that competitive in practice force defensive linemen to elevate their game.

For Green it was all about the camaraderie.

"Everybody is here for a reason... it is going to be an exciting year," he said, while praising the positive teamwork attitude of the defense, "(but) we don't know what the outcome is going to be."

He made it clear that he thinks the Broncos will be very competitive. And the experience on the defense will help them win this season.

"Young guys don't know what it takes to play a 16-game season. And then you add the playoffs on top of that and you're talking about (another) three to four games."

For Broncos fans everywhere, I can certainly say that after a four-year hiatus, the idea of three or four playoff games certainly sounds appealing.

While he wasn't willing to make any guarantees, the more than courteous Green seemed in great spirits and comfortable in his new home.

He didn't have anything specific that he wanted to say to Denver Broncos fans.

Green, like most Super Bowl-winning veterans, prefers to let his play do the talking for him.