** General manager Charley Casserly
(opening statement) **"We have selected two offensive linemen here to begin the third round. We had some offers trade wise to move back, but none of them we felt were of equal value of the two players that we could take. So this is a scenario that we hoped would happen. All along we felt the third round would be a real good round for us in this draft. We thought having the two picks together was going to be a real bonus. We had thought about moving one of them back, but there was no deal that really materialized enough for us to pass up two offensive linemen here. So Gary is going to talk about them and talk about how they are going to fit in and how they are going to line up."
**Head coach Gary Kubiak
(opening statement)** "This is awesome. I can't believe that things panned out this way, but we are so excited for these two young men to be here. We'll start with Charles Spencer, University of Pittsburgh. This young man played defense in college for a couple of years and then got moved to offense. Played guard, actually missed spring ball that first year when he was being moved to guard. Came back and played tackle as a senior. Towards the end of his season as a senior probably played as well as any tackles that we studied. I'll tell you where he really jumped at us is when he went to the Senior Bowl and to watch this young man compete and the job he did. On the biggest stage you could be on as a college player for that week, he really jumped at us. We worked him out personally to reassure ourselves. A fine young man with just a big time up side and just the fact that this will be his third year as an offensive football player. Just a massive young man, very strong, great demeanor. We just feel very fortunate.
"I think everybody would know more about Eric (Winston). A very high profile linemen at the University of Miami or was a tight end that got moved to tackle. Tore his knee up as a junior and missed that season. He came back this year and was fine. Played throughout the whole season, so he's coming off that knee and he made it through the whole season and got better and better as the season went along. Probably had that not happened to this young man, we're talking about a first round tackle this year. We're very fortunate. We knew this was our number one on the offensive side of the ball. We've got to get better up front and this gives us a chance with these two young men to put them outside and we feel that both have a very excellent chance at playing tackle. Both quality young men and it gives us some flexibility and some good young talent up front. With our additions once again throughout the offseason and these two young men, we feel very good about it. We've been able to improve our football team today. We've gotten bigger and stronger we've been able to fill some very important needs with those four picks. Great job by Charley. It's been a great day and we'll finish up here today and get ready for tomorrow."
(on if he expects both players to be tackles) "Yes I do. We will put one on the left. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I think we'll put Charles on the left to start and Eric on the right and we will go from there. The thing about both of them is that I think they can both go inside and play. You see them as tackles and that is the way we studied them and that is the way we plan on getting started with them and we'll get started from them and we'll go from there. They are going to play a long time in this league."
(on competing for the starting job) "Oh yes. Everybody on our football team will be competing for a starting job. I told you guys from the start that is one of my biggest goals this offseason was to create competition on this football team. There is no reason for anybody to have a comfort zone right now. We all have to go out there and earn our keep and we'll start doing that here in a couple weeks."
Casserly
(on coaching with Eric Winston's dad) "That's a long time ago, so the first thing we don't want to do is call up Eric Winston's dad and ask him stories from 1976-77 when we coached high school football together. But we did. It's the ultimate irony in this. Obviously as far as the selection process, but its true."
(on them being possible higher picks) "Yes, there's no question about that. Gary talked about Winston's unfortunate injury that obviously probably cost him draft slots and Charles Spencer is the guy that we feel if he had probably played four years that one position, then the offensive line would gone higher than here. This guy had an outstanding Senior Bowl. He's gotten better and better the two years he was there and quite frankly were surprised that they were there and, we are happy they were there These are two very good prospects on the offensive line is something we wanted to address. We are very fortunate that they are there together. If we would have gotten one we would have been happy, getting two you feel very fortunate."
*Kubiak *
(on how Spencer and Winston fit into the zone blocking) "They both fit in. Eric being a former tight end it goes without saying the way he can move around. Charles is a bigger man, but when you watch him play in the box and you see him do the type of things we want him to do, run and cut and do the those types of things, there is no doubt in my mind he'll fit in our system very well.
(on Zach Wiegert at guard) "No, Zach will be our right tackle as we start our camps and we expect him to
play very well there I think he played very well for this team when he was playing
outside last year."
(on Fred Weary playing right guard) "Actually I know we haven't talked about this much but we plan on moving Chester (Pitts) back inside and playing Chester inside. This gives us some flexibility to do that and still have great competition on our football team."
(on if Spencer and Winston's lack of experience on offensive line hurts them) "Oh yes. Anytime you bring a young kid in here and everything we're going to
throw at them that concerns you. But both these young men in talking to them
and our study of them, we feel like they'll catch up with us very fast. We think
that they'll compete at a high level to play on our football team very quick."
