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**Q: You know it's funny how careers come and go and things change and you certainly have had a different road to take, and now you are back playing as a starter. How has that felt? And how has the adjustment period working out?

DK:** It's been a little bit of a roller coaster, my career to this point. I feel very fortunate that the Broncos gave me a second chance after I was away from the game for a little while. I feel very comfortable with the system now. I've got the benefit now of some great coaches. You know I have had some good coaches throughout my career, but I think these guys have done the best job so far preparing their quarterback to play in a game. I feel fortunate to be in a system like this.

**Q: What was it like in 2001-2002? You are out of the NFL and you played baseball. What was that experience like in the Atlantic League?

DK:** Baseball was great. I had a good time doing it. I was basically just trying to keep my competitive juices flowing. I wanted to do something where I was actively competing everyday. Football teams weren't calling. It was tough finding a job. So, I decided to go out there to stay busy. I was lifting a lot of weights, but you can only work out so much in a weight room all day. I wanted to try something a little bit different. I really had a good time playing up along the eastern seaboard.

**Q: What position did you play? What were your stats? And who did you play with?

DK:** I played first and third. I hit around .250. I actually took Jose Cansaco's spot. He was gone off the team for about a week and I played first after he left.

**Q: Did he lend you his car?

DK:** No. My second start playing first base, I faced Mitch Williams "The Wild Thing." He threw nine innings against us. I think I was 1-for-4. I played alright, considering I hadn't hit a fastball in seven years.

**Q: Did you miss football that year?

DK:** Oh yeah. The whole time I was out, it was really frustrating. I was watching games on Sunday and just missed everything about the game. It was really frustrating to feel like I could be on a team helping them out. I felt like I was still able to play and perform in this league. It was pretty frustrating, but I think it developed some perseverance in me and developed some character in me. I think it's a good thing, now.

**Q: Was it always your intention to get back into the NFL, during that time away?

DK:** Definitely. I never for a second thought about retiring or quitting. Even the baseball deal was a little sidebar just to do something because I was going nuts sitting at home in Florida just working out. I definitely had my eyes on the injury reports and was making a lot of phone calls to a lot of teams.

**Q: When you signed with Denver, was it a place where they looked likely to need a quarterback? How did that all happen?

DK:** Basically, it was probably in March, I sent out to about 15 different teams. I sent out tapes and a letter saying, 'Hey if there is any opening.' All I was looking for was another chance to show teams what I could do and a few teams called back. Denver was one of them. And they said, 'Hey we'll let you come in here to our passing camp and we'll give you a look.' It was like a three or four day tryout. From there, they liked what they saw and they continued to give me opportunities and things worked out.

**Q: And after that all you had to do was kick [Jake] Plummer in the foot and break [Steve] Beuerlein's finger?

DK:** Yeah right. The way things worked out, it happened so fast, it has been so crazy. Even at the beginning of the year, I was cut because they went with two quarterbacks. Then as early as six weeks ago, I was sitting on my couch in Florida watching games again. Everything has happened fast. I'm very grateful to be back in this position.

**Q: When you were cut during training camp, what were your thoughts then? Did you think, 'I'm the number three guy. They'll probably carry three.'?

DK:** Yeah, that's all I was focused on doing was winning the number three spot. After the last preseason game, I thought I had done that and that was pretty clear. I was actually on the 53-man roster for 24 hours and then Coach Shanahan called me in and explained that they were a little low at some other positions. He told me to stay by the phone and let them know if there were any other teams calling me, because they would probably bring me back. But it was still a little disheartening after everything I had been through. But things worked out.

**Q: Were you coaching at the academy you went to?

DK:** Yeah exactly. I was down at Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, coaching the quarterbacks. I was actually running their scout team for a few days because they were a little low on numbers. I just wanted to be around the game of football and keep throwing and stay in shape in case I did get a phone call.

**Q: Getting opportunities is one thing, but getting opportunities and then facing it. A team like the Patriots with their multiple defenses and the way they are playing. There has to be a lot of cramming going on and a lot of stuff you have to deal with.

DK:** There definitely is. This is going to be a huge challenge for us. As far as I'm concerned, I don't know how much time I am going to get to spend at my house this week. I'll be over at the facility a ton, just watching a lot of tapes, just trying to soak in as much as I can, and try to see as many different looks. You really don't know what you are going to get with these guys. They do such a good job of mixing things up and finding weaknesses in offense and rushing the passer. I am going to try to do everything I can to be ready. And hopefully we will be able to adjust on game day to what they are doing.

**Q: Did the game changed a lot in the two years you were away or had you been keeping up with development and trends?

DK:** Yeah. It's definitely changed. There's definitely been some things that I have noticed that have been new and different and some things that they weren't doing before. But it's not anything huge that I wasn't able to pick up on. And like I said before, the coaches did a great job of keeping me up to speed.

**Q: I assume you never started a Monday Night game?

DK:** I actually have. When I was back with the Giants, I had to start against the Cowboys in a Monday Night game.

**Q: How did that work out? What was the experience like?

DK:** It went pretty good. I love playing in the spotlight. It is a great opportunity for our team to get things turned around and to try to get things in the right direction. But at the same time, it's a huge challenge because of the team that's coming in here. So we are excited about and I am as well