DENVER CONFERENCE CALL

Q: With two straight wins, are you playing your best football right now?

SHIELDS: “No, I don’t think so. I don’t think we’re playing our best football. I think there’s a lot of things we can do better. I don’t think we’re satisfied with what we’ve done the last couple weeks. We’re happy to have the victories – that’s always a good thing – but I think there’s a lot more potential there.”

Q: What is your focus at this point of what has been a disappointing season?

SHIELDS: “Well, I mean it’s been an up-and-down season. I think we’ve been working at it and trying to get better each week. That’s one thing we try to focus on.”

Q: As one of the top offenses in the league is there a sense of disappointment that the defense hasn’t performed better?

SHIELDS: “You have to realize it’s a team sport. Regardless of what most people would want to say, it’s a team sport; you win and lose together. Everybody says one thing or the other but we don’t worry about that. We stick together and keep playing. Each down we give as much as we can, they give as much as they can and that’s all we can expect.”

Q: With RB Priest Holmes out of the lineup, how have Derrick Blaylock and Larry Johnson done in his place?

SHIELDS: “Well, they’ve been doing really well. What’s good about those guys (playing so much) is they’re getting a chance to touch the ball and getting a feel for the field. With Derrick coming in early, he has a different sort of flair than Larry does. Larry being the bigger of the two. I’m pretty excited about watching those guys come in and do as well as they have. As far as we’re concerned (on the offensive line), we don’t look at it as any different as having Priest back there, so we try to do the best we can to give those guys the best looks.”

Q: Are you looking to knock the Broncos out of the playoff race?

SHIELDS: “We’re not worried about knocking anybody off anything. We’re more or less worried about the next game and this is a division game where we’re hoping to come out and play as best we can. As far as knocking people in or out of anything, our goal is to go out and win and that’s what we try to do each week.”

Q: Both the Chiefs and Broncos have been unpredictable this season. What do you think will happen this week?

SHIELDS: “Well, I’ve been around pretty long now and anything is possible any week, lose or win, regardless of what the paper says or what they see. That’s the whole thing about playing the game, is seeing what the outcome it going to be and I think in any given week, anything can happen. Both teams were thought to be a juggernaut going into the season and both teams have had its ups and downs.”

Q: The Chiefs have had a pretty good track record against the Broncos at Arrowhead, is there anything specific that gives you that edge?

SHIELDS: “We try to have our crowd into it and they do a good job of being loud and rowdy and that kind of thing. I think any time you go anywhere and they’re a very loud crowd it makes a difference. We try to have our 12th-man out there. Hopefully we’ll have our fans out and they’ll be loud and make a difference in the game.”

Q: Do you know what Broncos QB Jake Plummer was going through when he was getting heckled from the stands last week?

SHIELDS: “I have no idea. I think anywhere you go, there’s going to be some fan out there to heckle, giving us a hard time. I’ve never been in a place that doesn’t have one or two, or maybe even five and six. That’s what they get their kicks out of, being difficult or what not, trying to effect your play on the field.”

Q: What are your thoughts on Trevor Pryce?

SHIELDS: “I think Trevor’s an excellent player. He’s a leader on that team and a lot of guys try to follow suit of what he does. For him to be down for a while, he’ll be back this week and he’ll be fresh and ready to go. He brings a lot to that team.”

Q: How has Dick Vermeil handled the frustration this season?

SHIELDS: “I think he’s been handling it real well, with all of the ups and downs and turmoil we’ve had this season, as well as you can as a coach. That’s the one thing about him, he’s resilient and tries to pull out the positive things that we do and try to build on those things and take the things we know we do wrong technique-wise and correct them and I think once we get that all down we’ll be a better team. That’s what we work for.”

Q: Do you consider the Chiefs offensive line to be the best in the league with your ability to do everything you do?

SHIELDS: “I don’t know about the best of everything. I just think we go out to perform, to do our best each week. Not to take anything from anyone else, but I enjoy the guys I work with. We’re a tight-knit unit and we enjoy what we do and we hold each other accountable.”