On Thursday the reigning Super Bowl champions welcomed a pair of players they hope will be sharing the title of “reigning champs” very soon, not to mention their home stadium.
The Denver Outlaws play on Saturday for their second Steinfeld Trophy on Saturday, facing the Ohio Machine in the MLL Championship Game in Atlanta. Denver is 1-4 all-time in the MLL title game, having claimed the league’s top spot just two years ago.
Attackman Eric Law and defenseman Mike Bocklet were at UCHealth Training Center, where the Broncos are just about wrapping up their 2016 training camp, to meet with the media in advance of Saturday’s title tilt.
Here are the highlights from their media sessions, courtesy of Outlaws PR.
ATTACKMAN ERIC LAW
On the difference in the team during the team’s current seven-game winning streak
“I think we’ve just had this mentality. We took a tough loss at home and we’re very prideful of the way we play at home. It was the first loss that we’ve had at home in a couple years. We got absolutely blown out. There was a feeling when everybody was going to the locker room when everyone sat there silently. Everyone agreed that we were never going to let that happen again and everyone came back the next week and we realized that we needed to focus on us. We were focusing too much on our opponent and it all just comes from within you. Ever since then, we’ve been flying around and winning the ground ball battle and playing for each other, which has been the most fun.”
On the chance to play for a championship this Saturday
“It’s a very fun group to be a part of. What it means to us is we’re in the championship game, but what it means to us is another week that we get to get together and have some fun playing this game that we’ve been playing since we were kids. I’ve been on a lot of teams before and I think this is the closest team I’ve been on, chemistry-wise. Everyone just loves being around each other and I think it shows on the field.”
On facing former teammate John Grant Jr. (traded mid-season) in the championship game
“It’s kind of like a Disney story where you trade away this guy, you’re 2-6, and all of a sudden, you win seven straight games and now you’re playing this guy in the championship game. We kind of look like the bad guys here, but hopefully the bad people prevail this next weekend.”
On the championship not being just another game
“Any time you’re playing for a championship, even if you’re playing dominoes or anything else, we’re a very competitive group. We want to win. We feel like we’ve been in the playoffs now for eight weeks. We had to win six straight games and we had to get some help to get into the playoffs. Some things have gone our way and I think you make your own luck. In a sense yeah, it’s another game, but yeah, it’s a championship game. A lot of our guys were there two years ago when we were able to bring home a championship in 2014 and hopefully, we can go out there and play hard like we have the past six weeks.”
On what he takes from winning the championship in 2014
“The experience of being around it. I’ve been lucky enough to be on the undefeated team and being a part of the championship team, so you learn that it’s going to be crazy in the beginning. You have to let the butterflies go after the first possession. It just ends up being a normal game.”
On how this team is different than the 2014 championship team
“I think we have seven or eight rookies on our team this year and we have a good group of veterans showing them what to do. I think, if anything, that the rookies have shown us it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, you just go out and play hard.”
On what has gone into making Denver the lacrosse capital of the west
“I wish I had an easy way to say that answer. I think the pro teams – the Outlaws and the Colorado Mammoth – do an excellent job promoting the sport. The University of Denver, having them have a great coach like Bill Tierney. The tremendous amount of youth programs that they have here. It’s a great sport to get into because it’s the best combination of a lot of different sports added together. I think parents like seeing their kids running around and having a good time.”
On the aspects of the ownership group that breeds a winning mentality
“The same thing. It’s an expectation. The Outlaws are, by far, the best organization to play for in the MLL, and you know when you come here that you’re expected to win and you’re expected to be in the playoffs. When we were sitting at 2-6, that was one of the things we thought about. This isn’t what the Outlaws do. We dug deep and looked at ourselves and made sure that we’re better.”
On what it means to be at training camp with the Broncos
“It’s incredible for me. I’m a Denver boy. I’m a local kid so this is a dream come true being able to be out here with the defending Super Bowl champs. It’s pretty cool to see the behind-the-scenes so I’m loving every minute of this. Even to be in the same talk as the Broncos here at ‘Champ Camp’, it’s awesome. We’re hoping to go get our own this next weekend.”
On what he can take from this experience back to the team to serve as inspiration
“Just that it’s pretty cool. Hopefully one day we’ll get this many people out at our training camp they’ll like to see us run around.”
DEFENSEMAN MIKE BOCKLET
On the difference in the team during the winning streak
“It’s just playing as a team and not worrying about our opponents so much. We’re just focusing on ourselves in practice and just doing what we do best both offensively and defensively. We’ve had a lot of rookies playing for us that have really assimilated well into Major League Lacrosse and have become a big part of the team.”
On envisioning playing for a championship at the beginning of the season
“Absolutely not. We were 2-6 in week eight, almost thinking about next year. We were starting to make some trades. It looked like the team was trying to get younger and move forward. Then, all of a sudden, something clicked and now we’ve been rolling, winning seven straight games.”
On stressing ball movement
“It’s just been a big part of our success. The offense has all bought into everybody is going to get their opportunities to score goals and get assists. It’s starting with our midfielders, getting the defense to slide to them, then moving it to the attack and finding them on the back side. Everybody has been getting their opportunities to score goals and everyone has been taking advantage of that.”
On possibly winning a championship the same year as the Broncos
“That would be pretty cool. I wouldn’t mind raising a banner with them. I would have no problem with that.”
On playing against former teammate John Grant Jr.
“It’s going to be tough. He is going to be one heck of a match up. This is what he does. He wins championships. Teams bring him in and he won the championship for us. I would think after three years of being his teammate we would kind of know his game a little bit. He’s been on fire the last two games. I think he has 19 points in Ohio [Machine]’s last two games. A big focus is going to be trying to stop him, but at the same time we are not going to do anything out of the ordinary, we are just going to continue to play our team defense to beat their entire offense.”
Feature Image Credit: MLL, Ron Chenoy – Pretty Instant