ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Jack Del Rio only wanted to talk about the Cowboys, not the Trojans. In his first for-the-record comments since his names been bandied about as a possible replacement for Lane Kiffin at USC, Del Rio declined Thursday to address speculation he might return to his alma mater. Asked if hed been contacted by USC, the Denver Broncos defensive co-ordinator said, "No. No. No, theres nothing to speak on that subject. Im really here to talk about the Cowboys and our preparation in getting ready for them." That was it. No outright denial of interest. No reiteration that hes committed to seeing this thing through in Denver. Thats how his players see it, though. "We feel like hes going to be here," safety David Bruton said. "We have a great thing going here and weve definitely thrived under his tutelage, so it cant be anything we worry about." The Broncos (4-0), owners of the NFLs stingiest run defence, visit Dallas (2-2) this weekend. Kiffin was fired Sunday and replaced by interim coach Ed Orgeron, but Del Rios name quickly rose to the top of the rumour mill as a potential replacement because of his ties to USC, where he was an All-American linebacker in the 1980s and also teammates with Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson on the Trojans baseball team. There was even an erroneous sighting of Del Rio at LAX Sunday night that set Twitter abuzz, which Broncos coach John Fox got a big kick out of, seeing how he was sitting across from him at a Denver steakhouse celebrating their big win over the Eagles. Earlier this week, Fox said Del Rio, who is under contract through February, was "definitely qualified" for the USC position but was focused on his current job. Asked whether hed allow Del Rio to pursue the position if hes interested, Fox demurred, saying: "Ive seen plenty of job openings in my life in football. Like always, there are 8,000 candidates. Any point that it gets serious and potential, well keep you posted." Although it generally works the other way around, there is precedent for NFL coaches going to the college ranks. Bill OBrien finished out his contract as the New England Patriots offensive co-ordinator before going to Penn State last year. In 2007, Bobby Petrino resigned as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons after 13 games to become Arkansass head coach. Del Rio joined Foxs staff in Denver last year after serving as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003-11, and the Broncos had the leagues No. 2 defence last year. By returning to Denver this year, he became the first Broncos defensive co-ordinator to serve consecutive seasons since Larry Coyer in 2006. Without having to learn a new scheme, Denvers defenders built upon that foundation and have served as productive partners to Peyton Mannings high-powered offence. The Broncos are outscoring opponents by an average of 45-23 and theyve won 15 straight regular-season games by seven or more points, the second-longest streak behind the 1941-42 Bears (16). Del Rio has done a deft job of keeping the Broncos rolling without their two superstars. All-Pro linebacker Von Miller is serving a six-game drug suspension and perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey (foot) missed the first month of the season. Keep this up and Del Rios name could surface for any number of head coaching jobs in the NFL this off-season. "Thats just the nature of the business," Bruton said. "You expect change and if theres not change, its a great thing." Chatter about Del Rios potential candidacy at USC apparently stops at the locker room door, though. "We dont think or talk about stuff like that," defensive end Robert Ayers said. "Were in the here and now. Thats where he is, thats where we are." Del Rios style is a big hit with the Broncos, Ayers said: "I think hes a great NFL defensive co-ordinator. Hes proven that over his long time here as a great defensive mind in the pro game. And heck, weve done nothing but improve each year. So, his resume speaks for itself." Bruton said that while Del Rio hasnt addressed the USC speculation directly with the players, he certainly doesnt seem distracted at all, and neither do the players. "We know its a business. We know that hes going to take care of it professionally, whatever the situation may bring," Bruton said. "His top priority, and hes definitely shown it, is us." Notes: LB Danny Trevathan was a full participant at practice 24 hours after being carted off the field with a knee injury. ... WR Eric Decker (ankle) returned to practice. ... K Matt Prater was limited with a right calf injury. Adam Jones Jersey . Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! 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If they lose, Germany will get the last quarter-final berth.GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Raymond Felton is determined to keep personal turmoil from affecting what was already his most trying season professionally. A day after his arrest on felony weapons charges, Felton returned to practice with the New York Knicks on Wednesday, saying that was "not a distraction" to the team. Felton spoke for less than a minute and did not take questions. He thanked family, friends and teammates for their support and insisted his thoughts were on the Knicks game Thursday night in Miami. "This is not a distraction to this team," he said. "Im focusing on finishing out this season, finishing out these games with my teammates and going down to Miami, focusing on this next game at task versus the defending champs." The Knicks are barely hanging on in the playoff race and Feltons struggles have been among their biggest problems. Slowed by nagging leg injuries early, hes averaging a career-worst 10.4 points on 40.3 per cent shooting for a team with a 21-36 record. Hes also dealing with the breakup of his marriage, and he was arrested early Tuesday after authorities said a lawyer for his wife turned into a police precinct a loaded semi-automatic handgun allegedly belonging to the point guard, claiming she no longer wanted it in their home. Felton was released on $25,000 bail, and his next court appearance is scheduled for June 2. Knicks coach Mike Woodson said he never considered not letting Felton play against the Heat. "The bottom line is Ray is a part of our team, and as his coach Im going to support him and make sure hes doing everything the right way from here on out, and to try to get him to just concentrate on basketball and practice and playing games," Woodson said. Felton was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and criminal possession of a firearm. The firearm charge is punishable by up to four years in prison. The weapons charge is punishable by up to seven years in prison. He had turned himself into police not long after a 110-108 loss to Dallas dropped the Knicks farther back in the playoff race. His wife, Ariane Raymondo-Felton, filed for divorce last week, according to court records, and Felton acknowledged recently dealing with personal problems. He said he wouldnt comment on the case, referrring any questions to his lawyer.dddddddddddd "But other than that, Im here to concentrate on this team, finish this season out with the New York Knicks and see what happens, man," Felton said. "Trying to make it to the playoffs. Were 5 1/2 games out, 25 games left, so Im really focusing on that with these guys, with the team and trying to make that happen." Felton was playing well in his first stint in New York before he was traded to Denver in the middle of the 2010-11 season as part of the package for Carmelo Anthony. He had a dismal 2011-12 season for Portland, admitting he reported out of shape because he wasnt sure if, or when, the lockout might end. Yet the Knicks surprisingly re-signed him that summer, a move that paved the way for them to let Jeremy Lin leave as a free agent. Felton rebounded with a strong performance last season in helping the Knicks to their first Atlantic Division title since 1994, but neither he nor the team has been able to build on that. Felton has played better lately, and centre Tyson Chandler said he was focused at practice Wednesday. "He seemed like he was no different," Chandler said. Felton still could face punishment from the NBA, though likely not until the legal process has been completed. He is set to earn $3.8 million next season and has a player option that would pay him $4 million in 2015-16, and any attempt by the Knicks to void his contract would be met with a strong challenge from the players association. For now, Felton and the Knicks are just trying to salvage the season. "My job is to continue to coach and try to get guys to do the right thing on and off the basketball floor. I take pride in that, so when things creep in like this, its a surprise, but again weve got to get through it," Woodson said. "Again, I dont know the legal part, the severity of it. All I know is Raymond is still with us and Im on Raymonds side in terms of trying to make sure that hes doing the necessary things to play basketball and Im going to continue to do that." Notes: The Knicks plan to sign veterans Shannon Brown and Earl Clark to 10-day contracts Thursday and have them available to play against the Heat. ... Anthony missed practice for personal reasons but will be with the team in Miami. ' ' '