ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- With the bye week behind them, the Broncos are ready to take on the rest of their schedule.
The players returned to the practice field Monday refreshed and ready for the stretch of 10 straight games to end the regular-season.
"Having the bye week is a good thing," tight end Jacob Tamme said. "It's good to get a little bit of rest, get away from it for a second and come back ready to go. We've got 10 left here and hopefully we'll have some more after that but it all kind of depends how we treat those 10, how we treat each week. It's a one week at a time deal and this is a big one."
The Broncos will soon find themselves in the teeth of their schedule, which will mean no breaks from the grind of daily practices, meetings and film sessions. That aspect of the game is one the players not only recognize, but embrace.
"We're pros," linebacker Keith Brooking said. "Every day, we come here regardless of what's going on in your home life, regardless of what's going on with your body. The end of the year, that grind, it's a long season. When you come through these doors, you have to be ready to go. You have to prepare, lock in, focus, and concentrate. It's the fine details in everything that you do in your preparation. When you get out on the practice field, obviously execute, do the little things and prepare to the best of your ability to go out and beat your opponent. It doesn't matter what time of the year you're in. It's something you have to focus and concentrate on and be a pro in doing it every day."
Of the remaining games on the team's schedule, eight are against teams that currently have below-.500 records. With the records of the Broncos' remaining opponents representing a marked contrast to an early-season slate that featured the likes of the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots, the undefeated Atlanta Falcons and the 6-1 Houston Texans, it might appear as though the level of difficulty will be decreasing down the stretch. Tamme, for one, doesn't believe that's the case.
"We have to prepare every week," Tamme said. "Do we play some good teams early? Yeah. But we play some good teams going forward, too. Every week is its own deal in this league. The public doesn't get to play the games, we have to, so I'm going to treat it like we're playing the best team every week because that's what it is. Any given week, any team can play."
It starts Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints, who head to Denver on a two-game winning streak.
"First things first, we have a good team coming in here on Sunday night," defensive end Elvis Dumervil said. "We can't be worrying about anybody else. We have to take care of business at home Sunday night."
