ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Just like that, the Broncos' work at Dove Valley is complete for the 2013 season.
Sunday morning, the team will travel to New Jersey to begin their final week of preparation for Super Bowl XLVIII.
"It's drawing near," linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. "We've been working hard and we're just ready to get to New York. It's an exciting feeling that everybody can't wait to get there and just be in the moment."
Before they travel, the Broncos put in a productive week of practice in Denver. Head Coach John Fox said the team has "been great all year" at making practice count, and it was "no different this week."
Woodyard praised the coaches for how the time was managed throughout the week so that the team could take advantage of every moment to make sure it got its game plan installed.
Fox's final message to the team before leaving Denver was simple: "Focus."
"There is a lot of energy. We just want guys to be focused," wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "That is the main thing Coach has been talking about and Peyton (Manning) has been talking about – being focused. You can have the energy, but you have time, so just be focused."
Woodyard said he has faith that the club will do just that.
"Enjoy the moment of New York, be there, enjoy the Super Bowl, but we are there for a purpose, and that's winning a football game," the team captain said. "I think everybody understands that."
Even with all the spectacle surrounding the big game, Fox reminded the players that it's still played on the same field and will still be a 60-minute contest.
And that contest is the only thing on Thomas' mind.
"The main thing with me as a player is that I want to go and win the game," Thomas said. "That's all I've really been thinking about. I'm happy to play in it, but I want to win the game."
Sunday morning, all that excitement and focus will still be there -- it will just be relocated to New York and New Jersey.
"I'm excited to get there and I'm just excited to get to the game," Woodyard said. "But we've got a long week ahead, another week of preparation to put forth. So it's going to be exciting."
