Broncos finish long Super Bowl trek, brace for hype
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Denver Broncos experienced a little bit of everything Sunday.
The franchise embarked on a trip that began at 9 a.m. local time when it drove by bus to the airport, flew through the air in a jet and wound up on a boat on the Hudson River.
One long day of travel, however, doesn't compare to the path the team has taken to Super Bowl XLVIII.
'No doubt, it has been a journey,' Broncos coach John Fox said Sunday aboard the Cornucopia Majesty, a luxury cruise ship docked outside of the team's hotel, the Hyatt Regency Jersey City. 'There's no doubt this team has been through a lot and a lot of injuries. I even went away for a month. It has been a pretty tough-mindset football team and we're excited about this opportunity.'
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The Broncos made expressed enthusiasm over the stage of playing in the biggest game of the season, but also conceded that it's essential they focus on the actual game itself.
'Our team is excited,' quarterback Peyton Manning said. 'We've worked hard to earn this opportunity, so we couldn't be more excited. The Super Bowl - it's a big deal. I know how hard it is to get here, how much time and sacrifice our team has made for us to have this opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. We were excited to get on that plane and we were excited getting off of that plane and we're looking forward to being here all week and playing a good team next Sunday.'
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That team is the Seattle Seahawks, who have the perfect foil to Denver's top-ranked offense from the 2013 regular season: the league's No. 1 defense in scoring (14.4 points per game) and total yards allowed (273.6 yards per game).
'Looking at their defense, they are as good as advertised,' Manning said. 'What's probably one of the more impressive things is how well they play together as a unit. You see them communicating out there on the field and safeties talking to each other, linebackers talking to the corners, that's not always true for every single defense. It's a big part of their success. You combine that with just a lot of talent out there on the defensive side of the ball and to me, that's why they're such a good defense.'
One of the bigger storylines headed into the week is the wintry weather that will challenge both teams in what could end up being the coldest Super Bowl in history. The Broncos arrived to Newark Liberty International Airport Sunday afternoon amid scattered flurries and low 20-degree weather.
'Obviously the elements are something that is part of the strategy,' Fox said. 'To be a championship football team, you have to be weatherproof. Our football team played in all different elements this year. I feel comfortable where we're at as far as it goes with the elements.'
For Denver, the most important player to deal with the cold will be Manning, who bears constant criticism of being a poor cold-weather quarterback. Manning said he 'feels comfortable' with the conditions that are expected next Sunday.
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Several hundred media members climbed aboard the Cornucopia Majesty for the Broncos' initial press conference. As the week unfolds, more scrutiny and attention will smother the franchise. According to the Broncos who spoke Sunday, their focus has to be even greater to avoid falling into the trap of consuming the magnitude of the game.
'I don't believe there's a thing called distraction,' linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. 'When you work as hard as we worked to get to this point where you always wanted to be here as a little kid, this moment right now, you have to live in it and you can't let anything distract you.'
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