ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –After the first nine regular seasons of safety Mike Adams' NFL career, he packed his suitcase and took a vacation.

This year, the only bag he is packing is filled with equipment that he'll take to Sports Authority Field at Mile High for Saturday's Divisional Round game against Baltimore.

"I can't wait for the opportunity," Adams said about his first playoff appearance. "It's another game, but it's a big game."

Adams, who is one of four 16-game starters on the Broncos' defense, was the first player to sign with the Broncos during the 2012 free agency period.

In the past as Adams' teams were eliminated from postseason play, he'd start planning offseason trips to the beach. This year, he's focused on the task at hand as the Broncos begin a postseason run.

"You're kind of down," he said of past seasons. "You're not going to play in the playoffs. You start taking trips. You start visualizing the beach in your mind. That's no longer."

While January is a good time of year to escape cold-weather cities for the warmth of the beach, Adams said he's perfectly content with toughing out the winter in Denver.

With the weather forecasted to be in the 20s for Saturday's contest, Adams might get just what he used to avoid with his January vacations.

And he's OK with that.

"I would be on the beach sipping Mai-Tais right about now, laughing at those guys playing in the snow," Adams smiled. "Now, I'm looking forward to playing in rain, sleet, snow, whatever it is."