ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The day after their season came to an end with a 24-13 loss to the Colts, the Broncos spent Monday cleaning out their lockers for the offseason.
"It still hasn't sunk in," said T.J. Ward, who played in his first career postseason game on Sunday. "But it will. You've just got to live with it. Get better."
Jacob Tamme said that the day after the loss is one of the toughest days to deal with as a team.
"That's probably the hardest part of every season is that day when you all have to come in here and clean out the lockers," he said. "Every group is never the same. When you come back in April, or wherever you're at in April, you never get the same group back again. So that part of it is tough because you form a bond with these guys throughout OTAs and training camp and the season and then it ends pretty abruptly."
With the start of the league year -- when free agency begins and trades are permitted once again -- about two months away, Monday was the last day of the 2014 edition of the Broncos.
"It's pretty difficult," Brandon Marshall said. "It's not going to be the same team (next year). I love all these guys, and whatever happens with the coaching staff and with the players, it'll be a different team, so we've just got to come back and rebuild for next year."
Tamme talked about the sudden end to the season contrasted with the team's regular season success and high expectations.
"It's always fun to a part of a team like this, that does have a chance and obviously coming up short is what makes today so tough," he said, "when it's unexpected and you wanted more for yourselves as a team."
Most of the players who spoke to the media on Monday said that their plans for the offseason would start with a few weeks off to decompress before refocusing and preparing for the 2015 season.
When asked what's next, C.J. Anderson said: "Take some time off, get back to grinding and try to come back and be better. I've just got to be better. I had a crazy last 10 weeks and let's just try to put it together for 17 weeks, next postseason and go from there."
Despite the disappointing ending to 2014, Ward is confident about the team's chances next season.
"I think we got a good core," he said. "I know we're going to come in even hungrier next year and it's going to start even earlier. So I'm just going to get ready. Going to take this time off, get healthy and do whatever we need to do during this offseason and come back with the same goals next year."
