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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – **Typically on a Tuesday during the season, the Broncos' Dove Valley training facility is quiet as players have the day off.
That was far from the case this week.
With Thursday night's kickoff fast approaching, players and staff dove headfirst into game planning for the Raiders on Tuesday.
"Well, in our experience, a lot of it is just the recovery time," Head Coach John Fox said. "We played a full game Sunday and they played a full game Sunday. We rest them, we practice – you're still going to have meetings, you still have to understand your opponent and know your opponent. We did that kind of tempo today."
Fox said the team would emphasize the mental aspects of game preparations as players continued to recover physically from Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.
Linebacker Von Miller said he isn't worried about the physical aspect of playing two games in a five-day span.
"It's not too bad – not for me, I'm one of the young guys. I'm ready to go today if I have to," he said. "I'll just hop in the cold tub, do a little more stretching and I'll be alright."
The team shortened its on-field practice by a few minutes on Tuesday to reduce the physical wear on the players and allow for more time in meetings.
"I know Coach Fox has had a formula that he's used," quarterback Peyton Manning said. "I think he's played on (Thursday night) five times and it's about efficient preparation and a lot of the mental preparation. Obviously, the biggest challenge for guys physically is just getting rested and recovered from a physical game on Sunday against Tampa. The key is getting good mental preparation and I think we're off to a good start today."
Though the players are having to hurry their preparation, cornerback Champ Bailey said he likes short weeks, because after the game players will have Saturday and Sunday off before traveling to Baltimore in Week 15.
"I like it because it's like another bye week," Bailey said. "You don't get as many days but at least you get some time to get away from football a little bit. It kind of lets you reflect on what you've done up to that point. Some guys can come back refocused and I think it helps us."
