Von Miller plans to return in early July to work out at team headquarters

Denver Broncos LB Von Miller said he plans to return to the team's headquarters in early July to work out, and he expects many of his teammates to join him. "It's just a choice. It's all part of trying to be the best linebacker I can be and making plays for the defense," Miller said.

When the Broncos reassemble next month for training camp, they will arrive at team headquarters as Super Bowl contenders, one of the NFL haves on the inside track for a shot at the trophy.

That expectation will follow them through every practice, every game, of the 2013 season.

"If you're good, I mean really good, you deal with that," said Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe. "One of the best things our second Super Bowl (championship) team did (in the 1998 season), we knew we were the best team, knew it from the time we stepped on the field in training camp, and we still did the work, we still put in the time, we still did things like we hadn't won a thing.

"Now, that's special. That team was talented, worked hard and just went out and stuck to business every single week. Nobody got caught up in the things that don't matter. Everybody understood exactly what kind of opportunity we had."

The late Mike Heimerdinger, the wide receivers coach of the 1998 Broncos, once called that team "ruthless and grounded, in how we were good. That team was so confident, but was humble when it went to work. They just worked harder every day than teams that weren't a tenth as good."

In this era of unprecedented fan interest and media coverage in the NFL, the wire-to-wire trip as a preseason favorite to the confetti drop after the Super Bowl has become more grueling than ever.

More than one team has been distracted by the lure of marketing baubles and happy talk. What does that mean to the Broncos now?

"Just do things the right way," coach John Fox said. "It ain't complicated. If you won't do things the right way in this game, at the top of this profession, then you aren't interested in success. We want people interested in doing things the right way, who are interested in success and will invest in it. Invest themselves in it."

When he said goodbye to his players on the final day of Broncos minicamp, Fox did so with the usual suggestions and warnings about staying out of the headlines for off-the-field transgressions. He also gave them some offseason food for thought, covering topics such as staying in shape, studying the playbook and staying in position to succeed this year.

"Basically, I said, just don't mess up anything we might have already accomplished," Fox said.

Von Miller, hoping to improve on his 18½-sack season in 2012, said he plans to return in early July to work out at team headquarters and expects many of his teammates to join him.

Denver players are scheduled to report to training camp July 24, with the first practice set for July 25.

"It's just a choice," Miller said. "It's all part of trying to be the best linebacker I can be and making plays for the defense. Everybody wants to win the Super Bowl, and I always think you should believe you can win (the Super Bowl), that's just how I am. I'm always going to say I believe my team can win the Super Bowl. We know we definitely have a good team, we just have to go out there and show it every time we play."

John Elway, the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations, said his team has to learn how to win in the postseason. His formula to consistently put the Broncos in the title hunt is building through the draft, but having veterans hungry for a Super Bowl run. Those veterans, such as Peyton Manning and Champ Bailey, also will be asked to help keep the team grounded.

Shaun Phillips, entering his 10th pro season, turned down what he said were more lucrative offers elsewhere to sign a one-year contract with the Broncos.

"That's why I came here, to be in this situation, to be with a team that is right there in the mix," Phillips said. "I want a chance at the whole thing, and that means you're with a team that believes it, and you're with a team that will do the work.

"This team will put in the work. A lot of teams say they're good, but the ones that really go after it, that's what you want to be around, that's what you want to be about."

Fox said the Broncos won't run from expectations.

"We talk about those things a lot, and we'll talk about it a lot," he said. "But everybody has to understand, whatever happens, happens right there between those lines. I don't give a rat's, you know what, what people say about us, or how we're ranked or whatever. They rank you at the end of the year when they hand out the trophy.