NFL

Former Broncos safety Dawkins tells team to savor Super Bowl

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado — The Broncos got a special message from a former player on Friday when Brian Dawkins spoke to the team on the field after practice, delivering some Super Bowl-week advice.

“I spoke just from my experience of going to the Super Bowl the time that I went [in 2004 with the Eagles] and maybe some of the things that I would have done differently,’’ Dawkins said. “I didn’t enjoy the Super Bowl. I was so focused on the game that I enjoyed nothing off the field as far as the Super Bowl was concerned. I told them to enjoy some of it, but not too much of it.’’

Dawkins, who played with the Broncos from 2009-11 before retiring after 16 seasons in the NFL, said he came by to congratulate the players when coach John Fox asked him if he’d like to address the team after practice.

“How willing are you now to take what you’ve learned through the season, the adverse situations that you’ve gone through, study a little more, do a little extra?’’ Dawkins asked the players.

“I challenged them to look deeper into themselves, to pull out even more that they may need for this game. I told them to commit more of their time to these next five days, because after these five days are over you’re going to be either very, very happy or very, very sad, and you don’t want to look back and say, ‘I wish I would have done these things differently.’ ’’

Fox said he appreciated Dawkins’ words of wisdom.

“He played here, he was a part of our team my first year here and he is a guy I have great respect for, competed against all these years while he was in Philly and I was in New York and even Carolina when we played them in the NFC Championship game,’’ Fox said.

“Every time I see him I talk to him about life; he had a little bit of wisdom for us as far as expectations and what it’s going to be like at the Super Bowl,’’ defensive end Robert Ayers said.

“He told us to indulge in this opportunity because there are only two teams left out of 32 and you don’t know how many opportunities you get to play in a Super Bowl,’’ wide receiver Eric Decker said. “The biggest thing he told us was to work hard and enjoy every moment.’’

This was not the first time Dawkins has spoken to the Broncos. Fox invited him to talk to the players on the last day of training camp.

“I told them then that I expected them to be here at this point, and that they were only going to get to this point if they handled their business, handled what this season would bring,’’ Dawkins said. “One of my messages to them was to remain the hunter. A lot of times when you are expected to do something you kind of take a position where you want to hold onto things. No. Remain the hunter. That’s something they’ve done this season — especially on the offensive side of the ball.’’