Make no mistake, when there’s a discussion about the greatest to have ever played for the Denver Broncos, John Elway is at the top of the list. However, when it comes to managing the team, it’s a different story.
If the fanbase pulled Elway aside after hoisting the Lombardi trophy after Super Bowl 50 and challenged him to make that championship team into a 2-6 wreck in just four seasons, you’d think that would have been impossible... and yet here we are.
In the years that followed that Super Bowl, terrible short-sighted decisions compounded upon one another and what you see is what Broncos fans now get. Head scratching moves like hiring Vance Joseph over Kyle Shanahan, drafting Paxton Lynch, letting Wade Phillips walk to the Rams, and many others have been exacerbated by a culture that eschews accountability and, seemingly, success.
Fans have every right to be outraged that Drew Lock, the quarterback that was heralded as the steal of the 2019 draft, hasn’t begun practicing following recuperation from a thumb injury that occurred on August 8th. Fans shouldn’t be irate over Lock not practicing, they should be irate that, by all appearances, Lock isn’t yet ready to even practice despite having all the time in the world to become proficient in the offense. It’s too early to declare Lock a bust, but judging how the Broncos are treating him this late in the season after his injury, you can’t help but wonder where their confidence level is with him. Apparently, not that high.
Then there’s Garett Bolles. Here is a third year player who not only hasn’t demonstrated any growth, but has regressed into a total train-wreck at left tackle. There were stark indicators that the Bolles experiment was going south last year, but Elway chose to stick with him and we are all paying the price.
Should we talk about Elway’s draft picks? Dalton Risner, Von Miller, and Bradley Chubb aside, it’s been a murders row of perennially injured nobodies or total duds. This year, the Broncos could have had Devin Bush, but instead opted to draft a tight end who lacks the basic coordination to cut tape off his feet, let alone catch footballs that hit him in the hands.
For the first time ever, I, like many other fans, have little confidence that Elway is going to be able to make the necessary decisions, not only in the first round, but the later rounds as well, to put the Broncos back on track. It’s disappointing, but it’s reality. Fan patience is being tested and, for the first time ever, John Elway is on the hot seat.
...all that and more in this week’s Something Something Broncos podcast.
Something Something Broncos podcast with Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann, Jess Place, and Tim Lynch is now on ApplePodcasts, iHeartRadio, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and anywhere else you get your podcasts. Please subscribe to the one that fits your fancy, and also rate and review what you hear.