The Big Elway Gamble

John's all-in. Pat's all-in. Legacies are being gambled. The indelible image of "This One's for John" is on the line or, at least, it could be tarnished if John comes up short. Elway's image, as a guy who picked the perfect time to walk away from it all and rule a state - regardless of who the governor is - could disappear soon if the team in Denver, that we love so much, is not hastily transformed from ponies into BRONCOS.

As odd as it sounds, we could soon hear Broncos Country jeering, not cheering, John Elway. Think about that for a second. Boo McD? Sure. Boo Shanny? Yep. Boo Cutler or Orton? Absolutely. But can you ever imagine yourself booing John? Who could imagine that, after "The Drive," Bronco fans could ever cheer for Kubiak to replace Elway as they once did. Well, boys and girls, that is now an actual possibility.

I'm rooting for this experiment to work. Ultimately,however, we have absolutely no experience at any key front office position. John's never done this before (in the NFL). Xanders has never really been a GM. And our new HC, whether it's Dennison, Koetter or whoever, will likely never have been an HC before (unless it's John Fox).

I'll admit that I'm a Josh McDaniels supporter and think he should've been given at least 2 more years. That said, I'll obviously be 100% behind whoever we hire. If Elway is successful, he will enter that rarified air - occupied only by Jerry West - of great players who became great at running an organization. Dear god I hope that happens. (BTW, Elway just game on the NFL Network countdown of the Greatest Players - maybe it's a sign). Ah hell, who am I to question John Elway. This post is stupid. I appologize. Still, I will continue.

On that note, John Elway was the greatest Quarterback to ever play the game of football. Period. Is he fit to run our franchise . . . we'll see. My skepticism comes despite the joy in my heart. I love John Elway and am thrilled to see him back in the fold. I'm just not sure he should be the Head Man - given that he has no prior NFL front office experience and a GM supporting him who's never really been a GM before. I would feel a lot better about John assuming this position if he had a guy like Erik DeCosta, the director of player personnel for the Ravens, backing him up. But nope. Instead, we have Xanders - a guy who apparently has a keen ability to organize film and use technology in crafting his draft board. But again, he's never had the kind of responsibility he has now. I've heard that he wanted to draft Clay Matthews, JR and that McD went behind his back in trading Peyton Hillis. O.k. Here's your shot Xanders. Don't miss. Because if you do we'll all blame you - b/c God knows that we'll never blame John. Or will we?


Ultimately, we have no idea how talented these people are at their jobs. They could be great. They could be great enough to make up for their lack of experience. Then again, they could be terrible. We'll see. As Mr. Bowlen fades into the background, let's hope he has hired the right guy. B/c if John Elway is bad at his new job, we're in for a looooongggg, difficult and very painful journey.

BTW - how the hell is Elway #23? That is a freaking travesty.

GJ out