Denver Broncos: Is It Time to Call Out John Elway Yet?
By Erik Lambert
Let’s be clear here. John Elway has done a tremendous job running the Denver Broncos over the past few years, but he’s not infallible.
It’s getting to a point where there might be a case to make that Elway has a weakness. Maybe not a fatal flaw but certainly a weakness. Ironically it’s at the position that made him a legend. Elway has built a strong roster led by a suffocating defense and solid weapons at receiver. Amazingly he’s had a rough go of it at finding his team a proper quarterback.
Of course to this point he’s been masked by the fact he was able to sign Peyton Manning back in 2012, a move that led to a Super Bowl championship. Aside from that though it’s been a string of mediocre-to-poor choices at the most important position. Brock Osweiler won five games in 2015 but most of that success was due to one of the best defenses of the modern era.
Trevor Siemian had flashes of brilliance early on but has regressed in a big way, though truth be told he was never that good. Perhaps the biggest indictment on Elway to this point is Paxton Lynch. He traded up to get the big QB out of Memphis in 2016. Since then it’s been one problem after another. Lynch is inconsistent on the field and now battling injury problems. The fact he’s failed twice now to beat out Siemian for the starting job is telling.
There is still time but the window is closing
The problem is the Super Bowl window has begun to shrink. Denver’s key defenders are creeping towards the 30-year old barrier. Their two best offensive weapons in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are already there. Solving the quarterback problem was viewed as the loan key to getting this team right back to the promised land. Their failure to do so is becoming a concern.
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That why there is already buzz about the team pursuing names like Kirk Cousins or Eli Manning. Rather than continue to flounder on young quarterbacks, people feel they should just continue the team tradition of squeezing good years out of older veterans. It worked for Peyton. At the same time it’s fair to wonder whether the Broncos can get back to drafting the position properly.
Elway deserves more leeway but his run of extra string is rapidly shrinking with each loss and each interception.