John Elway hasn’t gotten over the three Super Bowl losses he played, and keep in mind he won two Super Bowls. So it couldn’t have been surprising to see him express his disgust about what happened on Sunday when his Broncos were outclassed and outworked by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
This loss is not going away anytime soon. It probably won’t go away ever. Not even months can make cooler heads prevail.
That is a good thing. It’s refreshing Elway expressed his raw feelings rather than say we will get them next time like most executives and coaches would say. He was not coming off as an irrational fan, either. He wanted to show he won’t be satisfied with coming up short. When he was hired as Broncos executive, he came to win championships, not just turn the franchise around.
If there is something to be encouraged about Elway’s presser on Tuesday, he is driven to get that championship before Peyton Manning retires. It’s that trait that made him successful as a NFL player, Arena Football league executive and NFL executive. There’s no question he will find a way.
That presser should make Broncos fans feel good. It’s something they needed to hear after what happened in the Super Bowl. It’s also a pick-me-up the players needed after they were beaten down.
This is not going to be easy to get back to the Super Bowl. There are many good AFC teams that are ready to take the next step. History does not favor teams getting back there again after falling short. It’s going to take work.
This won’t deter Elway. He believes this group has one more run in them. He feels his draft picks could take the next step. He knows the offense is good enough to be good for another year or so. He will figure out a way to get free agents to play for the Broncos one last time.
If there is one thing Elway wants to improve, it’s the defense. He mentioned physicality several times. He certainly took notes on how the Seahawks defense took the life out of the Broncos offense by pounding them consistently. He knows how a great defense can help a team win a championship.
The Broncos’ defense did a good job this postseason. They made plays in the playoffs that help them win playoff games, but it’s not good enough to be consistently good. There was a reason the defense struggled in the regular season. They are okay at best. It’s a group that featured many castoffs and free agents.
Elway knows this defense can’t be relied on again if they are going to get to the Super Bowl. He saw enough going back to last season.
It’s going to take smart drafting and hope the young players step up for the defense to be better than last year. It’s going to take patience, too.
It’s going to be a challenge to say the least. That’s why this Super Bowl loss hurts. It’s probably why the players are still smarting over what happened Sunday. There may be guys such as Champ Bailey who think this is their last shot.
When reporters asked Broncos coach John Fox how the team can get over it, it was Elway at his best when he interrupted Fox’s answer to close out the postmortem presser. He mused about the negative questions, and he said he will be driven more than ever to make it right. His last comment symbolizes of what next year is going to be when he said the Broncos will work harder than ever to win a championship.
The offseason planning has already begun. It probably started as soon as Elway got on the plane back to Colorado. One has to think he has a plan in place.
This presser was good for Elway. It gave him a chance to let it all out. It gave him an opportunity for fans to hear what they want to hear.
Now, it’s about doing the hard work. It won’t be easy, but if there is a guy who is the right man for the job, it’s Elway. He showed he can be trusted based on his body of work the last two years.
Elway is ready to work. That’s the message he sent in the presser.
He wouldn’t want it any other way.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter.
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Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
