Chris Hall of DenverBroncos.com sat down with Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway for the latest episode of Elway Access on Tuesday afternoon.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the playoffs aren’t the only focus for the organization, as it has begun to look toward the 2013 NFL Draft in April. Tuesday morning, each of the Broncos scouts returned to Dove Valley to begin discussing where the eligible prospects stack up in advance of Thursday, April 25, when Denver will select its newest draft class.
“We’re in the process,” Elway said. “The scouts are in today. They start the meetings this morning. Who’s No. 1? You’ll have to find out later. It’s too early to give you the old who’s No. 1. The scouts will be here this whole week and the first run at the board will be finished by the end of the week. We’ll have 320 guys up on the board that are draftable at this point in time.”
Between the conclusion of the season and the draft, scouts will attend Pro Days at various schools throughout the country, and also evaluate prospects at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
“This process is going to change several times,” Elway said. “This is the first shot at it, get it up on the board. It’s kind of exciting to see the names up there, knowing that the draft is not that far away.”
As for the remainder of the 2012 season, Sunday’s win over Baltimore extended the Broncos’ winning streak to nine games. In beating a 9-5 Ravens team on the road, Denver showed the ability to play quality football in a difficult environment.
The win, coupled with a loss by the New England Patriots Sunday night, means that if the Broncos win out, they will start the playoffs with a bye as the AFC’s No. 2 seed. Sunday’s victory also counted as a milestone for Owner Pat Bowlen, who defeated Baltimore for the first time in his 29-year tenure as owner.
“You can’t ask for a better guy to play for,” Elway said of Bowlen. “He’s a guy that wants to win and is very competitive. It’s always nice to see him get his first win in Baltimore and be given the game ball, as Coach Fox did. He’s just a guy that wants Super Bowls, so hopefully we can get him one this year.”
One of the keys to the Broncos victory was the team’s success on the ground, particularly in the fourth quarter. Denver ran the ball 45 times for 163 yards, including handoffs on 17-of-18 offensive snaps in the fourth quarter as the Broncos ate up the clock to keep the Ravens from mounting a comeback.
“It was a very good game for us up front,” Elway said. “The offensive line took control of the game. Any time you have a 10-minute drive, with 13 out of 14 rush plays, it starts up front. Our offensive line was very physical against a very physical defensive line. They really did a tremendous job of creating some holes and moving that line of scrimmage.”
Leading the way in the backfield was running back Knowshon Moreno, who picked up 118 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
“Knowshon’s been tremendous,” Elway said. “He’s continued to get stronger and he gets better. He’s a competitor and he plays with a toughness. I think you see that every time he plays. He has just continued to get better.”
To listen to the full episode of Elway Access, complete with Elway’s thoughts on cornerback Chris Harris’ 98-yard interception return for a touchdown and that play’s impact on the win over the Ravens, the importance of the team’s final two games and the Broncos’ current playoff seeding, click here.
Tags: Elway Access, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway
Xander’s and McD did the painful but necessary dirty work to lay the foundation for rebuilding the Denver Broncos. Don’t get me wrong, Elway deserves huge amounts of credit for his skills as an executive and what all he has helped us accomplish so far. The truth is in the pudding though it has been overlooked. McDaniels and Xman drafted a solid percentage of our talent on offense. When he did it I was so confused on draft day, almost sickened. I was on this blog before defending his vision for our team and now it is coming true. I used to dream of the day we would have all of his draft picks on the field at the same time. Knowshon, DT, Decker, Tebow, Zane and JD. So much talent from the draft had been put on hold because of whatever reasons but I was always excited. We have never had such a big, fast and strong offense before. Then Elway got Manning here. That never would have been possible had we not gone through Tebowmania and had the one play OT win against the Steelers. The point is don’t discount McD or X because they laid on their swords for us. They lost their jobs for it. The problem was they neglected the defense in year two and all of our early draft picks rode the bench. We had Gaffney and Lloyd and Buckhalter. Look at us now! I love what we have become. Top 5 offense and defense. Go Broncos.
Without McD’s 4 win season we don’t have Von or Elway either. Not to forget, once again, PFM.
What’s missing in all of that is the fact that when McD came in we had a wonderful offense already and an awful defense. The fact Bowlen went with an O minded HC instead of a D minded one at that point never made any sense and never will whatsoever. So McD purposely tore apart and destroyed the great O we had when he came in and replaced it with an Orton O, and only when he was fired was Tebow made the starter. McD and Xanders were both losers in their respective positions no matter how anyone slices it IMO. Proof; McD went back to O coordinator for one horrible season with the Rams destroying Bradford in the process and is now with the only team that would have him, his old Patriots and his personal savior Brady, and Xanders is not employed in any football fashion anywhere that I can see. But nice heartfelt story anyway eddie.
Yeah, I would love to have Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall still. That says Superbowl… Wait, no it doesn’t.
And McD and Xanders say super bowl? Come on… to each his own, but I gotta move on, we’re about 6 blogs back, LOL.
eddiecheddar… How come you don’t post more often? I am rereading the blogs, double checking scores for the contest and I have to say I really enjoy your insight bro
Who did McD draft?
Look at the 2009 draft. Moreno, Ayers, A. Smith, McBath, Quinn, Bruton, Olsen, McKinley, Brandstater, Schlueter. I see two contributors on that list and a bunch of stiffs.
How about 2010? DT, Tebow, Beadles, Walton, Decker, Cox, Olsen, Thompson, Kirlew. So you think Moreno, DT, Decker, Beadles, and Walton are a solid percentage of our offensive talent? I’ll give you DT, but Moreno just started playing at an NFL level and both he and Decker are by no means foundation pieces. Same with Beadles and Walton. And the only defensive players McDaniels acquired from the draft that are still on the roster are Bruton and Ayers, and both of them are backups.
Elway’s 2011 draft? Miller, Moore, Franklin, Irving, Carter, Thomas, Mohamed, Green, and Beal. Three starters and only Mohamed isn’t with the team.
How about 2012? Wolfe, Osweiler, Hillman, Bolden, Blake, Jackson, and Trevethan. All with the team, and many made significant contributions this season.
Sorry eddiechedder, but Fox and Elway succeeded in spite of McDaniels, not because of him.