With the news that John Elway will join the Broncos front office as executive vice president of football operations, we thought we’d compile some recent quotes on the move. All of the quotes came before Elway officially assumed his new position.
Champ Bailey:
“Obviously he doesn’t have a track record of being involved, but for what he means to Denver, great move. I think his presence will definitely rub off on a lot of people, and this program definitely benefits from that. I’ve looked up to him since I’ve been here. He’s the man, he’s always going to be the man. I hope he can do some good things for us.”
“He’s effective. His voice, his presence, that’s all you need — somebody to be positively effective in this locker room. If you can find anybody like that, John Elway might be the guy.”
“I think when you talk about (John) Elway and then (Broncos Owner and CEO) Mr. (Pat) Bowlen and (Team President) Mr. (Joe) Ellis and those guys upstairs — they are going to do what is right. … I think with Mr. Bowlen, Mr. Ellis and Elway running this team, everything will be fine.”
Correll Buckhalter:
“I think it is a great fit — a guy like John Elway who had a lot of success in this league and who was around a lot of great players and knows how to win — I think he will bring a good positive energy to this organization. He will help them hand-select some guys who will help this organization win and get back to the tradition of winning Super Bowls.”
Brian Dawkins:
“He’s a very knowledgeable individual, obviously, or he wouldn’t be coming back in. Obviously he has a love for this organization, so you know he’s going to put his best foot forward on a consistent basis to make sure that we get back to where the Broncos should be. I believe it’s a positive thing, and I’m pretty sure you won’t find anybody that’s going to think that’s a negative thing to have John back in our house.”
Mario Haggan:
“I’m happy for John. It will be even greater to have an opportunity to work with him. We’ll see what happens. This is a business. Things change. There will be a lot of reshaping — hopefully not much because I like a lot of guys in this locker room.”
Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak:
“I think John would be tremendous. This business, whether you are in the front office, whether you are coaching, whether you are playing it is about competing. What I have said many times, that is the greatest competitor to ever play this game, so whatever John chooses to do in life he is going to do it well.”
Brandon Lloyd:
“I think it’s going to be great. It will be a good situation to have that energy and that knowledge of what it takes to build a team from the ground up. It should bring a lot of excitement to the players. Growing up in Kansas City, I know all about John Elway and what he accomplished on the field. His aura and the level of respect that current players have and should have for a legend. It should carry over.”
Kyle Orton:
“I think John obviously is the Broncos. He knows his stuff — knows football. Any time you can bring that mind and that person into the building it would be a good thing.”
Tim Tebow:
“I think it would be great. I think all the players here, including myself, have a great respect for John and what he did in the NFL as one of the best quarterbacks ever. He knows this game extremely well and he is someone that understands it and knows what the players are going through and knows how to help them and everything like that. I think that players would be totally on board with that and I think it could only be a benefit.”
Tags: Brandon Lloyd, Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey, Correll Buckhalter, Gary Kubiak, John Elway, Kyle Orton, Mario Haggan, Tim Tebow
Nice to see quotes by proffesionals within the industry! Everyone respects John! He is an amazing competitor and will be an unbelievable intricate piece of the puzzle that will shape our orginization for many many years! He’s done it as a player and now he is gonna do it from the front office, but it seems as he uses the same playbook…
HE INSPIRES!!!!
To me, and this is quite simple. Before, fans and quite possibly players hung their hopes and goals on an organization that “was”. It was an orginazation that “once knew”.
With some of the best players to ever grace a football field of a once known dominant force during those SB years, Denver has seemingly drift lost that “voice”. It’s a voice of complete confidence. Not just a player saying “We got a good group of guys” but a voice that says. “Let me show you!”
John Elway’s return to the Broncos organization says a lot. It says a lot about Mr. Bowlen and his desire and vision to bring back something that you can write into a contract. It says something to the players and to the fans.
To me, it says “We’re back! He’s back! and together we can regain control of this division, this league and a culture of winning that has slipped through our grasp!”
Congratulations Mr. Elway! It’s an honor to have you back!
GO GET EM’ BOYS!
Awesome post Broncfalls! That is excatly how I feel, just this beginning piece is so huge, I now know FOR SURE that this team will sooner than later get back to the winning ways.
Thank you Mr. B for bringing back the greatest Bronco of all time!
Welcome back John!
CONGRATS JOHN ELWAY!!! WELCOME BACK, WE LOVE YOU!!!!
Since we are quoting, I feel it’s necessary to re-post the ever important Elway quotes I posted much earlier this morning:
Lucky Woody reports Elway’s thoughts after the announcement:
John Elway hits the ground running at 7:30 this morning.
It could be as tough as the last big time he hit the ground running — and ended up as a human helicopter in one of the most incredible moments in NFL history — the pivotal play of the Broncos’ first Super Bowl victory.
“That’s a good comparison,” Elway said after he paused to laugh Tuesday night. “I hope this is just as successful but doesn’t hurt as much.”
Elway said: “This is all I’ve really wanted to do since I retired as a player. Football has been my life. I’ve waited for years, but the timing is perfect. The stars are aligned.
I won’t let the Broncos down.
“Along with everyone else, I knew that the Broncos fans were beginning to question the franchise and losing their loyalty. This is all about tradition and integrity, reaching out to the community, and getting back to football the Broncos way. I want to be a part of making that happen. Our goal is to be back in the Super Bowl as quickly as possible.
“And as you wrote, I want to stand up on the podium after we win the championship again and say, ‘This one’s for Pat.’ He has been one of the NFL’s very best owners and been great to me for 27 years, and his legacy in this game is so important.”
Elway said: “Yes, this is as excited as I’ve been since the last Super Bowl.” (And so am I John, your greatest fan)
Elway said Bowlen “gave me a chance to accomplish everything as a player, and now as an executive. I will tell him every day what’s going on with the Broncos.”
What’s going on is that the Broncos already have decided that Brian Xanders will have the job, not just the title, of general manager, “and he will be responsible for most of the personnel decisions, the scouting, the salary cap, the draft,” Elway said. “He and I have met for several hours over the past couple of weeks, and I’m impressed by his knowledge, his work ethic, his background, his dedication to winning and his love for the Broncos.”
The next critical item of Broncos business is hiring a new coach. Elway, Xanders, Bowlen and Ellis will interview the candidates, “and we’ll come to a consensus,” Elway said. “We’ll get it done in the next week or two. Brian has done the research over the past 15 years and found that the difference between successful offensive and defensive hires is about 2 percent, so we’re not committed one way or the other. We will hire someone who has been a coach in the league or someone who has long been associated with pro football as a coordinator or a strong coach — someone who will feel as strongly about the Broncos as we do.”
Elway returned Monday from south Florida, where he was an honorary captain for his alma mater, Stanford, at the Orange Bowl. Although it had been reported he would be trying to sway Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh to become the Broncos coach, Elway said they never talked because of the madness surrounding the game. (I included this for the ones here who keep claiming Elway met with Harbaugh at the orange bowl, as I’ve said all along it’s nothing but a media fabrication)
“Jim has to make a decision about his future as a college or NFL coach — but he played in the league for 15 years and coached with the Raiders — and he could go either way,” Elway said.
The Broncos will interview interim coach Eric Studesville and Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey (a former head coach at Buffalo) and will ask permission to interview Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell (who had been an interim coach in Buffalo) and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. The list will grow in the next two days. (Fantastic! the only one not on my list is Rivera but they will interview both Fewell and specially Williams both of whom I have been anxiously hoping for for a month now. Williams is my first choice John, take a good listen at his interview, LOL)
“Because of the playoffs, we’ve got to act fast, and I think we’ll get this done within the next two weeks,” Elway said. (Klis was right all along as normal, it will be after the 15th)
Finally, about Tebow:
“I think Tim has met all the expectations everyone had for him as a person, a hard worker, a great athlete, a great leader, a learner,” Elway said. “I was impressed with what he did in the last three games, considering how few reps (repetitions) and plays in games before that, but the questions now are can he translate that grit, the winning attitude, that athletic ability into maturing into a great quarterback on the pro level.”
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS ELWAY, glad to have you back!!!
Some great posts out there guys. Broncfalls yours was quite eloquent. Bay, as usual, yours was quite informative. Glad to see the Harbaugh rumors put to rest. Obviously we’re looking for someone with a lot of NFL coaching experience. I can answer your question about Tebow, John: a resounding yes! So please don’t bring anyone in with their own QB in mind. Welcome back, John!
Bay,damn son I can’t read all that,whew! LOL.
I think I read somewhere this morning that there will be a press conference at like 3:30,not sure if that’s Eastern time or Mountain? Anyone know?
Mnt time.
oooops BFE, sorry bro 1:30 MNT. 3:30EST.
BFE, did you see that Kyle Rudoplh entered the draft as of last night?
For anyone who misses Marshall found this on NBC Brandon Marshall continues to bag on Chad Henne, coaches
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 5, 2011, 9:46 AM EST
While Dolphins coach Tony Sparano twists in the wind, his players continue to take shots at his staff and each other in the media.
One day after Ricky Williams went off about the coaching staff, Brandon Marshall continued to express his displeasure for certain aspects of the team’s offense. Marshall said he wasn’t on the same page as Chad Henne all year.
“Tyler [Thigpen] gets it a little more,” Marshall said on Michael Irvin’s radio show on WQAM via the Palm Beach Post.
By “get it,” Marshall means throw the ball to Marshall in single coverage.
“He had an opportunity to play with Dwayne Bowe in Kansas City and they made some plays out there so I guess he understands [about] throwing the ball to a big receiver a little more than Chad Henne,” Marshall said.
Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that Marshall and Thigpen changed some of Marshall’s routes in the huddle against the Patriots on Sunday. That led to a heated discussion on the sideline with quarterback coach David Lee.
“They expect me to run an in-route, but me as a player, when we get singled with no safety over the top I want to take a shot and just converted it to a go,” Marshall said. “Seemed like an easier throw, easier play was the go route.”
Earlier in the day, wide receiver Brian Hartline echoed the sentiments. He said the Dolphins stick to the gameplan too much and need “make some plays off schedule.”
The Dolphins certainly haven’t stuck to the script since the season ended.
Draft by Rounds:
1.Fairley DT/DE Auburn
2.Paea DT Oregon St
2.Jones ILB Michigan St
2.Rudolph TE Notre Dame (if we trade Orton for a 2nd)
3.Black S Florida
Brandon Burton CB Utah would be a good pick if we get a another 2nd or 3rd rd pick.
Yeah I saw that strand.
BFE, you should take the time to read it all, it’s all about what Elway said which has ramifications on EVERYTHING, just saying.
Ya, and John INKED THE DEAL AT 6:00 P.M. last night.
I read it Bay,just kidding about how long it was,lol.
So Xanders will be over personnel and drafting?
JE seems pretty high on Xanders,McD wouldn’t let him do his job,along with all the other coaches we had,that’s why they all left,hard to swallow the fact that the little turd ran off such great talented coaches and players,and handcuffed Xanders too! I’m so glad that shmuck is gone…..good riddens!
I would like either Mularkey or Williams as Head Coach! I would also really like Harbaugh or Gruden but it doesn’t really look like that’s going to happen!
Mularkey would be great with developing Tebow and could potentially give us an amazing offense! Then again Williams could give us a sick defense and he would be great at finding and knowing talent in this upcoming draft!! If he got either Peterson/Bowers/Fairley and the other defensive talent in this draft then the sky is the limit with our defense!!
I did like someones thinking earlier on either this blog or another where they brought up the idea that we should try to get Peterson and Fairley/Bowers!! We could trade our 1st round pick next year and some other picks for next year. Our defense needs the most help this year and getting both Peterson and Fairley/Bowers in the first round would be superb! Then we could get Paea and Rudolph and another DL in the second and get either Greg Jones or that other TE from Tennessee!!
What do y’all think about getting both Peterson and Fairley/Bowers???
If I had to choose between Mularkey and Williams,I’d have to go with Williams,and maybe Fox or Wade as DC and a great minded OC to work with Tebow!
freak,I don’t like trading future draft picks,McD stuck it to us doing that this year and last year.
Fairley and Peterson would be great tho!
I’ve looked into Gregg Williams. As we all know he’s a helluva defensive coordinator but during his time as HC of the Bills he was know for unimaginative and conservative play calling – especially on offense. So unless we get a truly stellar offensive coordinator I don’t know if I want him as our HC. I don’t know maybe he’s learned from his experience but I’m not really sold.
As long as Williams lets the OC do his job,there should be no problem.
BFE…
I love your mock draft man! I would just love for us to get Peterson as well! McDaniels traded our 1st overall for someone who didn’t really pan out and someone that we got in the 2nd! I would be okay with trading next years 1st and 2nd to move up and get Peterson but that is just me! Obviously we need the best DL and Peterson is too good to let up as well!! There will be no defensive players in next years draft that has as much talent and potential that Peterson has, just saying!
I think it would be a safe and smart move and would give our new coach some GREAT pieces to work with on defense!!
Adding Peterson, Fairley/Bowers, Paea, Jones, and BLACK would DEFINITELY turn our defense around and fix all of our needs on defense!! We couldn’t trade any of this years picks because we need all them plus more to get Rudolph and Black as well, along with maybe that TE from Tennessee!!
Well I do not care which we get, either Williams or Mularkey…
But if we get Williams we definitely need to get the best offensive coordinator out there for Tebow and someone who is proven in offense!! That is my only worry that if we sign Williams then we won’t get a good enough OC and they won’t be able to fully bring out Tebow’s talents!
I don’t see anyone trading a top 5 pick to us this year for a 1st round pick next year,because they won’t know how good of a pick they will get,until we finish,just saying.
We might go 8-8 and they would be trading a top 5 pick this year for a #20 pick next year,don’t see that happening,and no way I would trade a 1st and 2nd round pick for one pick this year,just me.
codybleedsblue, Im one of those few and it seems like its a concensus amongst the players in the Dolphins lockerroom. Making it public on the other hand not cool. Marshall said he didn’t mind not getting the ball as long as they win (if thats the style) but the problem is when they arent and they are losing. And he is right, everytime there was single coverage on him around here…we made it a go route and a jump ball situation. Always worked. Miami doesn’t know how to use him, and Henne is a bad QB … Either way, Im sure they will figure it out … took a year for Bears to figure out cutler and they are playoff bound now so more power to them.
Looking forward to the Elway press conference. Glad he is officially on board. Looks like we are looking at 2 offensive minded and 2 defensive minded. Mularkey, Harbaugh – Fewell, Williams. I was also hoping for rivera Baylin but oh well. Hope its not Harbaugh and after hearing how much he wants…definitely hope its not Harbaugh (dunno if its truth or rumor that we are talking to him)…
With a stout Dline the corners we have will be good,if we keep Champ.
It starts with the Dline,that’s where you start rebuilding first,then LB then DB,IMO.
Different opinions tho,nothing wrong with that.
TRB, that was printed in a reputable newspaper so I would say it’s probably legit since they went as far as saying the amount (over 6 mil) and that that’s what Harbaugh’s agents are asking for.
Misread you, I think it’s only rumors that we are interested in Harbaugh, Elway said nothing about him other than he doesn’t even know what Jim wants to do at this point:
“Jim has to make a decision about his future as a college or NFL coach — but he played in the league for 15 years and coached with the Raiders — and he could go either way,” Elway said.
I’m with you on the D-line, Beast. The most talented secondary in the world can still get beat if there’s no pass rush. Well it looks like we may very well end up with an ex-Bills coach – we’re interviewing 3 candidates who have been HC over there haha.
And he said that last night, and he did say he never talked to him at the orange bowl, it’s just all media hype at this point.
That’s because they have a big pool of coaches over there, no one wants to hang around Buffalo shoveling snow for nothing, LOL.
And he said they’re going to have someone with significant NFL coaching experience. Which means Harbaugh is by no means the front runner among these candidates.
Music to my ears… Elway’s back in the house!!!!!!!!
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
That’s my guy right there and I have no doubt in his ability to run this team successfully. Millen’s problem is he is NO John Elway. Our #7 can get anything done… from legendary 4th qtr comebacks to running this team’s front office.
This is the 3rd best day ever!!!
1 – Elway’s first SB win
2 – Elway’s second SB win
3 – Elway returns to Denver
With someone has legendary and respected as Elway, we’ll be getting back on the right track in no time. BUT even with all the changes we’ll be making, this team still has a lot on their plate to fix. Bowlen finally made the right move… realized he’s not too good at hiring a new HC so he handed that job over to the pro. Elway’s gonna look at from a player’s perspective which is a sweet deal. Having been in that position of transitioning from one HC to another he will have a much better shot at finding a more reliable and suitable HC for us. Like I said, he’ll look at it from a player’s point of view in the interview (or he should)… in the interviews he of all people should ask himself, would I really want this guy as my HC if I were the players? I can’t imagine he wouldn’t.
Nevertheless, glad to have him back!! Good day to be a Bronco fan… no other team has a John Elway to brag about! ahaha
GO BRONCOS in 2011!!!!!!!! Love you Elway!!!
Yeah true Bay. Buffalo seems to be a pitstop for good coaches but never a permanent residence.
Probably just a front for the HC they really want?
I don’t like the idea of bringing in a college HC coach anyway,no more experiments for me,we need someone with NFL experience!
As far as the draft,every year there are players we want,not necessarily need,we draft BPA! Moreno…we should have taken Orakpo!
We’ve put off the Dline long enough!
That’s why I want Fairley DT/DE and Paea DT before we even think about LB or TE or DB.Just me!
07 calm down girl anyone would think you just found the love of your life LOL
Marshisboss, actually everyone’s pretty excited. If that makes us girls than uh… great. We’re girls. Good one.
It’s called an Orange Crush! LOL.
Good one BFE
Now that actually was a good one, Beast! Haha!
07 is a young woman.
Born & Raised 07elway is a girl
We need to trade Orton for a 2nd rounder. Shouldn’t even be a debate about it. We need so much help on defense, and another 2nd rounder would be amazing. I know some people like Orton, and others are not sold on Tebow, but it is time to start Tebow and give Orton an opportunity elsewhere.
Orton is a good QB. But he just isn’t great. The majority of all his stats came from playing catch-up against prevent defenses late in the game. He had all the yards, but look at his TD’s. You can go to the stat sheet and count 7 QBs with less yards that threw more touchdowns than him. 5 of those had at least 10 wins, 4 are in the playoffs, and only 1 had a losing record. Orton is not a franchise QB. He is a good QB. But when it came to redzone or the 4th quarter, he just didn’t have it.
Tebow has it. He has shown it. And we will only get better.
Trade Orton now so we can get more defense, defense, and more defense!
Sorry this might seem out of order or random to the current convo. I was arguing with folks on NFL.com and the people that were bashing Tebow and calling Orton a “franchise” QB were getting on my nerves. They obviously did not watch him play lol.
Go Broncos!
P.S. Glad to have Elway on board! And I like who he is already going after in the interview process. I look forward to all of you guys to be on this blog as we go through the process. I enjoy all of your input, and I enjoy being around fellow fans. It was nice chatting with you all this last season, and I hope that it continues! Thanks baylin, BFE, FDR, carmello, Elway07, oldsouthlander, TRB, Born&Raised and everyone else. You guys rock. In a perfect world we would be in a bar in Denver discussing these things in person drinkin some cold ones haha.
Hey bay you guys were talkng about a DVD a while ago can i get some info on it
denver0723,glad you like the blog buddy!
Oh hahaha my bad. That does explain the I love you John Elway comment. I take it back marshish. Really put my foot in my mouth on that one.
If we get a defensive minded HC do we keep the offensive staff we have here now so that Tebow is familiar with the scheme
I got two of them this Christmas:
1. The History of the Denver Broncos a 2 disc DVD must have specially for the young fans who missed all the early years.
2 NFL greatest games Denver Broncos, a 3 disc DVD showing in full the three greatest game of our franchise, the 1977 AFC Championship game against the Raiders and both SB wins, the AFC game is poor quality but it shows us beating the Raiders at home for the first time since 1962, that’s right 15 years, and it’s awesome to see the real orange crush. A must have also.
No prob Born & Raised we all make mistakes by the way the stream has started for the press conference
No way we keep McCoy and Ben McDaniels!
We can do a LOT better!
We could keep Studs as RB coach,were he was.