A career is a compilation of moments, most of them pretty normal and a few that, if you are lucky, stand out as incredible, remarkable, even extraordinary events.
Those are the kinds of moments that have you remembering where you were when the event took place.
I have been fortunate enough to be part of the two greatest single player acquisition press conferences in Denver Broncos history, almost 30 years removed from each other.
The other Bronco who was present at both is John Elway.
At the first one, back in 1983, he was the guest of honor as he joined the team by trade from the Baltimore Colts.
Since then a lot has happened, including the move of the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis.
And now, here we are in 2012, somewhat of a surreal moment as we watched Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway introduce his enormous and astonishing quarterback free agent signing—Peyton Manning, certain future Hall of Famer recently released by the Indianapolis franchise.
It can easily be argued that the four greatest moments in Broncos history are, in order: 1) the acquisition of John Elway, which set the stage for enormous success; 2) the win in Super Bowl XXXII; 3) the win in Super Bowl XXXIII; and 4) the acquisition of Peyton Manning, which again sets the stage for success.
At least, those four event would lead my list as the four greatest moments in the Broncos universe, and if one wonders why two of the greatest are player acquisitions rather than games, my response is that first you have to have a team. You have to have players, then you play. And when you have guys like Elway and Manning, you go into every game with a fighting chance, which is all you can ever hope for.
As the two stood there for pictures, with Manning holding his familiar number 18 jersey—in orange, as the Broncos return to orange as our primary home jersey color this year—it struck me that the two men represent 699 combined career regular-season touchdown passes. Elway retired with an even 300 and Manning comes into this season with 399.
John would be way to modest to acknowledge this, but in terms of accomplishment and celebrity at each end, the football executive and the football player, this might just stand as the biggest “get” of the greatest player by the greatest former player. I certainly cannot think of an NFL free agent acquisition ever, previously, made by someone who himself had the playing credentials of John Elway.
Baltimore Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome signed Shannon Sharpe, and both were Hall of Famers — but both were tight ends. I would submit that quarterback trumps tight end. As great as those players were, the Elway-Manning signing wins out.
In fact, we believe there has never been a signed contract with two Hall of Fame quarterbacks on it, as this one has.
Many years ago Broncos owner Pat Bowlen told me, “I want to be number one in everything.” The statement was so strong to me that I used it to lead his bio, and never took it out of his bio in all the years I produced it.
The statement is just as true today, and it was shown once again in the hiring of Elway to run football operations—has Denver sports ever had two more competitive guys leading a franchise? Certainly, none that has produced back-to-back world championships, as they did in 1997 and 1998.
With Elway in place, could any other executive representing the Broncos have attracted Peyton Manning here?
And is there a more popular players’ coach than John Fox?
And a rhetorical question if ever there was one—is there a more livable city in America than Denver for a young family?
And standing above all is that Denver wants to win—it starts with Mr. B. and permeates like a laser throughout the organization.
It was the creation of a perfect storm of positive feeling in Denver, an atmosphere that proved just right to attract the quarterback who unquestionably is the greatest free agent in NFL history
This was a move with cosmic scope, and one that will alter the careers of individuals and the directions of franchises, as adjustments now must be made to the dynamic Denver move.
That day back in 1983 was different, because there just was not the technological media that exists now. But it was still big, and we did not try to hold it. We did the press conference at 10:30 p.m., and everybody came. The Denver Nuggets were playing a game that night, and the next day their PR director told me when the info starting filtering in about 8:30, the evacuation of press row was immediate and almost complete.
It was a different time and a different day for Peyton Manning, with 25 television camera, local and national, 21 local radio talk shows present in one way or another, along with Peter King of Sports Illustrated, the NFL Network, ESPN, and the largest and most successful football web site in the Rocky Mountain time zone, DenverBroncos.com.
It was streamed live, televised live, and produced hundreds of thousands of words, virtually instantaneously. Back in 1983, the Elway press conference literally happened just after the local TV news signed off, and considering the time change from east coast to mountain, there were people waking up the next day in New York unaware of the Elway signing and press conference.
But for all the differences created by technology and the passage of time that three decade inevitably bring, there is one thing about them that is absolutely the same—these were two of the greatest days in Broncos history.
Welcome to Denver, Peyton Manning.
Tags: John Elway, Peyton Manning
BYE Joe
Lol like the name Joe.
The fact he says he “Ultimately, I really didn’t have any because the Broncos had all that power” doesnt mean he wasnt asked his views. It just means that maybe the Broncos didnt take it. The FO had the power to choose like he said but how he words it makes it seem like he WAS asked his thought. Just my view on it though.
Good riddance Joe the Watcher… hope the bandwagon doesn’t hit you on the way out.
AB – how many is that today?
Man, you know I don’t talk a lot of smack…but thank god VDB said it!
The fact we play Saints Falcons Buccs and Panthers next year is going to be tough. All those teams are going to be alot improved next year. They will be tough games. Four losses if we dont fix our D.
Joe is just a Tebow fan but unlike others he didnt say anything rude he was just adding something. Good luck watching the Jets Joe. Hope you have fun and keep the love of the game in your life. But eventually if you truly love the game your gonna need to find a team and not follow a player.
At least he wasnt rude and obnoxious like someone else was.
I think the Saints might be listless this year due to all the hits they might take this year.. Falcons, Bucs and Panthers are definitely scary though. Probably the best division in the NFL right now would be even better if this scandal didn’t hit..
The Saints are making moves to cover their losses. Plus their Offense will still be tough to handle.
Yeah, I guess I just don’t get it. I loved Elway, TD, Sharpe…but when Sharpe went to the Ravens…he was OUT!
TIll he came back!! Then I loved him again. Whatever…it wall soon be the JETS “issue” and I will enjoy watching and rooting for TT…but it won’t make me a JETS fan! Yuck!!
I don’t see four losses in the NFC South this year…I say we split those games.
I understand their offense is still good, but our defense should still be decent and our offense should be way better than their lessened defense..
I say we win against Panthers and Saints, toss up for Bucs, and a lose to Falcons.
I see us loosing all for if we dont fix out D. Newton is going to cause a lot of problems for our D plus their D will be healthier and improved. Falcons have a good running game and a good pass game and im not sure about their D yet. Buccs they made a lot of moves in FA VJAX is going to cause issues defending the pass with the other WRs and Blount plus their D IMO will be improved. Saints is a toss up. Their O will still be as good but the question is their D.
That’s how I see it too.
We gave up 24 pt’s per game last year….we’ll be better and our offense will average 27 to 30!
Newton is going to cause a lot of issues for our D.
We have a lot of holes on the D. No matter how high powered offense we have to have a good D to win. Right now our D isnt great. We have two elite pass rushers and elite CB thats about it.
Newton only has Steve Smith… and whoever they pick up in draft. So no matter how scary he is, he’s only good as the people surrounding him. Also the Panthers defense is atrocious, and so far they’ve done nothing to fix that.
AB – you know FA signings look great till the season starts!! We will not get swept by the NFC south!!!
Sorry, I put way too much faith in Manning and Champ and Doom and Miller…
I think we have a VERY tough schedule this year but we will split these NFC South games and our D will be improved.
Their D was missing two of their starters last year. They improve by getting them back from injury. LaFell and Smith are a good duo at WR Olsen at TE too. He has weapons. Adding Tolbert to Williams and Stewart makes their run game even more dangerous.
Oh great…now you got me worried!
LOL…love the knowledge of the Panthers…closet fan??
You realize im talking about how our roster is now we lose all four right? We dont have a solid DT or a good second CB. We will have a hard time stopping teams right now. Im sure things will change. But that is going to be a tough division to play all around.
We have to play the AFC North as well… goes we probably have the hardest schedule this year..
*gosh
Mikew007 I follow every team. Its what i do. I learn a lot for the bets my dad does during the season. So i have to pay attention to this stuff. I have to keep track of all sports and every team basically. All for my dad but the pay is well.
Yea Steelers Ravens Bengals Browns Saints Falcons Panthers Buccs Chiefs twice Sd twice Oakland Twice Patriots. All but the Browns are going to be tough. Enough our division games with the moves theyve made. Oakland all depends on how Palmer plays.
*even our division games.
Don’t forget that we have to face the Texans, though that one is at home so that one won’t be as scary… still though Arian Foster, Matt Schaub, Owen Daniels and that defense that revived last season even without Super Mario..
VDB – 2nd hardest schedule this year.
AB – Sweet! Well, I think I know football and I know I know the Broncos! I study the AFC West but don’t put the time into the other teams beyond QB’s, Coaches and some key players…
I will be leaning on you this coming season!
Schedule is brutal…but the AFC West is winnable so that’s all that matters. Get in to the Playoffs and have a go!
Yea the Texans lol I knew i was forgetting another team. So glad they lost Williams though. He was drafted to take Manning to the ground.
007 Yea its cool but its tiring. Especially during this time with March Madness.
I won’t pick till just before the season, but we could win 9 or 10 games this year and win the west and do some damage in the playoffs!
It’s a tough tough schedule! But we are a VERY different team now. Seriously, after the draft and FA…those teams might be thinking that they don’t want anything to do with the Broncos!
I am anxious to see the moves we make in FA. I feel the players i named can add a lot of depth to the team while filling holes then in the Draft we could get even more depth filling remaining holes will getting a couple starters.
Right now I’d have us winning 9-10 games
Win 5 of 8 at home only lose against Houston, Pitt and SD at home…
Win 4/5 of 8 on road losing to Baltimore and Falcons MAYBE Patriots (we have a good track record against them…)
Someone help me out here. I just realized I have no idea how Peyton’s neck got messed up. Was it an injury or what?
AB – great chatting with you today and tonight…Gonna miss ole FLJETBOWGATOR…not really!
Catching a flight to San Antonio in the morning so I better get some sleep! I’ll be online so I’ll check in soon.
GO BRONCOS! GO MANNING! GOOD LUCK TT!
Home 5-2 Losing to Buccs and Steelers
Away 4-4 Losing to Panthers Falcons Patriots and Ravens.
Thats if we go out and do what needs to be done (im sure we will) if we dont then things will be a lot different.
Peace out Mike.
Main its an injury got hurt in a game against the Redskins a few years back.
MAIN – buldging disk…I have one in my neck too. Could be from injury or just bad luck…no one is certain in Mannings case. Bottom line is he is fine!
06 redskins…ripped his helmet off!!
Might have been that be we’ll never know….at least that’s what I read.
THATS IT!! Walk away from the computer before you fall assllleeeeepjfdklnfKDF D
We’re only going to play 15 games? would the 16th be a win or a loss?
I guess this all really depends on the rest of FA and draft, but I still have very high hopes for this season even with one of the hardest schedules in the league this year…
LOL According to Dungy it was in that game that Manning started having issues with his neck.
Thanks for the info. Just curious. I’m not particularly worried about it now.
Sorry 6-2 home. Didnt realize i hit 5. My bad.
IMO we need to fill a lot of holes when we do that we will be good to go. Depending on what we do i will change my views on games. Our D right now will have a hard time stopping a lot of the offenses were gonna face. Like i always say no matter how high powered the offense we have to have a D that can stop opposing offenses. Getting a D that can stop will make it so our offense can run more and eat up more clock.
Great Article!!…..Man I wish I had that piece of paper. John Elway AND Peyton Manning’s autographs lol
Hey man good to talk to you for a bit, but I’m going to bed see you later..
Clark and/or Tamme along with Stokley to add a few more weapons for Manning that know his style of offense plus Saturday and a drafted RB and we will be good to go on offense.
D well McClain and Hayes to add some depth. Maybe Lofton or Fletcher to help at MLB cause Mays isnt a starter and Irving needs to improve. McClain could start there. Draft a LB too.
Gay or Porter and draft 2 CBs.
Okoye and Law and draft a DT
and Draft a DE and our D will be good to go IMO
We will have a lot of depth and keep our D rested and great along with a high powered offense. Just my opinion
Peace out Vdoom.
Well I’ve been on a hiatus for a little while as far as the blogs go, but it’s my duty as Bronco brethren to say my piece about this whole thing. Most important to me it is important to thank Tim and wish him good luck. He returned the winning culture to Denver. For a short time he was our new comeback kid, and I will never forget the comebacks of the 2011 season or the near-comeback that started it all against the Chargers in week 5. He is great for pro sports and a great role model to all. To me he exemplified what it has always meant to be a Denver Bronco – an underdog who outwills the opposition and proves the haters wrong. Just like we did against GB in ’97. With that said, is the next SB trophy coming to Denver soon? I think the way he’s played the game and the fact that he is the only 4 time MVP recipient in league history already makes Peyton Manning the greatest QB of all time. But becoming the only QB to win a SB with two different teams would go a long way toward changing the minds of anyone who might have Joe Montana or Tom Brady at the top of their list. Who knows maybe we can win two or three. It’s certainly not out of the question. We have an owner in Pat Bowlen who wants to be number 1 in all things and brought us two SB trophies. We have an executive in John Elway who took us the five SB’s and won two in a row. We have a Coach in John Fox who took a no name Panthers roster to the big dance and only lost by a field goal to the Patriots in their prime. And finally we have a QB in Peyton Manning who could make a 2-14 team a 12-4 team. He has four league MVPs. He’s been to the Super Bowl twice, earned the distinction of Super Bowl MVP in one of them as he hoisted the Lambardi Trophy above his head.I know you guys know all these things, but when you piece it all together you have an organization that knows what it takes to win a Championship and is as hungry as anyone to do just that. Who knows what the future holds, but from where we’re standing right now, there is every reason to be excited in Denver. But it is bitttersweet right now. Tim gave us an identity and a reason to be excited. He turned it around for us. I miss him already. But John Elway was busy trying to turn it around for us too, and without him maybe the chips don’t fall the same and Tim doesn’t get his shot last season. Some bloggers (like Bay) knew it all along, but it just recently he hit me like a ton of bricks: in BFE’s words “John Elway is the Denver Broncos. It’s a good thing.” Of the 12 teams that expressed interest in Manning, he picked us. That says a lot. I hope he plays til he’s at least 40. But with Elway and company leading the way, maybe we won’t have to search for our franchise for a whole 12 years after he retires.
Good morning Bronco Country!
Timothy Tebow is now a NYJ…. wow. I hear he chose that over Jacksonville. If that is the case, I give major kudos to our front office for allowing him to have a voice in the deal. I wish we could have done better than a 4th and 6th; but I am sure the front office does too.
Bottom line is, he needs to play where he is wanted by the team. Elway has who he believes can get us a Superbowl and I am glad I am along for the ride as a Bronco Fan!!!!!!
The DP is reporting that Tebow’s health was a concern. Apparently after the NE loss last year he had sustained some injuries and the Broncos were concerned about that and it helped lead to bringing Manning in.
That’s BS, lets call it like it is, a unique situation presented itself and provided the Broncos a scapegoat to end Tebow’s time in Denver. It is apparent that they didn’t want to believe in Tebow and invest the time and money into him which is fine. Just say it though, all this class act by Elway is nice but call it what it is. They didn’t want Tebow, but he lead the Broncos back from the death, and then with Manning comming into FA they found the perfect time to get rid of Tebow.
Besides, Mannings 36 year old 4 neck surgeries is more of a concern than a young fit, beastly Tebow.
Anwyay, hopefully Tebow beats out Sanchez…the J E T S..is giong to be Tebow..Tebow…guaranteed! Wonder how Revis feels about the whole situation…
No wonder we haven’t went after Mike Wallace…
The 49ers inquired about Mike Wallace but …
wallace.jpg
Good news for all the 49ers fans clamoring for wide receiver Mike Wallace. The 49ers did indeed make an inquiry about the Steelers restricted free agent during the opening week of free agency. But they and the other teams that asked about Wallace were told the receiver was looking for a lot of money.
How much? A league source said that Wallace, 25, wants a contract that surpasses the eight-year, $120 million deal that Larry Fitzgerald signed last year with the Cardinals. Combine that with the first-round pick any team that signs Wallace to an offer sheet would lose if the Steelers didn’t match the offer, and you start to understand why we’ve heard so little about Wallace in the last week and a half.
That, of course, could change. Teams have another month to sign restricted free agents. But at that price, the 49ers aren’t interested, and it’s hard to imagine the Patriots, Bengals and Ravens paying that either.
Wallace ranked 11th in receiving yards last season with 1,193 yards, and he scored eight touchdowns. Fitzgerald ranked fourth with 1,411 yards and eight touchdowns. The Steelers placed a first-round tender worth $2.74 million on Wallace. If Wallace signs it, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent next season and all 32 teams will be able to bid on him without the fear of losing a draft pick.
Maybe that’s his strategy. Calls to Wallace’s agent last week and this week have not been returned.
Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2012/03/the-49ers-inquired-about-mike-wallace-but.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy
Wallaces wants a deal more than 17 mil per year. No doubt that we cant afford him not. Even reworking contracts wouldnt help!
*now.