The Broncos recently finished their OTAs (organized team activities) and now they are off until training camp begins in late July.
Leading up to training camp, we are bringing you a series of conversations 850 KOA has had with various Broncos personnel.
This time, part two with Broncos’ Executive Vice President John Elway (JE).
850 KOA: What do you think this offense will look like this season? Will it look like what Broncos fans saw when they watched the Colts? Will it be a combination of different personnel groups?
JE: I think there’s a misconception out there a little about Peyton in that they (the Colts) didn’t run the football in Indianapolis. When they were successful in Indianapolis, they ran the football. What we’re looking for is balance. When we won the championships back in the 90’s, we had balance. Willis McGahee had a great year last year. (Mario) Fannin, the young kid we signed as a free agent last year out of Auburn, is coming back off a knee injury in camp. (He) looks good. And then (Ronnie) Hillman, who we drafted in the third round, is a guy that has big-play ability. I think you’re still going to see good balance. I think the misconception is that Peyton throws the ball all the time but when they were winning and doing well, they were top 12 in the league in rushing.
850 KOA: But what kind of personnel will the Broncos use?
JE: I think we’re going to have it all. The bottom line is in short yardage, especially short yardage goal line, you need a fullback to lead it up in there. You don’t want to put a linebacker or another guard back there. That’s why we made the trade for (Chris) Gronkowski. The more diverse we are and the more personnel packages we have offensively, the better off we’re going to be because they (defenses) have to prepare for that many different things. We’re going to go more ‘21,’ which is two backs, than Peyton has done in the past but it gives us the ability to be better in short yardage and goal line situations.
850 KOA: You had the chance to talk with Peyton during OTA practices. What do you talk about when you’re together and is it different than talking with other quarterbacks?
JE: With Peyton’s background and where he’s coming from and what he’s done in the NFL already, it’s a treat to be able to watch him practice day in and day out. You realize once you’re around him why he’s been as successful as he is. He’s a guy that’s a grinder on the small things, which really matter. He’s also a guy that gets along with his teammates and gains that respect. He has done a tremendous job and walking in, not saying, ‘I’m Peyton Manning,’ but (instead taking the approach of) I’m going to blend in and we’re all going to get to know each other before I put my foot down and say, ‘Ok, we’ve got to do it.’ You saw little signs of that at times during OTAs. He’s been very aware of the people and the need to get to know his teammates. (When he and I talk), I’m interested to see what he’s looking at and the little things that he sees because of what he’s done and been successful with, plus the background I had with Mike (Shanahan) and what we did when we had success. To be able to talk about little things like that, talk about football, but also talk big picture things—quarterbacking and how to handle different situations—are always great conversations.
850 KOA: Wide receiver Brandon Stokley told us that Manning wants precision from his receivers. He wants them to be where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there. Between Ed McCaffrey, Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe, who did you bark at the most?
JE: Sharpe without a doubt. You could bark at Sharpe because Sharpe (thought he) was always open. (I’d say to him), ‘You’re making me look bad if you raise your hands and you’re open and I’m looking at another side so don’t do that to me.’ Yeah, I’d bark at Sharpe but we all got along so well and it was always a great relationship. You look at the guys we have in Demaryius (Thomas) and Eric (Decker), two young guys, very talented guys, who are going to learn a tremendous amount. Demaryius had a good year the last half of last year but is still so young and so talented. Peyton is going to be huge for him in teaching him where he’s supposed to be as a wideout and the trust it takes for a quarterback to have that the receiver is going to be where he’s supposed to be. Those things are not only what Peyton does between the lines on game day but also in practice.
We’ll have another Q&A next week.
Feel free to post your thought about where the Broncos stand as we the countdown to training camp continues.
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Mike
Tags: 850 KOA, John Elway, Mike Rice
I can just amagine, how , sharpe and Elway would bicker, cant help but laugh sharpe was a funny guy.
Thanks for the post Mike! How many parts are there to this conversation?
I know that from now to training camp, it’s going to be painfully frustrating waiting for more Broncos football. We’re all anxious here for the season to get started. Hopefully you guys will continue to post content so we have something to discuss!
GO BRONCOS!
yeah miller……..I can totally see Sharpe barking in Elways ear all the time! LMAO
Another good feel for what the Broncos O is going to shape up as. Cool beans!
I got a feeling we’re going to give D coordinators fits next season!
Some coaches on the opposing side are going to get grey hair because of Manning. And those who are already grey will go white. LOL
I think our O is going to be a well oiled machine, IMO PM is on a mission to prove people wrong, we will see. He knows how to keep drives alive, he takes what the D gives him, if its not their, he gets rid of it. But the most exciteing part, is, our Defense, I think it will be stellar this yr, we definetely have a couple diamonds in the rough. LMSDBF
Our coaches use to be on the other end of that chaos LOL
I`m looking forward to seeing how the LB from Kentucky does. He sounds like a tackling machine. Whats his name, Trivathan or something like that? But anyway, he peaks my interest on the Defensive side. We`re hearing good things about him already in the OTA`s. Very interesting for sure.
True. LOL
Trevathan, is going to be a verygood player IMO
The best thing about having an O like we have………our D doesn’t need to be stellar to keep us in games each time. I’m not saying they won’t and I don’t want them to be………..cause that will just be gravy on top of mashed potatoes…And as it’s been talked about already………….take care of business at home, especially against our division foes. And take care of business against them on the road…………….oh what the heck……JUST TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS EVERYWHERE! lol
They will be well rested thou, PM , wont have alot of 3 and outs. Their was alot of times we didnt have anytime on the sidelines to make adjustments at all, you have to be able to rest and look at pics from upstairs, make adjustments on the sidelines, talk with each other ya know. GEESH
Our defense played very well last yr IMO. They kept us in pretty much every game, just couldnt score points. Cant wait to see how we play with the lead, just pin their ears back and go.
Yeah, Our D played pretty well in most games last season………and got torched in a few of them too….when they got spread out. You can be sure they won’t be letting that happen again this year. I’d also really like to see us improve on defensive turnovers this year. That was an area we lacked in last season as well.
Been trying to paste Trevathans Stats and Highlights for some reason it wont let me, dunno why
They say Trevathan looked good in OTA`s. He played on the first team drills I believe and turned some heads. Not bad for a late round pick. Its practice though. I`d like to see how he does when its live bullets.
He has led the SEC the last 2 seasons, in Tackles and forced fumbles, they say hes a fourth rd talent.
Yea buddy!! More talk about Trevathan and not from me!!!! I too cant wait too see what he can do!!!
Happy late fathers day to the dads on here.
Man McD talk? Is this offseason that lame?
Anyways peace out for a while longer Broncos country!!!
Notice how he just didn’t say anything about Knowshon at all? LOL I DID! Nice Q&A… This one was a little more in depth than last weeks.
Kod, my hip is doing ok. It feels better when I’m up and walking around. It’s the sitting on a plane I’m not looking forward to!
Bam! I am just so excited. I think that Bronco fans who have not paid much attention to Peyton Manning in the past are going to be blown away by what he accomplishes this year. It’s going to be fun to watch!
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d829ee1ad/article/brett-favre-bounty-pledges-exists-in-nfls-evidence-?module=HP11_headline_stack
Pledging money for a Pick 6 is way different than pledging money for getting Favre out of the game. Sheesh!!!! This whole thing makes me sick.
San Diego fans (if you can call them that) always ask me why I wear Broncos gear year round and follow the team year round… They just don’t get it. Can’t wait for camp to start.
Morning Bronco fans – Pretty bad when I don’t get to ‘good morning’ until 1:30 my time. Notice I didn’t say ‘good morning’ as well..that’s because it’s Monday – I am already swamped with the problems of the week. Not good.
Looks like JE has inducted ‘the neck’ into the ‘good ole boys club’. blah, blah, blah, what was that article??? Def not worthy of the Rice talent. Guessing the pros are having as big trouble as us amateurs at finding something to write about.
Prater news???
Can we be done with Farve? Even McD is more relevant than Farve! To me Farve has done the Pete Rose / Roger Clemens / etc. job on his career.
How come we didn’t get more info on Hillman throughout the OTA’s???
I concur that the missing mention of ‘noshow’ above does indicate that the Broncos are nearly done with him. I would still hope he could pull a ‘career year’ out of his hat – no doubt he will still make the team – But it seems to be ‘too little, too late’. Maybe running as the #4 back with infrequent appearances will have him putting some ability on display when he does get the ball. (Is he even eligible for the practice squad? Would not be surprised to see him hang out this season on IR.) Very disappointing pick.
No mention of Moreno….saw that too. Let’s hope Fannin is the real deal and can contribute this year!
The mere mention of McDuffus is like having a norovirus all over again…. done with that and glad we’re rid of him!!
Happy Belated Fathers Day to all !!
Thanks to all for the comments.
killerkod…this is the final part for John. Next time…I think it’ll be one of the coordinators. I’ll be posting interviews leading up to training camp.
tlcat06…thanks…hope you feel better!
DaddyBronc…wow…thanks for the zing! It’s the OFFSEASON. They’ll be plenty of time for more serious discussion soon enough. And we’ll have a lot of it here. But thanks for checking in!
Mike
Hey Mike – I hope the ‘zing’ wasn’t taken personally. (How could it be taken otherwise as it is your art form? LOL) Please forgive the slight anyhow!
As you are likely aware, I am still not in favor of the QB swap and you got ‘zinged’ because you mentioned Manning in every other line in the article. (I still would much prefer a Tebow overload for which you would get ‘zinged’ by the other guys!!! LOL) Recognize that you are quoting and reporting and I also recognize that I am not with the majority of Bronco fans in wanting to be saturated in Manning ‘blah’. So, I apologize for catching you up in my own agenda – as always, you wrote the Manning overload extremely well!
Looking forward to the season!!!
new blog
Hi Mike,
I enjoyed your article and insightful questions. One question, I think begs to be asked is, “What’s the Bronco’s plan for a Payton Manning injury?”
As a NFL fan and junkie…and a born and raised Bronco fan..I think, If Peyton stays healthy..and they get the timing down. people are going to see how talented Peyton is with more talent around him than he has known previously. He also will make our D even better from practice. Im glad we going back to the 4-3 as well. I havent been this stoked about our team in very long time. Following this game as close as I do..being an Xs and Os type guy…I havent had high expectations since Mr. Bowlen let Coach Shanahan go. wasnt thrilled about the hiring of McDaniels and him tearing up the team. And Tebow is NOT a QB. He would make a hall of fame TE. Now…with new front office…Im very excited in our direction. And its looking very good. I hope DJ gets his path straightend out. And all our team stays out of trouble. My prediction as of now…playoffs for sure. If Peyton stays healthy…and plays atleast 4 of his 5 years…we could see two more Lombardi trophies in the Mile High before Peyton retires.
DaddyBronc…no, definitely not taken personally! I’m glad you weighed in. While I do think there can be (and probably will be, if there hasn’t been already) Peyton overload, I think people are really interested. It’s o.k. to not be in favor of what happened with the quarterbacks this offseason. I think the Broncos upgraded substantially and I am looking forward to seeing how things play out this year. Yes, you are probably right about the Tebow overload point. That’s what it was last year on the post-game talk show I host on KOA! I certainly didn’t mean to saturate people with talk about Peyton…that was what John was asked about and talked about.
qblb…thanks for the note. In the short run, if Manning gets hurt, the Broncos will have to turn to Caleb Hanie, Brock Osweiler or Adam Weber. Those are the other quarterbacks on the roster right now. They want to take some time to see how Osweiler develops. I think of the question John Elway was asked in the press conference in which the team intriduced Peyton. John was asked about a “Plan B” in case something were to happen to Peyton. He said, smiling, “There is no Plan B.” Right now, it’s about Manning. If he doesn’t stay healthy, then the Broncos will figure out what is next.
Mike
qblb…one other note. I must give credit to my 850 KOA colleagues Dave Logan and Dave Krieger for the questions. They were the ones who interviewed John.
Mike