John Elway Q&A: Broncos GM on Post-Manning Era, Lynch & Offseason Challenges

DENVER — John Elway is unique, even among the unique. 

In the 50 years of the Super Bowl era in the NFL, there have been 31 quarterbacks to help their team win a title. Of those, 24 are retired. Of the 24, only Elway, Bart Starr and Doug Williams have ever tried to work for a team in an executive or coaching capacity.

Only Elway has had any real success, and based on his ceaseless desire to compete, he has no intention of stopping anytime soon. In five years with Elway as general manager, the Broncos have gone to the playoffs each year, made the Super Bowl twice and are now the defending champions.

At the same time, the team faces the challenge of having to replace quarterback Peyton Manning and backup Brock Osweiler after Manning retired and Osweiler left in free agency.

Elway talked with Bleacher Report about this offseason and why he keeps going at a time when most of his contemporaries rest on their laurels.

Bleacher Report: So coming off one of the great highs of your career in winning a Super Bowl as an executive, you get the challenge of finding a new quarterback.

John Elway: There are challenges every year. That’s why this year in free agency and all that, there are challenges every year trying to keep things together. So that’s always a challenge. Was it a big surprise that we were in that situation? Yeah, because I thought…we drafted Brock [Osweiler] when we got Peyton [Manning] because we didn’t know exactly what Peyton was going to be. But also, if [Manning] wasn’t in good shape, we were going to a guy who was going to be here for a long, long time. Now, that didn’t work out, so it was a matter of, you have to fix the issue. There are going to be issues every year.

BR: But you sat back and let this play out quite a bit when other people in your position might have panicked. The search for a complete solution went on for almost two months.

JE: Well, the first thing we did is we got Mark [Sanchez] and I feel good about Mark. So by getting Mark—and we’re a lot higher on him than a lot of people are—so once we landed Mark and he was here, we felt better about the situation. It was a matter of bringing somebody in for competition. But of the guys who were out there at the time, there were no difference-makers. So why would I overpay for a guy who wasn’t going to be a difference-maker?

BR: Place this accomplishment of winning a Super Bowl in perspective with what you did as a player and even as an executive in the Arena Football League?

JE: As a player, you’re invested a lot more physically, so that’s why it’s a lot tougher. You’re right in the middle of it and you’re getting hit and you’re going through it physically. So it’s a lot more difficult. So the feeling of finally being able to get that done is, it feels like a great accomplishment. I would say as a GM, it’s more of a satisfying feeling that you were able to put the right people together because they’re the ones who ultimately do all the work. It’s satisfying to be able to put a team together and give them the best chance to be successful, whether it’s the players or coaches. Again, that’s why it’s satisfaction. Even though you’re setting the standards, it’s other people who are doing the work.

BR: Right, I get that, but out of the 24 quarterbacks who have won Super Bowls and are now retired, you’re one of only three men to even try to work for a team again as a coach or executive. What you’re doing is extremely rare. The only ex-player of your caliber who has done anything like this is Ozzie Newsome. Most guys stand on laurels in your business.

JE: It’s a great challenge. I enjoy the competition side of it. That’s what made me as a player, that competitive side to it. That doesn’t go away just because you retire from football. The physical side of the game goes away, but the mental side doesn’t go away. For me, I’ve been just as competitive in the business world as I was on the field. I think the competitiveness helps me in this job because it’s about winning. Every …

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