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Published on 01/12/2011 at Wed Jan 12 11:58.
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John Elway and Transparency: Wave of the Future?

Posted Wed Jan 12th by

Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway and Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, left, gather for a photo during an NFL football news conference at the team's headquarters Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, in Englewood, Colo., where Elway was named the team's executive vice president of football operations. (AP Photo/ Ed Andrieski)

Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway and Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, left, gather for a photo during an NFL football news conference at the team's headquarters Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, in Englewood, Colo., where Elway was named the team's executive vice president of football operations. (AP Photo/ Ed Andrieski)

Former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels came to Denver from New England and tried to convert the Broncos into doing things the “Patriot Way,” the way that led the Pats to three Super Bowl titles in four years.

If “Patriot Way” was in a dictionary, here is what you would likely find for its definition: “Being as broad and non-specific about injuries and personnel moves while also looking for any competitive edge possible and create a all for one and one for all team mentality.”

McDaniels tried to do exactly that in Denver and failed.  Check that. He EPICALLY failed and was promptly shown the door in the aftermath of Spygate II, the most embarrassing moment in the history of the proud Denver Broncos franchise.

Enter Broncos legend John Elway on a white horse and a whole new way of doing business in the National Football League.

In the press conference where he was introduced as the head man of the Broncos’ football operations, Elway more than once said that he will be bringing transparency back to the franchise so that fans can know what’s going on with their team.

Not soon after the press conference concluded, Elway established a Twitter account (@johnelway) and less than a week after his formal introduction the entire NFL world has been introduced to the new Broncos “transparency.”

And what a breath of fresh air it is!

This weekend in an absolute jaw dropping move, Elway and the Broncos on Twitter shared a photo of Elway and company sitting down with New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell for his interview to become the next Broncos head coach.  Not soon after that photo was posted, the team released an answer Fewell gave to one the questions he was asked.

As if that weren’t enough, the Broncos’ official Twitter feed (@Denver_Broncos) shared two “behind the scenes” videos.

One was of Fewell being followed from the airport all the way to Dove Valley to actual video of him conversing with Elway and then sitting down for the actual interview.  Keeping in mind, Fewell is only a CANDIDATE for the job but he was being given treatment like he was the new coach.

The same goes for interim head coach Eric Studesville, who the second photo and video featured.  The photo featured Studesville and general manager Brian Xanders sitting and talking before the formal interview began and the video was with the “Broncos TV” crew and Studesville was asked in his office about his mindset going into the interview.

This kind of access is basically unheard of in the professional football ranks.  When a team searches for a new head coach, they usually keep things tight lipped so as to not tip off other teams competing with them for a candidate or candidates.

Instead, Elway and the Broncos have been a complete open book announcing PUBLICLY who they want to interview and when as well as giving snippets of the actual interview itself!  It has allowed fans to discuss things in a more open way and it doesn’t leave the fans guessing what the organization is and isn’t doing. It eliminates the whole “what if” factor that often poisons what should be civil discussions between fans of the same team.

The question is of course whether this new “Broncos way” is the wave of the future and a beacon for other teams or just a really bad poker face that allows other teams to easily determine what path the Broncos are going down.

In my opinion, I think this is incredible and a positive model that a lot of professional sports franchises in general, not just football, could adopt.  This kind of practice would eliminate a lot of the paranoid filing of tampering charges teams do against each other with certain players and allows to fans feel like they are actually part of the team.  It would also eliminate a lot of backroom whispering that goes on.  How much would Tony Sparano have loved to have seen the video of the Dolphins meeting with Jim Harbaugh?

This also brings a much needed image boost of the Broncos to either potential coaching candidates or free agents.  It shows that the franchise is interested enough to send out a video crew and document what they are doing coming to Denver and what they will bring to the team.  Elway and his team will ask those questions and it’s more than fair that the fans hear the answer to that as well.  They are helping pay the salaries of not only the coaches and executives but the players as well.  The fans deserve to know where their money is headed.

Another big bonus of this was seen a couple days ago when Elway’s words had been twisted by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that the Broncos would consider sending second-year quarterback Tim Tebow to the Minnesota Vikings should McDaniels accept the offensive coordinator position there.  With the new approach Elway and the Broncos have been taking, they were able to nip the story in the bud quickly and keep an already misleading story from blowing to something even bigger and likely embarrassing.

Now even with all the positives to this approach, this isn’t to say this should be mandated by the league or that the team show should everything it’s doing.  Getting players to make up an NFL roster is the ultimate game of chess that is played by 32 men each Sunday from training camp through December or January or February.  Secrecy is needed in football operations, especially when dealing with the collegiate draft and free agency. It remains unlikely the Broncos will feature a video for every free agent they bring in whenever free agency begins.

To use the poker analogy again, the best players know when to show they have a good hand and when to bluff.  Sometimes you have to bluff to get the most out of a certain situation if the cards fall that way.  There’s no doubt Elway will face a scenario like that somewhere down the road.  Other times if you hold what you think is a winning hand no one can beat, you flaunt it and get the competition to fold.  Elway has played in some poker tournaments.  He knows the approach.

Will Elway’s transparency work? Time will tell.  That said, he immediately has begun living up to his word with a fan base that already adored him but had grown sick and tired of the darkness and deceit of the previous regime.  The Elway-built Broncos are months away from taking the field for the first time, but it seems like the franchise is already in better shape than it was just a week ago.

Yet another Mile High Miracle orchestrated by John Elway seems to be brewing.  Let’s all just sit back and watch the magic happen.

  • crazykid

    like this if you're too lazy to read the whole thing

  • herc_rock

    Is that Greek? Why is Greek interviewing head coaches?

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention John Elway and Transparency: Wave of the Future? - BroncoTalk -- Topsy.com()

  • Nisse

    like this if you're too crazy to read the whole thing :S

  • IrishBronco

    U say Josh McD failed badly…which is in some ways true. However, I blame Bowlen for the McD situation. He gave Josh far too much to handle for a 30 something head coach, even though he said that wasn't going to be the case. As a result he fucked up with personnel moves etc. He was fired to quick and simply should have been relieved of some of his duties and was simply the hc of the team. Now we are going to end up with a 3rd rate hc and will continue to suck. McD will have a great year somewer as OC. He will then get another Head Coaches job and will be successful becos the owner will be smart enough to limit his duties to a manageable amount. If things could be re-done, I would liked to have seen Elway and Xanders in their current roles with McD as the head coach. That would have left us in a lot better position than we are now going to be in.
    So all in all, I blame Pat Bowlen mostly for the complete mess we are in. And it is a mess, there aint no point sugar coating it. Proof is in the fact that 2 co-ordinators have cancelled their interview to be a hc cos they see the mess that the Broncos are and the fact that the fans are not willing to rebuild for 3-4 years and be good in the long run. Everyone wants to go back to the shanahan days of 8-8 7-9 or 9-7 seasons where we miss out on the playoffs by a game or so but still were sort of competitive. That bullshit is gonna get you nowhere.

  • 42n8

    Okay, let's assume you're right and this is all Bowlen's fault. I say, good for him! Mr. Bowlen is, by all accounts, one of the finest owners in all of sports. He took a risk on McDaniels, no doubt, but at least he had the courage to put himself out there and give this a shot. At one point, everybody was calling McD a genius. I am absolutely
    sick and tired of owners like Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder who just throw more and more money at problems w/o ever taking the risks needed to really address the situation. Mr. Bowlen had the courage to fire Mike Shanahan, and believe me, that took courage! He had the courage to hire a brash young man with some great ideas. No luck. Okay. Only those who don't ever try will never fail. I'm grateful to Mr. B for bringing John Elway back, and I hope his search for a new head coach works well; but even if it doesn't, at least he gave it an honest shot, and I'm good with that.

  • http://twitter.com/burke_kris Kris Burke

    I can't knock Bowlen for McD. The Broncos did it one “way” for a long time and then when that way apparently got old, Bowlen wanted a fresh direction and approach. That new approach made things worse and Bowlen realized the old way worked best and never should have changed. He's correcting an error as far as I'm concerned.

  • jdkchem

    Because he has been with the organization for 35 years.

  • kerry

    really?? here is the other side to that horseshit coin you jusy laid on the table:

    how do you know McD didnt DEMAND total control as the head coach? huh? and last i checked, McD had the final say on EVERYTHING. so its Bowlens fault McD passed on Clay Matthews for Robert Ayers. BULLSHIT. its Bowlens fault McD had one of his henchmen CHEAT?! get the fuck out of here. Bowlen gave him control with the notion that MCD wouldnt cheat and would select good players. Bowlen didnt wake up saying “golly gee ill give this guy all the power even though he may cheat and may select terrible players. sorry that isnt Bowlens fault. that like blaming Mcdonalds for people being fat. nobody made them buy the double quarter pounder with cheese and two large fries. that did that all on thier own. just like McD, ALL ON HIS OWN, ruined the franchise.

  • http://twitter.com/burke_kris Kris Burke

    Greek has saved Elway's hide more than once I'd think.

  • http://twitter.com/burke_kris Kris Burke

    You can't knock Mr. Bowlen for trusting McDaniels. He had no reason NOT to at the time he was hired.

  • crazykid

    ok i finished lol. this is a good read, i recommend you read it and dont be scared by the size. after all, size doesn't matter.

  • robtink242

    i agree with you.. While all that fine we still have a gaping hole to fix at Head Coach!

  • 5280

    I think this new way of running a team with complete honesty is revolutionary! this could really become a new way of doing things for franchises in all sports arenas. I'm very proud that John Elway is the man to first practice something like this and it is probably something he's had in mind for a while if he's been a bronco fan all this time. I know I've been wishing the Broncos were more up front and honest about things in the past. I love finally being able to know everything my favorite team does and not wondering what their doing next, and i especially think that my opinion as a fan matters now more then it used to. Since the termination of McDaniels, I've been one of the few who believe that Spygate wasn't the main reasone why he was let go. In my opinion that was the tip of the ice berg. the biggest piece of the reason why Bowlen Fired McDaniels is because of us, the fans. I think Old Mr. B finally understands that we are the reason for teams success. We called for McDaniels head so he gave it to us. We wanted Elway back with the team in a BIG way and he gave him to us. I think this new idea of “transperency” is something that Bowlen and Elway discussed and agreed on from the get go, and I think Bowlen knew that thats what Elway wanted to do: make this team the fan's team. Elway knows how much the fans want a say in the way their team operates. He's been apart of Denver culture for so long you could say that he owns this city and he's a fan himself. I think fans should appreciate what they've been able to get out of this fanchise in the last couple of months. It really looks like Bowlen is finally making this OUR team and not just HIS team. I mean, he has even told the league we're going back to orange jerseys. I'm excited because us as fans finally get to have our opinions seriously. As long as Elways up front and honest about things I have no problem with the moves hes making.

  • IrishBronco

    how do YOU know he DID demand total control?
    when shanny was fired Bowlen wanted to change things, hence bringing in a GM (Xanders). Why the fuck would he have hired McDaniels if he demanded total control. McDaniels was in no position at the time to be making demands as he was going to be a first time head coach, and there were other good coaching candidates out there at the time (Steve Spagnuolo). McD would have had no leverage to be demanding anything in a situation like this.
    I aint saying McD didnt do damage cos he did…alot. Im just saying, too much was asked of him as a first time head coach and as he result he couldnt handle it and fucked up. Regarding the spygate 2 thing…..there was no proof ever that McDaniels had anything to do with it so cant really say it was him cheating. It was some New England douche who seems to enjoy playing with video cameras.
    And to say McD, ALL ON HIS OWN, ruined the franchise is bullshit again. You tend to forget all the shitbags on the roster he had to clear out from the shanny era. And they are shitbags….how many of em got picked up after being cutt and are starting in the league. On top of that…dont forget about all the dead money he had to clear…aka Travis Henry etc.

  • 42n8

    You are one sick puppy. I'm saddened that your crap was even printed.

  • http://nation.theorangepage.com/blog Ian Henson

    I thought this too; then I remembered… I have a company that I work with, the owner will literally bring anyone into a meeting. Could be an assistant, an assistants assistant. Just strength in numbers I guess in case someone needs to get choke slammed.

  • kerry

    um McD called all the shots. so yeah he SINGLE-HANDEDLY ruined it all on his own. McD made the horrible picks, horrible free agent signing, horrible play-calling, getting rid of Mike Nolan and trading away all the talent. yeah that was ALL McD. sorry but its true. and you are the most retarded person on earth if you think for one second that Bowlen told McD: “you are gonna have all the power and there isnt shit you can do about it” if McD was SO concerned with having “too much to do” the he should have said so at the time of his hiring. its OBVIOUS McD wanted all the power. his ego NEEDED all the power. thats the most obvious thing in all of this.

  • http://nation.theorangepage.com/blog Ian Henson

    Hah! Woooooow. Okay, I hope I moderated that comment correctly.

  • herc_rock

    Would you let a janitor interview CEO candidates just because he'd been cleaning the floors for 35 years?

    Not equating being a janitor w/ HAT, but this makes little sense to me. They're two different animals.

  • herc_rock

    I bet that company doesn't have those people sit in on interviews for the two or three jobs in the company, though.

  • MrEast

    This is Bowlen's fault, completely his fault. Josh McDaniels didn't even get two seasons. You don't draft Peyton Manning and bench him because he set the NFL record in INTs his rookie season. You don't release Matt Ryan because of a sophomore slump. It all starts up top, and Bowlen is stupid if he thinks John Elway can fix all of this.

    John Fox is the best candidate Denver has… that's sad. Now it looks like the Rams will have Steve Spags and Josh McDaniels. It wasn't too long ago when Denver fans thought that idea was a pipe dream. That's how you own a team, not fire people left and right while interviewing shmucks like Dennison and Koetter.

    Mike Mularkey and Gregg Williams have turned us down, two guys who desperately want to be head coaches again. This is the hole Denver is in.

  • 42n8

    You throw your words around like wheapons. Saying something is Mr. Bowlen's “fault” is a whole lot different than saying it's his “responsibility.” Mr. Bowlen never ducked the responsibility for hiring McDaniels, and he also took ownership for firing him; and that, to me, is what a full-grown man does. I live in mid-Missouri, and your holding up the Rams as a model franchise is laughable. It has only been within the past year that St. Louis has had anything to boast about, and they're still a long way from set. The fact that Mularkey and Williams have turned “us” down is a saving grace for this franchize.

  • Hope

    Tim Tebow will be the best qb to ever play the game of football.

  • stav

    Ok, what was McD's fault then? In no particular order.

    #1 – I know all of us, ALL OF US, said WTF in 2009 when they called out Knowshown at #12 instead of Orakpo or Brian Cushing at the draft. I was at the Four Seasons for my wedding anniversary watching the draft on a 7″ tv in the bathroom, saying WTF over and over and over

    #2 – Drafting Ayers instead of Clay Matthews or Ziggy Hood which Xanders is on record about pushing for Matthews.

    #3 – Trading Cutler, I know Cutler was a dick, but McD was at fault there.

    #4 – Let's see, what else….oh yeah, trading Hillis without his GM even knowing

    #5 – Drafting Quinn ONLY BECAUSE Pittsburgh was hot about grabbing him (come on, how good could he block, really)

    #6 – Trading Scheffler and never getting a true receiving TE

    #7 – The Alphonso Smith debacle (Darius Butler was available).

    #8 – Spy Gate II, the guy didn't even bother to tell Bowlen about it?!?!?! Some un-named coaches told Bowlen. And please, are we really supposed to believe McD knew nothing about this? Yeah, right.

    Can't fault him with Marshall, but if Cutler stayed, Marshall would still be a Bronco.

    Bowlen's fault, believing in McDaniels and giving him way too much power.

    Come on Mr. East, let's put the blame where it goes. On the coaching situation, I wouldn't mind seeing Dennison get the HC spot with Fox as DC, but since Fox most likely won't agree to that, maybe we can convince Fewell to take the DC job as DC/Asst. Head Coach.

  • stav

    When is it going to be ok for McDaniels to open his mouth and OWN THE FACT that he blew up this franchise and left it as shit? I don't care where he goes or what he does, the fact that he completely set this franchise back SINGLE HANDEDLY will follow him if he ever gets to interview for an HC again.

  • MrEast

    So you can't knock someone for making a decision that ended poorly? Do you not understand that if Bowlen doesn't start making right decisions things will be like this for a long time? Yes McD made some poor moves, but if it doesn't start getting better up top Denver will be screwed for a long time. Currently now, two washed-up former HCs (Williams and Mularkey) both declined the job, that's how unattractive Denver is. Right now there is no error being corrected. If you want to be real NFL franchise then look at how all the other successful teams do it. The Falcons got a clue and now have a real structure like Ravens, Steelers, and Patriots do. You can feel good all you want that Denver is being transparent, but nothing is more transparent than a scoreboard.

  • MrEast

    The only thing that is laughable is that you think Bowlen taking responsibility for everything makes it okay. Matt Millen took responsibility for what happened in Detroit. A “full-grown man” does take responsibility , however an owner of an NFL franchise makes right decisions. So if Josh McDaniels finished every season apologizing for things that didn't work out they should let him stay? According to your logic I guess so. Yes, Josh McDaniels screwed the pooch in his short time here, but Bowlen hiring another failure will truly show were the real problem lies.

  • MrEast

    Are you seriously going to point out Moreno vs. Orakpo, Smith vs. Butler etc? I hate it when people try to reason that way. Did you know that in 2002 Mike Shanahan picked Ashlie Lelie over Ed Reed? Who cares? You can't be Captain Hindsight on every pick in the NFL draft. Was McDaniels supposed to pick perfect on every draft pick in the short experience he has the job? Of course not. If you don't like that then perhaps you should be angry with the person who thought it would be a good idea… Pat Bowlen.

    Why would you ever want Rick Dennison? Dennison is the offensive coordinator under head coaches who coordinate the offense themselves. That makes no sense. Also you're not being realistic about the coaching search, Perry Fewell can't just be a DC somewhere else without the Giants letting him go.

    I'm not claiming that Josh McDaniels didn't screw things up. All I'm stating is that Bowlen is unable to make a correct decision when it comes to the front office and head coaching position. In the end that will be the fate of the franchise, not the fact that Jay Cutler was traded forever ago.

  • robtink242

    yeah i totally agree with you with the whole power ordeal.. Its no coincidence that the team played better in his absence.. “Wink”, Xanders, and Mike Mcoy were all puppets.. see and when lousy players were drafted we the public blame mr.X, our McD passive defense was all McD.. I'm sure we blitz more times in the last four games than the previous 12 games.. now men like McCoy and Martindale all have to suffer with that crap on there resume.. Why do think its taking us forever to find a new coach.. i say sign Dennison or Farrell.. they are both player coaches… personally i rather have the GM worrying about the draft this process is taking too long..

  • stav

    Do you mean I'm wrong for reasoning rationally? Sorry, but if anyone on these posts actually wanted Moreno over Orakpo then you're all full of shit. I'll admit I wasn't too keen on Matthews at #18, but I definitely threw in an extra WTF for Ayers as he was a one year wonder at Tennessee. But I'm not reasoning in any manner, I'm simply pointing out the clear and concise MISTAKES that McD made. How can I be angry with Bowlen, back to back SB's, would you say he hand in that, yes. Every team has its periodic lulls, but quite obviously McD dazzled Bowlen in the interview process as he saw potentially a young Shanahan in front of him, too bad it was the later version of Shanahan that he got, alienating everyone around him, flaunting his power unnecessarily, and proving unwilling to listen to a different perspective.

    So who do you blame? Do you blame Bowlen for giving him the keys to Porsche, or McD for taking those keys and then driving the Porsche off a cliff? You want to blame the owner for making a decision he thought was right instead of the coach who made several, SEVERAL mistakes which led to the worst season in team history. Yeah, Bowlen's at fault here, give me a break. And you make it seem like Bowlen has made several mistakes, Wade Phillips yes, McD yes, what else?

    Let's see, he along with his family bought the team in 1984 saving it from potentially bankruptcy and then what happened? Just a few Super Bowls, albeit SB loses, and then back-to-back Super Bowl victories, and a reputation as one of the top owners in PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, not just football. Yeah, Bowlen's the problem. Granted he has a significant hand in the both the failure and success of the team but not as much as McD has resulted in. Can you deny this?

    Bowlen's biggest mistake was falling for McD's supposed pedigree like so many other owners have for the Belichek coaching tree. For that I can give him a pass, for giving McD final say in all personnel decisions, I cannot give him a pass.

  • robtink242

    amen… i couldn't word it any better!

  • robtink242

    only over time i think we grew to like Knowshown and Ayers who proves to be our best run stopper.. Alphonso Smith was a boo boo.. a 1st for a second? really? where they do that at?

  • MrEast

    It's not 1998 anymore, a lot of fans need to realize that. Pat Bowlen is not the owner he used to be. I of course blame them both, but now that McD is out of the picture I'm not going to stick my head in the sand and say that everything was his fault in the first place. My focus is on where the team is going, and it doesn't look good when you're favorite candidate is Rick Dennison. How many other teams want him? Oh, none. This is just part of the transparency crap that Elway thinks is important. I appreciate the sentiment, but I would rather have someone who will win games.

  • stav

    Agreed, but players win the games. We have refused to focus on drafting defense for the past few years and what we see on the field is the result. I'm 50/50 on both Moreno and Ayers, they've shown very little in my opinion except a capacity to get hurt, but for the first time in YEARS we are going to have a draft selection that is not based solely on one man's decision. That is something to look forward to. Elway and Co., whoever they may turn out to be, can prove alot to us based on what they do in April and/or sooner as in retaining Champ, and getting a quality pick back for Orton.

  • CJ

    Dang i wanna know what Bobby Jones said! haha

    And Hope i think its extremely early to make those kind of accusations

  • Bobby Jones

    Last night my pappy brought the dark men home. They like to play silly games with me. Last night they made me take my pants off and open my fanny. They put their big stiks into my fanny and pushed in and out,in and out. At first it hurt real bad then it was so good dat my little peenie went up into the air. After a while they made a silly noise like an exploding wombat and the hot milk went into my belly. I went to the potty and the cream and blood falled into the toilet. I am 6 years old and Jesus loves me.

  • Bobby Jones

    Last night my pappy brought the dark men home. They like to play silly games with me. Last night they made me take my pants off and open my fanny. They put their big stiks into my fanny and pushed in and out,in and out. At first it hurt real bad then it was so good dat my little peenie went up into the air. After a while they made a silly noise like an exploding wombat and the hot milk went into my belly. I went to the potty and the cream and blood falled into the toilet. I am 6 years old and Jesus loves me.

  • Bobby Jones

    Last night my pappy brought the dark men home. They like to play silly games with me. Last night they made me take my pants off and open my fanny. They put their big stiks into my fanny and pushed in and out,in and out. At first it hurt real bad then it was so good dat my little peenie went up into the air. After a while they made a silly noise like an exploding wombat and the hot milk went into my belly. I went to the potty and the cream and blood falled into the toilet. I am 6 years old and Jesus loves me.

  • Bobby Jones

    Last night my pappy brought the dark men home. They like to play silly games with me. Last night they made me take my pants off and open my fanny. They put their big stiks into my fanny and pushed in and out,in and out. At first it hurt real bad then it was so good dat my little peenie went up into the air. After a while they made a silly noise like an exploding wombat and the hot milk went into my belly. I went to the potty and the cream and blood falled into the toilet. I am 6 years old and Jesus loves me.

  • Bobby Jones

    Last night my pappy brought the dark men home. They like to play silly games with me. Last night they made me take my pants off and open my fanny. They put their big stiks into my fanny and pushed in and out,in and out. At first it hurt real bad then it was so good dat my little peenie went up into the air. After a while they made a silly noise like an exploding wombat and the hot milk went into my belly. I went to the potty and the cream and blood falled into the toilet. I am 6 years old and Jesus loves me.