Bronco Fans, Stop Bashing Elway and Move On

Forgot to mention: great article, Jon.

It’s Football.  Time to move on.

Great article Jon.

How can anyone bash Elway? He helped draft Adam Weber; the Broncos next great QB after Manning! 

haha I know it’s a long shot but I’ll be rooting for Weber to be a stud for the Broncos until the day he either makes it or gets traded/cut.

Anyway, great article. Very few people were as vocal as me about not wanting to get Manning but the thought that Elway did Tebow wrong couldn’t have been further from my mind.

Elway did what he felt was best for the organization. Period end of story. Hopefully he called it right.

You said it best at the end. Are you really a broncos fan if you can’t get behind having a hall of fame qb come back and run your front office only to make the biggest free agent signing ever after only being on the job a year.

34 out of 34 QB rating last year….. There’s only 32 teams. ’nuff said. I thought we’d all been acheing for a pro bowl qb since Elway left. Now we have the best QB since Elway. How can you not be excited?-

 I was a huge fan of my man Elway while growing up in Colorado and after I left. Even when I lived in Texas and Dallas killed them in that huge game, I was still a fan. Still a Bronco’s fan when Elway won the first super bowl and then the second. In fact waiting for years and years for it to happen, rooting him on interception after interception. But after 20+ years I feel Elway has become a disgrace and he can’t be trusted. If he felt Tebow was not his man, he should have just said so and rolled with the punches! Period. At least he would be able to say he handled himself with integrity, something seriously lacking in him these days. I am sad to say it because I never thought I would see the day I would ever even think it, much less say it. I can’t deny it though. If he thinks people will “forget” about the way he treated Tebow after Manning has a few wins under his belt, he better think again. They might jump for joy but in the back of their minds, they will be thinking of all the crappy things Elway had to do to get there. People are sick of athletic “heros” and “stars” breaking the rules and not being held to high standards for their actions and how they treat others, all in the name of football and winning. I love rough and tough football just like everyone else, but enough is enough. I have been following NFL football all my life. I am not some Tebow groupie that started watching football just because he came along. Give Tebow fans some credit. Now, Denver doesn’t have a good back up quarterback and is just one super hard, in your face hit from Manning being out too. Brilliant…… I am glad Manning is here but why Tebow couldn’t play second fiddle and learn from a pro is beyond me. I AM A TEBOW FAN now, because of Elway’s actions. I WAS AN ELWAY FAN for 25 years. Management (“Elway” says) that he went to Tebow and “asked him” which team he wanted to go to. Tebow says they held all the power and that he didn’t have much say. Not sure who to believe? After all the half truths Elway spouted this past season, I lean towards believing Tebow. Tebow is a winning quarterback. He certainly didn’t have the advantage with the lock out and wasn’t able to properly train. Yes, he has a lot of work to do, that is for sure and he may not have the Elway arm. And, you are right, he needs to learn how to throw. My point is under Peyton, he would have learned. Elway lied over and over again and had to be forced by the fans to put Tebow in. I wish the best for Tebow, and if it is working with a team that will utilize him and train him, then go Jets! I just might become a Jets fan. I have been a Broncos fan for over 25 years now. But, with Elway in charge, it is a sad, sad prospect. You have no idea how much it hurts to say it.  Time will tell, but I have a feeling that Tebow will put his heart, arm, brain, mind and soul and every ounce of energy he has in to working as a back up quarterback. And, when that happens…. in a few years (or maybe less) Elway will be kicking himself for what he lost and could have had.  More importantly, Broncos fans are not blind to his half-hearted “truths” and they won’t forget.  His reputation will never be the same no matter how much he “wins” games.

Jon, great thread that needed posted!

Look everyone is trying to decide if this was a good trade or a bad one. Only time will tell, if in the next few years Manning doesn’t win a super bowl then I think everyone upset will have all the reason to complain and at that point Elway should step down… Or if Tebow goes on to have a great NFL career coupled with Manning not winning a super bowl in Denver, then Elway will really look stupid… But don’t for one second defend Elway Pat Bowlen let’s the football people make the football decisions, that’s why he is a great owner. This was 100% Elway not trusting Tebow.

 Agreed.  I’m not going to run interference for anyone.  Is Tebow the best QB in the NFL?  Nope.  And neither is PM.  His best days are behind him. 

We will not win a SB with PM, unfortunately.  He was losing velocity before his 4 surgeries and now his injury and age have caught up to him.  Think about it.  This guy even kept one of the surgeries secret.  Why?  That is because he didn’t want news of it to damage his marketability to other teams. 

I’ve always been a PM fan but the writing is on the wall for him.  I think Elway got caught up in the hoopla surrounding PM and just couldn’t resist.  It was logical to hold on to TT until his contract was up since he was/is a solid backup/winning starter and was only going to make 1.2 million this year warming the bench.  Bargain.

And now we are left with signing people like Hanie as backup and scouring the draft for other QB’s where there are no good prospects outside of Luck and RG3. 

“This is an opinion article and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the rest of the BT staff.”

This piece was my own opinion, and does not necessarily represent what the site is here for and the article was not fed to me by the Broncos.  It’s just my take on the situation.

Jon- How soon we all forget-

11-18-2011 11:53 AM

MileHighReport: Pat Bowlen on Tim Tebow – “”He’s a quarterback, and
believe me he’s going to learn, I believe he’ll be a great one. Better
keep him around.”

This move was the only way the Broncos could move Tebow without the fans crashing in on them.  EFX would have done anything to move Tebow out.  They simply had no desire to strcuture the Broncos around him.  That being said I have taken the position of “time will tell” if this move was beneficial for the fans.  Anything short of a superbowl win with Manning in my opinion hurts the organization.  Had we suffered another poor year under Tebow in 2012 we would have been in position to pick up one of the top QB prospects in the 2013 draft.  Had he improved we would have the solution in place.  With Manning, and I love the guy, we may or may not win the big one but one thing is for sure we will be drafting in the lower 3rd of the league for the next several years leaving no opportunity to pick up a young gun. We as fans have been waiting since Elway retired to have that stud back at QB, Manning may fill that spot but the odds are long.  I don’t recall any OB of Manning’s  pedigree ever switching teams at the back end of their career and winning the Lombardi- as a season ticket holder since 64 I hope we change that trend.

The sentiment that Elway wronged Tebow shows how many people in our society are completely ignorant of the timeless wisdom of not taking things personally. And not reading the intentions behind other peoples’ actions.

He changed his mind. Manning became available.

I love Tim, and always will.  But this was a business decision. Plain and simple. It’s not personal! And it’s not always about you.

That quote was from November 18th before the team lost three straight and later lost in the playoffs on January 14th.

Your numbers are a little off. Manning doesn’t have “only two” post season wins. He’s won a Super Bowl, it’s impossible to win a Super Bowl by only winning two games, even in a single post season. In fact, he has 8 post season wins. This oversight, in compilation with your belief that popularity is what wins in the NFL, causes me to dismiss any “insight” you believe you have on a football conversation. The fact is, there are Bronco fans, and there are Tebow fans. The Bronco fans will remain dedicated. The Tebow fans will piss and moan that their golden boy is no longer in a Broncos uniform, even if he was pushed aside for a clearly superior quarterback. To believe that Tebow would ever be more than a gimmic and gadget type quarterback, is nothing more than a pipe dream.

I hate to break it to you, but it has been reported by multiple sources including ESPN that Tebow was given the option of Jacksonville or New York and he chose the Jets because he saw a better opportunity there because the coaching staff actually wanted him. Of couse wonder boy Tebow didn’t want to come out and admit that he actually wanted to take his Tebowmania to Broadway instead of his lowly home town team. The Broncos would have actually gotten a better trade with Jacksonville because their same 4th and 6th round picks are higher than New York’s picks are. Please explain to me why the Broncos would take a slightly worse trade unless they were trying to do as much as they could to accommodate Tebow’s wishes? Another frustrating thing about the whole “why not keep Tebow as a backup” argument is Tebow himself doesn’t want to be a backup, he has already been quoted saying he intends to be the starter in New York. Tebow has an ego as big as anyone in professional sports, but since it’s Tebow it’s just looked at as determination and motivation instead of stubbornness and unreasonable expectations. Tim Tebow would have never sat and watched Peyton Manning for the next 3-5 years and actually signed an extension with the Broncos when his contract is up in 3 more seasons. Again, this is something people choose to blatantly ignore when arguing Tebow should have stayed. Also, Tim Tebow is about to be the most over paid back up quarterback in the league. After this coming season, Tebow will be making an average of 6.5 million for the last two years of his rookie deal. That is not the type of money you pay someone to stand and hold a clip board. My guess is if he isn’t a starter for some team by 2013, or if he doesn’t accept reality and become a pretty good RB or TE, he will be cut or have to renegotiate his contact. No matter how hard Tim Tebow works, he will never be an NFL caliber QB! His “God given talent” just will not allow him to throw with the precision and accuracy that is required to be an average NFL QB, let alone an elite, Super Bowl caliber QB. He has put in years of work and he still throws the same knuckball and occasional dirt ball that he threw fresh out of college. John Elway understands this fact. Elway handled the situation as best as he could. He was thrown into this Tebow circus and had no interest in playing a guy for the simple purpose of making Tebow fans happy. John had no way of knowing Manning would become available and intended on giving Tebow the starter lable until he found a better option. What did you expect him to do? Would it have been better if he said “you know I really can’t stand this Tebow nonsense and I’m in disbelief people think he is actually good enough to start as a QB in this league without an ability to throw the football. I will replace him as soon as I find someone who is better, which shouldn’t be hard to do.” Of course Elway isn’t going to say something like that because he is a professional and was trying to do everything he could to right the situation without bashing Tebow in the media. I admire Elway for not letting unreasonable Tebow maniacs, who seem to know very little about football, influence his decision to do what is right for his team. In 3-5 years when the Manning era comes to an end, Elway won’t be kicking himself that he could have had Tebow (that’s funny to even type). No, instead he’ll be thanking God that he got the Broncos as far away from that circus as possible (if the Tebow circus is still in production in 3-5 years). Thank you John Elway for bringing the Denver Broncos back to Bronco Nation and for freeing us from Tebowmania! Good luck New York, after reading what the NY media and even your own players are saying about this trade, you are going to need all of the luck you can get!

Dude, of course management is going to reaffirm Tebow was our guy, how would they be able to get anything for him had they expressed their true most inner feelings. Well done Elway! Part of this business is posturing and promoting it’s players!

Best wishes to Tebow, but he couldn’t carry Peytons jock. Look at all the players we are getting just because of Peyton. Go Broncs

The circus has already started in NY.  In time it may settle down, but the fact is… Tebow is a distraction.  No matter what else he does, that comes with him.  Not necessarily his fault, but true.

What the hell are you talking about? Peyton Manning has won 9 playoff games including 2 AFC championships and one Super Bowl. This just shows exactly what type of people are on the Tebow band wagon, your points are all either fictional or blinded opinions and have very little to do with football. Tebow is a good guy, bad QB. That’s all that there is to say. He may be able to win a game here or there, but most of the time you are going to get the type of performances you got in that last regular season game against KC when he lead the Broncos to a 7-3 loss when a win could have clinched the playoffs outright. However, despite reason Tebow loving nut bags will continue to ignore all common sense and say he’s a winner and he was the reason the Broncos made the playoffs (defense and kicking had nothing to do with it) and he was the reason they beat the Steelers (Demarius Thomas’s 65 yard run after the catch in OT had nothing to do with it). These are the types of people that make Tebow even more un-appealing. It’s like talking to Michael Jackson fanatics who can’t admit Michael was a troubled, drug addicted child molester. Tebow will never play in a Super Bowl, let alone win one as a starting QB, period!

I have no respect left for Elway. This is an organization that was headed no where at 1-4 last year. Before their run last year, they managed to miss the playoffs four consecutive years before Tebow. But when Tebow suited up and was given a chance to play, he brought an intangible that all the greats have! And this intangible comes along very rarely, and Elway is too shortsighted to recognize it, notwithstanding that fact he brought life back to the franchise, and spirit that inspired the fans base; if there is any room for critizing, its the simple reality that the Bronco would have been 3-13 or 4-12 without him. Yet, Elway throws him out with the bath water, never really applauding Tebow for what he had done for the football program. If you consider Tebow’s performance against the Steelers, one wonders how the critics can be so quick to dismiss him as someone who can’t learn to throw big throws in big games; to suggest he can’t perform is just ignorant. Or if you consider how easily the Patriots were penetrating the offensive line of the Broncos in last years playoff, I can’t imagine any quarterback having success or withstanding the pummelling Tebow took during that game.
I guess I have concluded that there is a more sinister reason the Broncos’ acted swiftly in ridding themselves of Tim Tebow —– One can’t help but wonder if Elway was sitting back and watching Tebowmania and a part of him worried Tebow might just eventually overshadow his legacy in Denver; Would Tebow become bigger than Elway in Denver if somehow he brought a superbowl to Denver? Is that why he was so quick to dismiss Tebow and move on and try to forget? Who knows? What I do know or at least believe, is that given a chance, Tim Tebow is going to lead a team to a Super Bowl Victory and it will be sooner than people think. He is a winner, religion or no religion, and has won his entire career. He won at the college level, he won in High School, and he won last year, regardless of what the critics said and think.
Suffice it to say, it is sad to see How the Broncos repaid Tebow for his efforts. To bring in a 36 year old quarterback —- who notwithstanding his greatness, has had four neck operations and was rejected by the team he had played for for 14 years —- and just trade Tebow like he is cheap art! I am certain it will come back on the Bronco’s organization.
In the end, Elway was classless. The great organizations in any sport, would never dismiss Tebow so readily or so easily after what he gave the fans and the franchise last year. He revived a program bent on losing, and brought back the hunger that is needed to see victories; he deserved more respect than the classless Elway was willing to give. Consider the Celtics, or Yankees, or Montreal Canadiens — those franchises would reward a person such as Tebow for what he had done….
Good luck Elway in finding a quarterback when Manning goes down, and he will go down early, mark those words!!!
 

“He never liked Tebow because he was so loved by Bronco fans.”

Seriously?!? Are you fraking kidding me?  Elway doesn’t like, and has never liked Timmy because the fans liked Timmy more than Elway?  That’s a load of crap.  Elway also said that Timmy deserved to be the starter going into Training Camp.  Yeah, that’s not a really great sign to begin with, but Elway was standing behind Timmy because that was his only option.

Go be a homer and follow the Jets.

follow Tebow to New York then.  Good luck with that.  Elway by signing Manning put the Broncos back on the map.  He also became one of the best Exec. in football.  If Elway really “hated” Tebow so much he would have never allowed him to play in Denver.  Orton would have started the whole season.  Ask Orton about Tebowmania and how fairly he was treated.  Come on man!  We are talking about millions of dollars invested in a business, not just a gut felling that Tebow will be good some day.  He is a good football player and even better person, but seriously take your emotions out of it.  Would you gamble your millions and your lifetime reputation on Tebow, some would but Manning is a far better bet.  Go Broncos! Good luck to Timmy!

If he wants to be the only hero, then why sign Manning one of the only QB’s maybe better than him.  That arguement makes little to no sense.

Nice article Jon, but the same bees are buzzing!

“dush bags”

Uh, what?!  I don’t know what a “dush bags” is/are.

 Because Elway wants to be “right” at all costs.  He wants to be the one that chose the winner.  He is arrogant and if he is totally lucky and if in “some way” possibly pulls this off, he will be the beloved hero.  He can’t resist it. He had zero chance of  staying the hero if Tebow stayed and continued winning.  Elway didn’t choose Tebow and everyone knows it. Pathetic, I know…. but in my opinion true. Yes, he wants to win at ALL costs.  ALL costs….