In an hour-long, wide-ranging, open press conference that at times felt like a Denver Broncos pep rally, John Elway laid out his vision as the team’s new head of football operations.
We’re skeptical that someone with so little training could possibly be the best man for the job. One positive: Elway made it clear he wouldn’t just start making personnel decisions on his own.
“I know what I don’t know, and I’m going to hire to what I don’t know,” Elway said at the presser shown on the team’s website. "[G.M.] Brian [Xanders] knows a lot of what I don’t know on personnel side. “
Elway said Xanders never really had a chance to show what he could do under Josh McDaniels, saying the Broncos “turned into a one-man show.” He decided Xanders deserved a chance.
“Brian knows the expectations of him now,” Elway said. “There’s no hiding.”
The Broncos didn’t hide the fact that the move to Elway was largely about re-establishing the relationship between the team and its fans. Elway talked about losing that connection, and emphasized transparency.
“There’s no longer going to be one touch point with the fans,” Elway said, mentioning himself, Xanders, and the next head coach.
President Joe Ellis listed Elway’s qualifications, saying his most important trait was his, “complete and clear understanding of what the Broncos mean to the community, the fans, and to [owner] Pat Bowlen.”
Elway said that he enjoyed starting to watch film of late, indicating that he wasn’t too familiar with the team and league before. (He called Broncos head coaching candidate “Mark Mularkey” instead of Mike more than once.) Elway insisted he’s ready for the challenge.
“I’ve played quite a lot of golf,” Elway said. “I’m not done playing golf, but I’m not going to play as much as I was.”