Elway's Draft Picks Are Looking Great All Of The Sudden

[BSN Denver]

The name John Elway is synonymous with greatness. As an NFL QB he notched 148 wins and 300 career touchdown passes (fifth in NFL history), he is one of only four quarterbacks to pass for at least 3,000 yards 12 times and he lead Denver to 35 comeback wins in the fourth quarter & overtime, tied for third all-time with Johnny Unitas. Captain comeback has done the Broncos a great service by tackling the next challenge in his football career, an NFL front office.

The moment that the Broncos announced Elway as the VP of football operations on January 5th, 2011, I knew the Broncos had made the correct move. We think of Elway as a very cerebral quarterback and that certainly helped but he was also a Stanford graduate that was raised by storied football mind, Jack Elway Sr.

Jack coached football in various colleges including San Jose State, the University of Montana and Stanford. Jack had an overall head coaching record in college of 80-60-4. He eventually left college behind and spent two years in Germany with the Frankfurt Galaxy. What the casual football fan might not know about Elway Sr. is that he was a scout for the Denver Broncos from 1993-1998 and continued to consult with the club until his passing in 2001. Jack was a part of a staff that drafted the likes of Jason Elam, Keith Burns, Tom Nalen, Terrell Davis, Byron Chamberlain, John Mobley, Trevor Pryce and Al Wilson.

The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. After many thought that Elway was done with football and happy being a business man, he went back to the roots his father instilled in him and has done an excellent job so far.

As Executive Vice President of Football Operations, John’s made it a goal to change the approach of the draft. He firmly believes in drafting the.........

CONTINUE READING HERE (http://www.brandonspano.com/headlines.html?entry=elway-drafts-looking-great-all)

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Good read, thanks for posting.

[Joel]

Still too early to grade Elways drafting, especially since many picks have missed lots of time with injury (or suspension.) The first group is the only one with a lot of data, and even there Miller's the only one who's vindicated his pick. Moore is hit and miss, often literally, and Franklin's only this season become a consistently good tackle who may or may not maintain or exceed that performance in future.

It's hard to call a third round pick a bust, but Irving comes close: Drafted as our starting defensive QB, he struggled to even get on the field his first two years, and only manages it now when a starter's suspended or hurt; the starting MLB for which he was intended has been locked up by our starting Will. Irving's a solid BACKUP Sam, but in the traditional pure run stopper mold, not the QB cruncher Miller is, and it says something that a player drafted to start at a position demanding coverage skills couldn't even beat out Woodyard OR WOODYARDS BACKUP to start at MLB OR WLB.

Carter's merely a serviceable special teamer. Julius Thomas' sprained ankle sidelined him for two years before he emerged as a dangerous receiver, but his ineffectual pass blocking threatens to limit his opportunities; right now he looks more like a poor mans Gronk and less like the next Tony Gonzalez. Green appears to have the opposite problem: A respectable blocker, but nothing like Thomas, Dreesen or Tamme as a receiver. Mike Mohamed and Jeremy Beal aren't even on the team anymore.

That's just the first draft from two years ago; after that it gets much harder to evaluate, because there's less data. Wolfe looks legit, and Trevathan's more than exceeded expectations for a sixth rounder, but after that... who knows what Osweiler will or won't be? Hillman's an average back and good receiver who can't block or hold onto the ball. Bolden's a good special teamer; is that good enough in a #101 overall pick? Blake's a Cardinal now, but Malik Jackson's given all we could expect of a second year fifth rounder.

So Miller and (probably) Franklin, then Wolfe, Trevathan and (maybe) Jackson; does hitting on 5/16 prove Elway a genius, or just that anyone who throws enough darts at the board will hit the bullseye more than once? The real homeruns may be his UDFAs: You'll get flack for calling Chris Harris our best CB, but he's at least in the running, and Ihenacho is impressing in his second season, too.

A couple years from now, when we've moved into the post-Manning Broncos and Elway's made enough picks to fill every starting spot, plus the early ones have had time to prove themselves, THEN we can start talking about whether he's the GoAT or just the goat. Right now there's just not enough data to confidently distinguish anomalies and artifacts from accuracy.

[Lancane]

I'm with you on this Joel, sorry but Spano is jumping the gun with his analysis of Elway's drafting greatness. I love John Elway like all die-hards, but let's not give him a free pass either. Miller was a Top Five pick which has the lowest chance of being busts in the whole of the draft and even then Miller has some maturity and authority issues but I am not worried, he is young and that should work itself out. Wolfe has been steady as has Rahim Moore, the two players who standout from his drafts are Orlando Franklin and Danny Trevathan behind Miller. But name an elite starter that he's drafted other then Miller? The core of this team was built by the two regimes that came before, as much as I hate to give McDaniels any damn credit. Three of our key players are free agent additions in Rodgers-Cromartie, Phillips and of course Manning, so while he deserves credit that isn't a drafting aspect. They've drafted four safeties and only one is currently starting, the other was an UDFA in Ihenacho - same with defensive line, they've drafted six and only one has earned a starting spot thus far. Give it another year or two that will give a better gauge on which to measure Elway's drafting abilities.

[slim]

a sudden....

[BroncoWave]

I don't see how you can give Elway's first draft anything other than an A at this point. Now maybe that changes in future years if players fall off, but for right now it's an A.

Von Miller- top 5 defensive player in the NFL, home run pick. The discipline issues are a thing, but his talent makes him worth it.
Rahim Moore- The Baltimore play aside, he has turned into a very productive starting safety. He's not a pro bowler, but for a second round pick he is playing just fine.
Orlando Franklin- Starting at right tackle and playing pretty well this season. Very solid for a second rounder.
Nate Irving- Maybe a bit of a disappointment that he isn't starting, but he is still a regular contributor. Certainly not a bust.
Quinton Carter- Hasn't really panned out so far.
Julius Thomas- Absolute home run pick in the fourth round. Well on his way to making the Pro Bowl at tight end.
Mike Mohammad- Late round fodder, hasn't panned out.
Virgil Green- Still on the roster and has made solid contributions from time to time. Not bad for a seventh rounder.
Jeremy Beal- Late round fodder, didn't pan out.

So that draft produced four starters, two pro bowlers, and a couple of solid rotational players. At THIS point in time, any grade other than an A for it is insane.

[silkamilkamonico]

Still too early to grade Elways drafting, especially since many picks have missed lots of time with injury (or suspension.) The first group is the only one with a lot of data, and even there Miller's the only one who's vindicated his pick. Moore is hit and miss, often literally, and Franklin's only this season become a consistently good tackle who may or may not maintain or exceed that performance in future.

It's hard to call a third round pick a bust, but Irving comes close: Drafted as our starting defensive QB, he struggled to even get on the field his first two years, and only manages it now when a starter's suspended or hurt; the starting MLB for which he was intended has been locked up by our starting Will. Irving's a solid BACKUP Sam, but in the traditional pure run stopper mold, not the QB cruncher Miller is, and it says something that a player drafted to start at a position demanding coverage skills couldn't even beat out Woodyard OR WOODYARDS BACKUP to start at MLB OR WLB.

Carter's merely a serviceable special teamer. Julius Thomas' sprained ankle sidelined him for two years before he emerged as a dangerous receiver, but his ineffectual pass blocking threatens to limit his opportunities; right now he looks more like a poor mans Gronk and less like the next Tony Gonzalez. Green appears to have the opposite problem: A respectable blocker, but nothing like Thomas, Dreesen or Tamme as a receiver. Mike Mohamed and Jeremy Beal aren't even on the team anymore.

That's just the first draft from two years ago; after that it gets much harder to evaluate, because there's less data. Wolfe looks legit, and Trevathan's more than exceeded expectations for a sixth rounder, but after that... who knows what Osweiler will or won't be? Hillman's an average back and good receiver who can't block or hold onto the ball. Bolden's a good special teamer; is that good enough in a #101 overall pick? Blake's a Cardinal now, but Malik Jackson's given all we could expect of a second year fifth rounder.

So Miller and (probably) Franklin, then Wolfe, Trevathan and (maybe) Jackson; does hitting on 5/16 prove Elway a genius, or just that anyone who throws enough darts at the board will hit the bullseye more than once? The real homeruns may be his UDFAs: You'll get flack for calling Chris Harris our best CB, but he's at least in the running, and Ihenacho is impressing in his second season, too.

A couple years from now, when we've moved into the post-Manning Broncos and Elway's made enough picks to fill every starting spot, plus the early ones have had time to prove themselves, THEN we can start talking about whether he's the GoAT or just the goat. Right now there's just not enough data to confidently distinguish anomalies and artifacts from accuracy.

The one draft you can actually grade is very good, with credit to BroncoWave's analysis. I don't feel like you can accurately judge either or for the others at this point.

You also sell Julius Thomas way too short. Dude was a 4th round project pick who is emerging as a Pro Bowl receiving TE in only his 3rd year, has only played 4 years, is still learning how to block, and I feel like you're trying to devalue him because he isn't the next Tony Gonzalez. There would be 31 other NFL teams who would love a guy like Julius Thomas, and use him in the same manner as the Broncos are. He was drafted to catch passes, not to block, and he's showing to be an exceptional pick, not even comparing with value.

[Lancane]

I did forget Julius Thomas myself, he's another who has started to standout. Despite a pretty decent first draft, we've also seen a good number of wasted picks; IE players no longer on the team, simply haven't contributed well enough to be considered more then fodder and they even cut two or three of this year's draftees already.

[Joel]

I don't see how you can give Elway's first draft anything other than an A at this point. Now maybe that changes in future years if players fall off, but for right now it's an A.


Von Miller- top 5 defensive player in the NFL, home run pick. The discipline issues are a thing, but his talent makes him worth it.
As long as he doesn't draw another suspension, yeah, it was a good pick, but with the #2 overall pick he SHOULD get a star. How much credit does Elway deserve for NOT drafting, say, Trent Richardson?


Rahim Moore- The Baltimore play aside, he has turned into a very productive starting safety. He's not a pro bowler, but for a second round pick he is playing just fine.
He's improved, but still misses more plays than I'd like in a starting second round pick.


Orlando Franklin- Starting at right tackle and playing pretty well this season. Very solid for a second rounder.
After a bumpy first year, Franklin's gotten much better, and I agree with Lancane he's one of Elways better picks from that draft.


Nate Irving- Maybe a bit of a disappointment that he isn't starting, but he is still a regular contributor. Certainly not a bust.
He's a part time contributor NOW; he didn't even get on the field his first year or most of his second. C'mon, a third round pick who only makes the lineup at the end of his second year, and only as a rotational player, is a blown pick, especially when drafted to be the heart of our LB corps for the next 5-10 years. We drafted three LBs that year and Irving's the ONLY ONE not starting: Again, not a full blown bust, but close.


Quinton Carter- Hasn't really panned out so far.
Nope, though I concede that the farther we go down the list the less blame Elway deserves that a guy he and the whole NFL rejected three times isn't great.


Julius Thomas- Absolute home run pick in the fourth round. Well on his way to making the Pro Bowl at tight end.
Gronk made a couple Pro Bowls, too, without missing his first two years due to injury; this year he's had 19 catches in 3 games. It's hard to agree he's a "home run" when he missed two of the only three years he's played, especially three weeks after he left a game with an ankle injury just like the one that aborted those first two seasons. Football has far more hard contact than basketball, and we don't know whether Orange Julius can stand up to that as well as Gonzalez and Gates. Right now he's had 9 very good games in 3 years, except for when his weak blocking caused a PFM Int that helped Indy give us our only loss.

Evaluating this pick is effectively like grading a rookie, because this is Thomas' first PLAYING season. If he keeps catching like he has, gets a little better as a blocker and stays healthy, yeah, he's worth a decade of fourth round picks. "IF," as the Spartans say far more laconically than I. Three years in, hypothetical Pro Bowls and making the most of his first starts aren't enough to applaud the pick.


Mike Mohammad- Late round fodder, hasn't panned out.
So not a success; it's hard to call a late pick a miss since no one (including Elway) expected much, but he's never been more than a PS guy and we released him twice: This pick got us NOTHING (not even a trade.)


Virgil Green- Still on the roster and has made solid contributions from time to time. Not bad for a seventh rounder.
He's an OK blocker and had a catch Sunday. Late pick, so that's good enough, though no cause for bragging.


Jeremy Beal- Late round fodder, didn't pan out.
Waived this year; again, we got nothing, so would've been better off using him and the Mohamed pick to trade up for, well, ANYTHING.


So that draft produced four starters, two pro bowlers, and a couple of solid rotational players. At THIS point in time, any grade other than an A for it is insane.
A Pro Bowler, two other starters and a couple rotational players. Not an F, but not an A in my book either; I'm giving Thomas an Incomplete and grading the rest a B- since getting a Pro Bowler with the #2 overall pick is obligatory. Think about it: How do we grade #2 overall picks who AREN'T Pro Bowlers? Based on that, how high do we grade one who is? How high a grade does not screwing up deserve?


The one draft you can actually grade is very good, with credit to BroncoWave's analysis. I don't feel like you can accurately judge either or for the others at this point.

You also sell Julius Thomas way too short. Dude was a 4th round project pick who is emerging as a Pro Bowl receiving TE in only his 3rd year, has only played 4 years, is still learning how to block, and I feel like you're trying to devalue him because he isn't the next Tony Gonzalez. There would be 31 other NFL teams who would love a guy like Julius Thomas, and use him in the same manner as the Broncos are. He was drafted to catch passes, not to block, and he's showing to be an exceptional pick, not even comparing with value.
I'm not devaluing him because not the next Gonzalez, I refuse to value him either way because maybe the next Gronk (to the extent we can't even be sure yet what THAT means.) See preceding. ;)

[Joel]

Honestly, the guy who stands out from that first draft actually isn't Miller (whom everyone expected to be a star well before he was drafted,) it's Chris Harris Jr. (whom even we never expected to be more than camp fodder.) Regardless, there's a clear responder consensus it's too early to grade Elways drafting over all, which was my main point; only his first draft class has done enough for grades in pencil.

[BroncoWave]

Joel, if you give that draft a B-, then you have ridiculous and unrealistic expectations of what a draft should produce.

And don't kid yourself about Julius, he IS a pro bowler. I can guarantee you he will not only be in the pro bowl this season but he will probably be starting in it. Who cares that he missed his first two seasons? Aaron Rodgers didn't play until like his 4th season. I guess he wasn't a great pick either by your logic.

[Joel]

Joel, if you give that draft a B-, then you have ridiculous and unrealistic expectations of what a draft should produce.

And don't kid yourself about Julius, he IS a pro bowler. I can guarantee you he will not only be in the pro bowl this season but he will probably be starting in it. Who cares that he missed his first two seasons? Aaron Rodgers didn't play until like his 4th season. I guess he wasn't a great pick either by your logic.
Right, TEs routinely sit their first few years because the transition to the pros is such a big jump from college, and Julius Thomas totally had a first ballot HoFer starting ahead of him. Did you seriously just compare a delay in starting at QB to a delay in starting at TE? And MY expectations are unrealistic? ;)

Sadly, our poor run and pass blocking combined with our hypothetical Pro Bowl TEs inability to improve it gives him a good chance to start at Honolulu this year. If he does, and repeats that performance next year, he'll have done as much in his first four seasons as Gronk did. Yea, I guess.

[BroncoWave]

We drafted him as a DEVELOPMENTAL player in the 4th round. Do you really expect a guy who had played one year of football ever to come in and produce in the NFL immediately?

If he were a first round pick, you would have a point, but he was a 4th rounder. Most 4th rounders don't even wind up starting, nonetheless be one of the league leaders in yards and TDs by his 3rd season.

Giving that pick anything other than an A at this point is asinine. Could his blocking improve? Definitely. But you can't argue with his offensive production.

Give me an example of a draft that a team has made in recent years that you would give an A grade to. I would be interested in seeing it.

[Joel]

We drafted him as a DEVELOPMENTAL player in the 4th round. Do you really expect a guy who had played one year of football ever to come in and produce in the NFL immediately?

If he were a first round pick, you would have a point, but he was a 4th rounder. Most 4th rounders don't even wind up starting, nonetheless be one of the league leaders in yards and TDs by his 3rd season.

Giving that pick anything other than an A at this point is asinine. Could his blocking improve? Definitely. But you can't argue with his offensive production.

Give me an example of a draft that a team has made in recent years that you would give an A grade to. I would be interested in seeing it.
Who says I'd give anyone an A? Are we grading on a curve here, so SOMEONE MUST get an A?

Sure, it mitigates things that we was a fourth rounder, but so does his inability to play AT ALL his first TWO YEARS. Again, I won't give him any grade but Incomplete based on that; as far as I'm concerned this is his rookie year, and he's done amazingly well as a receiver, but poorly as a blocker. If WRs can't start without blocking, TEs surely can't. Time will tell. Nine games isn't enough for me to call him a home run though.

[BroncoWave]

Joel, you seem like a really miserable fan. You nitpick, overanalyze, and worry WAAAYYYY too much. It's ok to just sit back and enjoy our success without looking for every negative you can find. No one will think less of you.

[Poet]

There's a certain tight end in New Orleans who can't block.

[BroncoWave]

There's a certain tight end in New Orleans who can't block.

Shannon Sharpe wasn't exactly known for his blocking either. If you can be an elite receiver from the TE position, you really don't have to be a great blocker. It's a nice plus, but there are TEs who can't block a lick who have gone to several pro bowls.

[Poet]

Shannon Sharpe wasn't exactly known for his blocking either. If you can be an elite receiver from the TE position, you really don't have to be a great blocker. It's a nice plus, but there are TEs who can't block a lick who have gone to several pro bowls.

Yarp. I bet your tight end can't stop penetration, though.

[ForgettingBrandonMarshall]

Yarp. I bet your tight end can't stop penetration, though.

:drum:

[Joel]

Joel, you seem like a really miserable fan. You nitpick, overanalyze, and worry WAAAYYYY too much. It's ok to just sit back and enjoy our success without looking for every negative you can find. No one will think less of you.
Success is more than just curb-stomping bad teams; ask everyone sneering at KCs 9-0 record. Since the start of last year the only winning teams we've beaten—in 25 games—are the Bengals and Ravens, and we all know what happened in our playoff rematch with Baltimore. If I were content with winning 10 games to earn a single postseason game we lost, I'd watch the SECAA. Until we do more, yes, I'll be miserable.


Shannon Sharpe wasn't exactly known for his blocking either. If you can be an elite receiver from the TE position, you really don't have to be a great blocker. It's a nice plus, but there are TEs who can't block a lick who have gone to several pro bowls.
I'm not asking for a great blocker, just better than useless. Orange Julius did have a decent run block yesterday, but when I watch our QB drop to the turf three times after one play I can't help recalling that Dreesen's a pretty good receiver, too, and a MUCH better blocker. Again I note, Orange Julius isn't such a great receiver he can carry Osweiler to a SB.

[BroncoWave]

Until we do more, yes, I'll be miserable.

If you are miserable about an 8-1 football team, you REALLY need to reevaluate your priorities in life. It's just a freaking game man, there is no need to be miserable about it.

[Joel]

If you are miserable about an 8-1 football team, you REALLY need to reevaluate your priorities in life. It's just a freaking game man, there is no need to be miserable about it.
It's not a matter of life and death; it's far more important. But at least I'm getting flack for being over- rather than underinvested in the team now. :tongue:

[Davii]

I didn't realize the Broncos could pick who they played. I always thought you had to beat the teams on your schedule, but this seriously changes things. Thank you Joel.

[slim]

17 consecutive regular season wins isn't good enough?

Holy cow....

[Lancane]

I'm not sure what Joel is getting at, I agree with him that before Elway can really be evaluated on his draft ability that some time is needed, but there is no argument that his first draft is at least productive - I am concerned that the previous two drafts have failed yet to yield an above average or elite starter within the first four draftees taken. And we've seen them cut draftees before they get a chance to develop whilst others haven't even been able to challenge at their respective positions for whatever reason. I'm not unhappy with the job John has done (overall) I question the wasted draft picks, the quality of some of the draftees, etc. even some of the personnel decisions he's made, but he has done inarguably well for someone with so little experience and in such a short amount of time in such a position.

As to the W-L record, we're 8-1 when we should be no better then 9-0 and no worse then 7-2, so that fits with the schedule because that is simply how it should be whether you want to call it easy or hard.

[Joel]

I didn't realize the Broncos could pick who they played. I always thought you had to beat the teams on your schedule, but this seriously changes things. Thank you Joel.
Sure, we can only play our schedule, which is mostly fixed by last years. But for good teams playing tons of losers that only determines seeding for the playoffs, where ALL teams have winning records (at least until Goodell starts waving through the whole NFL.) Thus teams who shred a dozen cream puffs then go one-and-done get mocked: Annihilation by their first good opponent puts those dozen speed bumps in perspective.

17 consecutive regular season wins isn't good enough?

Holy cow....
Depends: Do we just want to make a Bowl game for some New Years national exposure and a fat purse, or a championship? We were already a playoff team, but added a $20 million/year first ballot HoFer: No, just piling up wins over scrubs and REACHING the postseason isn't enough; we should actually DO something there. Who are we, the Lions? Just thrilled to hang with the cool kids a bit before they give us our swirly? :rolleyes:

[BroncoWave]

Sure, we can only play our schedule, which is mostly fixed by last years. But for good teams playing tons of losers that only determines seeding for the playoffs, where ALL teams have winning records (at least until Goodell starts waving through the whole NFL.) Thus teams who shred a dozen cream puffs then go one-and-done get mocked: Annihilation by their first good opponent puts those dozen speed bumps in perspective.

Depends: Do we just want to make a Bowl game for some New Years national exposure and a fat purse, or a championship? We were already a playoff team, but added a $20 million/year first ballot HoFer: No, just piling up wins over scrubs and REACHING the postseason isn't enough; we should actually DO something there. Who are we, the Lions? Just thrilled to hang with the cool kids a bit before they give us our swirly? :rolleyes:

All you can reasonably ask a GM to do is build a team that is capable of contending for the super bowl. Elway has done just that. In the playoffs, it's a complete crapshoot and even the most perfectly built team can have an off-day.

Elway has done as good a job as any sane and reasonable person could ask of building this team since he took it over. He has built a team that is one of the favorites to win it all. If something fluky happens in the playoffs and we lose, however, that doesn't diminish what he has done. Sometimes shit just happens. The best team RARELY wins it all in the NFL. You just have to be the most fortunate once the playoffs roll around.

[MOtorboat]

Sure, we can only play our schedule, which is mostly fixed by last years. But for good teams playing tons of losers that only determines seeding for the playoffs, where ALL teams have winning records (at least until Goodell starts waving through the whole NFL.) Thus teams who shred a dozen cream puffs then go one-and-done get mocked: Annihilation by their first good opponent puts those dozen speed bumps in perspective.

Depends: Do we just want to make a Bowl game for some New Years national exposure and a fat purse, or a championship? We were already a playoff team, but added a $20 million/year first ballot HoFer: No, just piling up wins over scrubs and REACHING the postseason isn't enough; we should actually DO something there. Who are we, the Lions? Just thrilled to hang with the cool kids a bit before they give us our swirly? :rolleyes:

Somebody wants his Tebow back.

[Joel]

I'm not sure what Joel is getting at, I agree with him that before Elway can really be evaluated on his draft ability that some time is needed, but there is no argument that his first draft is at least productive - I am concerned that the previous two drafts have failed yet to yield an above average or elite starter within the first four draftees taken. And we've seen them cut draftees before they get a chance to develop whilst others haven't even been able to challenge at their respective positions for whatever reason. I'm not unhappy with the job John has done (overall) I question the wasted draft picks, the quality of some of the draftees, etc. even some of the personnel decisions he's made, but he has done inarguably well for someone with so little experience and in such a short amount of time in such a position.

As to the W-L record, we're 8-1 when we should be no better then 9-0 and no worse then 7-2, so that fits with the schedule because that is simply how it should be whether you want to call it easy or hard.
B- drafts are productive, just less so than As. Miller's a Pro Bowler, but if the #2 overall pick were anything else we'd all be livid. Since he didn't played a down till 2013 Orange Julius isn't ready for a gold jacket yet.

That leaves 7 picks netting 2 solid starters in Franklin and Trevathan, a decent one in Moore and 2 rotation players in Irving and Green. Trevathan's definitely punching above his weight, but Irving's mostly swung and missed; he couldn't even get on the field as a backup till the end of 2012, and is in the same boat now, even though we drafted him to be our defensive QB: Woodyard's doing that, because our former starting Will is MUCH better at it. I'm still not sold on Moore but don't want to get sidetracked by him: 3 starters and 2 backups with 7 picks. Above average, but not great.

Someone asked earlier what I think an A grade draft looks like if 2011 was only a B-, and nothing came to mind, but on reflection, THIS was an A draft: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2006/draft/teams/broncos.html

3 Pro Bowlers, 2 starters and a rotational player, all WITHOUT a pick above #11 (we had to trade up to even get one that high; all but one of the rest were in the last 3 picks of a round.) Ironically, Hixon was probably the weakest after Eslinger (the only one no longer playing,) yet the only one with a SB Ring: The Giants picked him up immediately when we released him, and he ran back the opening kick of SB XLII, then stuck around long enough for SB XLVI before the Panthers signed him as a FA this year.

Point being, Shanny got far more with fewer (and much lower) picks in 2006 than Elway did in 2011, yet everyone always said Shanny was clueless about drafting, and Elway's somehow a proven genius.

[Joel]

All you can reasonably ask a GM to do is build a team that is capable of contending for the super bowl. Elway has done just that. In the playoffs, it's a complete crapshoot and even the most perfectly built team can have an off-day.

Elway has done as good a job as any sane and reasonable person could ask of building this team since he took it over. He has built a team that is one of the favorites to win it all. If something fluky happens in the playoffs and we lose, however, that doesn't diminish what he has done. Sometimes shit just happens. The best team RARELY wins it all in the NFL. You just have to be the most fortunate once the playoffs roll around.
Flat out blowing a playoff game we should always win is one thing; it wouldn't thrill me, especially since that's arguably what happened last year, but it happens. So does just getting beat by a better team, and there's no shame in that. However, if we're as good as everyone seems to think we should manage to win at least ONE playoff game in two full seasons with PFM. If we can't, well, he didn't come to Denver for THAT, or because he likes playing in snow behind a Swiss Cheese line that let's blitzers pummel his 37 year old ankles.

At some point, a team as good as we are supposed to be should at least make an AFCCG or it's just talk, and I doubt PFM sticks around to listen.


Somebody wants his Tebow back.
I think Marge Simpson put it best when she said, "Is that someone YOU, Homer?" ;)