Return of the Rocky Mountain savior: John Elway to be named to Broncos’ front office

The Denver Broncos have had a rough few years following the departure of Mike Shanahan as head coach, as his replacement and former Patriots wunderkind Josh McDaniels tried his damnedest to trade away all their offensive talent and was then (shockingly) himself fired for poor results. The team currently sits in last in the AFC West behind the turned-around Chiefs, the mega-talented Chargers, and even the revitalized Oakland Raiders. So what’s the solution? Bring back John Elway, of course.

No, not as quarterback. Ol’ Johnny Boy isn’t Brett Favre 2.0. Mr. Elway will be re-joining the team in the capacity of Vice President of Football Operations, a title once held by…Mike Shanahan! The circle of life, and whatnot. From The Denver Post:

“If and when we reach an agreement with John Elway, Pat is very confident that John’s intelligence, his leadership, business savvy, his knowledge of the game, and competitive fire — plus the respect that everyone in this building will have for him — will make us better right away,” said Joe Ellis, the Broncos’ chief operating officer.

Competitive fire is great and all, but it’s kind of meant for the players on the field and not the suits in the skyboxes. You know, the ones actually competing. I’m sure it’ll behoove the Broncos greatly when Elway is hulking out on some poor scouting assistant in a very serious game of racquetball on a Tuesday morning.

Broncos fans just have to hope this move goes much better than when a certain NBA team hired an ultra-competitive former legend to the front office in a move of desperation that set the franchise back untold years in development. But hey, what’s the worst that could happen?

For what it’s worth, in this author’s humble opinion, and with much respect to Joe Montana– John Elway was the greatest quarterback in NFL history. While it’s doubtful that his rocket arm can translate to front office savvy and business acumen, it’s no stretch to think his flair for the dramatic and high standards of success could contribute to a positive atmosphere in the Denver Broncos organization, which given the condition it’s currently in, is a start.

The question now is with an all-time great QB in the front office, what does the team do at the all-improtant quarterback position on the field?

Wait, did someone say “savior”?

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Elway’s Back, Bitches [Deadspin.com]