"No. 7 With the Orange Shirt"

Before I begin, I want to start by saying I'm not an idolator. I don't idolize anybody. I don't want this blog to be mistaken as such. They are a few individuals that I have a great deal of respect for, and John Elway is one of those individuals. As I mentioned in my first blog, he's the reason I became a Broncos and football fan.

Growing up in New Orleans, I wasn't into sports at first. I didn't get into it totally until I was about 10. Prior to that, if the Saints game was on, my family would gather together and I would watch the games with them, but that was rare. Even when I was rarely watching football, I took notice of Elway, except I didn't know his name at the time. I would refer to him as "No. 7 with the orange shirt."

The game, more specifically the play, that made me a fan was during a playoff game against the then-Houston Oilers in '92-- known as "The Drive 2"-- when he avoided an oncoming pass rush and delivered a clutch throw to Vance Johnson on a critical 4th down. In the end, they went on to win the game and advanced to the AFC Championship game. Unfortunately, the ride ended with them losing to the Buffalo Bills.

That summer-- if I remember correctly-- I learned his name, and the rest, as they say, is history. I've been a Broncos fan ever since. I didn't see the first two Super Bowls they lost; I saw very little of the demolishing they suffered at the hands of the 49ers in 1990.

I watched as he played most of his career with average talent, at best, around him. I watched as he went through the hardships of keeping the team in contention. Yet he managed to maximize the talent around him and will them to three Super Bowl appearances in the process. I mean, don't get me wrong, there were some talented guys on these teams-- as well as strong defenses-- but not anyone you had to game plan for. He didn't have that kind of guy until Shannon Sharpe was drafted. 

This speaks volumes to Elway's ability to carry a team and make the players around him better, which is part of a QB's job. Another example of this is when he was paired with wide receivers Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey in the mid-to-late 90s. Smith and McCaffrey were at best 3rd or 4th WRs on a team's depth chart prior to working with Elway. They teamed with him and became Pro Bowlers, and were key additions to the team's later success.

The addition that helped Elway get over the (Super Bowl) hump was running back Terrell Davis, who was (finally) inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. More on him in another blog. After suffering an unexpected, heartbreaking loss in the Divisional round of the playoffs to the Jaguars in '97, the criticism and attacks on Elway mounted at an all-time high.

In '98, Elway and the Broncos gained another shot at championship glory against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 32, who were making their second straight appearance. I remember watching that game intently. I wore my John Elway jersey that I had at the time. That was the first jersey I ever bought. I remember as a teenager when I was going to the mall, my parents gave me the money to buy a jersey. I was so excited when I saw and most of all was able to purchase Elway's uniform, but I'm digressing big time.

I was even more excited and overjoyed to see John Elway win his first Super Bowl with the odds stacked against them, facing a Packers team who was led by Brett Favre, the league MVP, and the hottest QB in the league during this era. I'll admit it was an emotional moment when Broncos' owner Pat Bowlen during the post game, before handing the Super Bowl MVP trophy to Elway, announced, "This one's for John!"

They went on to play in Super Bowl 33-- their second consecutive appearance-- defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 34-19, winning back-to-back Super Bowls. The one thing that avoided Elway most of his career, he captured in back-to-back fashion. How sweet it is! Shortly thereafter, John Elway announced his retirement from football after an illustrious career of 16 seasons filled with trials, success, more trials, and going out on top, not to mention, some monumental memories for me as a fan.

With everything I've said, I didn't even mention (thoroughly) how clutch he was. He led the Broncos to 35 fourth quarter comebacks and 46 game winning drives. One of those is known as "The Drive," which he orchestrated against the Cleveland Browns in a playoff game in 1987. He was a 9 time Pro Bowler, League MVP, Super Bowl MVP, 3 time All-Pro, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility. I mean, of course. It would've been a travesty if he wasn't a first ballot Hall of Famer.

I planned to mention his current tenure as the Broncos' Executive Vice President of football operations/General Manager, but I've decided to make this a two-part blog, and will write about it in the next one. Stay tuned.