John Elway — Super Bowl XXXIII MVP, two-time champ, Hall of Fame quarterback and current executive vice president of of football operations for the Broncos — got to cross one more accomplishment off his bucket list, chatting with Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A.
Q: How would you compare your will to win as a player and your preparation to Peyton Manning’s?
A: First of all, I think the will to win, any quarterback that’s in that Hall of Fame, everybody has that same drive, because it’s how quarterbacks are judged, about winning football games. I think those things are very comparable. We were different players, and so we prepared in a different way. But I wouldn’t say his was any more than mine — his was different than mine.
Q: Different in what way?
A: I think that he’s looking to do more things at the line of scrimmage … trying to figure out what the coverage is before the ball is snapped, and to me, that’s where the game has changed. We didn’t do a lot of that stuff when I played. It was always trying to figure out what the defense is doing as we’re dropping back and trying to get pre-snap reads, too … to diagnose what coverages without the different tools that quarterbacks have now to determine what coverages.
Q: What do you think this game means to his legacy?
A: I don’t think Peyton’s done after this year, so at this point in time, he’s been building on his legacy, and so obviously would be a tremendous addition if he could win this to his legacy. But he’s still got a lot more to add to that legacy. I know it’s gonna be a great conversation — who is the greatest? But Peyton Manning’s always in that discussion.
Q: What was your major selling point to get Peyton to become a Bronco?
A: I wanted to sell the Denver Broncos and what we’re about. On top of that was we were gonna be flexible offensively, be able to blend in what he used to doing his 14-year career with what we had going here already … take advantage of what Peyton does best. Our staff had done a good job with Tim Tebow a year earlier, and really kinda adjusted everything that we did offensively to try to take advantage of what Peyton did. I also sold the weapons that we had offensively, and all the resources that were gonna be available were gonna be used to try to find a world championship team.
Q: What was it like for you winning a Super Bowl so late in your career?
A: Well, I really didn’t care when it was, I was just glad to win one. When you get to your 15th year, you’re not sure it’s ever gonna happen, but we were able to get over that hump. Obviously [I had] been disappointed in being there three times before and had lost. So to finally get over the hump was a tremendous feeling.
Q: How tempting was it to come back for a threepeat?
A: I think mentally I would have, but it just felt like physically I was starting to break down, and wasn’t gonna be able to do some of the things I wanted to do physically. And then looking at the success that we’d had for two years, it was just time for me to walk away.
Q: Was it tough that first year away?
A: Yeah. … There’s never a 100-percent [certain] time to walk away from the game, but I was 80 percent sure that it was the right time for me to walk away.
Q: What is it like for you being Mr. Bronco in Denver?
A: I guess I’ve felt that way or been that way for so long, I guess I really don’t think of it that way. I appreciate the opportunity that Pat [Bowlen, owner] and Joe Ellis [team president] have given me to come back and run the football team on the administrative side. … I’ve enjoyed that. I’m proud to be a part of this organization. I’m proud of the fact that we’re able to get back into the Super Bowl.
Q: Do you think you’re a better executive than you were quarterback?
A: It would be nice to have that comparison, and to be able to have the career as an executive that I had as a quarterback, no question.
Q: Tell me why you think — if you do — this could be a classic Super Bowl.
A: You’re talking about the best offense against the best defense. You’re talking about two teams that have played very good football throughout the year and very solid. I think you’ve got very-well matched teams. … I don’t care how good the game is, as long as we end up on top. And as far as the event, the NFL always does a good enough job with putting on these Super Bowls. I know New York will be a nice place to have it. Let’s hope that everything cooperates.
Q: What intangible trait do you like best about this team?
A: I think it’s been persistent, is what I like about it. We’ve been through a lot of issues, and there’s been distractions, but this team has kept the focus on what we set out to be. I think the mental toughness of this team and the ability to not let the distractions and noise with everything that’s happened to it affect it.
Q: How do Peyton’s receiving corps compare to your Three Amigos — Vance Johnson, Mark Jackson and Ricky Nattiel?
A: Well, I don’t know that I want to compare ’em, but I just know one thing — I think that this set of receivers and tight ends that we have, I’m not sure there’s ever been a better set altogether as far as the combination of everybody. When you have the four guys get to over 10 touchdown passes [receivers Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker and tight end Julius Thomas], and even a Jacob Tamme and a Joel Dreesen who haven’t got a lot of attention but have been big parts of this receiving corps, that I’m not sure that that’s a more dangerous and more well-rounded corps of receivers ever.
Q: What makes Welker so special?
A: His ability to get open, his ability to work the middle of the field, and his ability to get separation. And plus he’s a great competitor.
Q: Demaryius?
A: Demaryius is such a young guy that just continues to blossom, and a guy that’s 6-3, 225 pounds, can run like the wind, and he just continues to get better, better each year. He’s a No. 1 receiver without a doubt, and once you get the ball in his hands, I think this is the guy that has the ability to take it 80 yards.
Q: Do you think your defense is fired up after all the talk about Seattle’s defense?
A: Yeah. There’s a quiet confidence with our defense. The last four weeks we’ve been playing our best football. Hopefully we can continue to do that, but they’ve been playing well together and making the plays to be able stop the run which has been very important. They kept their node to the grindstone and continued to work.
Q: What concerns or impresses you about the Seattle defense?
A: Well, they’re physical, and they’re active, and play with a lot of confidence. They don’t do a lot of different things, but they’re very good at what they do, and they’re just physical, long. … They’re a complete group, and so you gotta play consistently and play well to have any success against them.
Q: Do you have any concerns about Peyton in the cold?
A: No. He’s been through different situations. I think the last time we played was last one against Tennessee and I think it was 15 degrees and he had four or five touchdown passes, had a real good game, so I think that we’re through that.
Q: Describe coach John Fox’s heart scare.
A: Obviously it was pretty disturbing to start with, but once I found our that it was not a heart attack and he was gonna be fine … we were more concerned about him getting healthy than we were the impact of him not being here. I think Jack Del Rio stepped in, did a fine job. … That was part of this team and how this team has adapted to different situations … kept it business-as-usual, and played well while John was out.
Q: What makes him a special coach?
A: He’s enthusiastic. He’s a guy that is positive every single day. He’s got constant energy, which is very tough to have, so to me, he brings that energy into work every single day. The players enjoy playing for him, and so that’s what makes him good.
Q: What are your favorite New York city things? And why not open an Elway’s Restaurant here?
A: (Laugh) Maybe we will someday. Hopefully we can have success there next weekend, and we’d think about that. [New York is] always a great place to go. I love the food there. I love going to plays. … There’s so many different things going on.
Q: Do you have a favorite New York restaurant?
A: I go to Il Mulino.
Q: Elio’s is another good one. If you need a table let me know, I’ll hook it up for you — actually, you won’t need me, you just drop your name, just like I drop your name in Denver.
A: There you go!