Denver Broncos: 5 Ways for John Elway To Get the Broncos Back in Winning Saddle

The glory days of the Denver Broncos may seem like forever ago to most fans with the current state of the franchise. Having the second pick in the draft, while exciting and interesting for debate, is not an honor that Broncos fans are accustomed to having.

Still, it was not so long ago that this team was a perennial contender for the AFC West title, as well as a threat to make the playoffs every year. As Denver Broncos fans look to the future, it is worth taking a look back at the past to seek out some of the things that could make the Broncos great again.

The good news is that the man who will lead the Broncos going forward was also there while all of these ideas were realities.

1. Coaching

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DENVER - SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos stands next to offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak on the sideline during the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on September 22, 2002, at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Bro

Remember the days when fans could name not only our offensive coordinator, but also our offensive line coach?

Mike Shanahan might not have as impressive a coaching tree as Bill Walsh, but never the less when things were going well there was a cast of characters on and off the field for the Broncos. Gary Kubiak and Alex Gibbs were almost as much on the radar of the fans as Mike Shanahan and, for good reason, they were very good at what they did. The Broncos need to stock the sidelines with as much talent as they do on the field.

It might be a little too late for any real change to be made on this front since John Fox has already put together his staff for the upcoming season. However, here’s to hoping that names such as McCoy, Allen and Magazu find there way onto the lips of Broncos fans for the right reasons. If not, then we need to find some names that will.

2. Offensive Line

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13 Sep 1998: Quarterback John Elway #7 and center Tom Nalen #66 of the Denver Broncos in action during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at the Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Cowboys 42-23. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr

There is a lot of discussion about shoring up the defensive line and whether or not a second overall pick should be used for that position, but what is getting lost is the real identity of the Denver Broncos.

When things are going really, REALLY well is when you have guys like Orlandis Gary and Reuben Droughns rushing for 1,000 yards with ease. The Denver Broncos offensive line was the true motor that kept this team running and in the time spent worrying about fixing the defense (which don’t get me wrong, needs the attention), this group has fallen into shambles and is incomparable to the group that preceded it.

Having a presence like Tom Nalen at center has been widely overlooked as something that is imperative to the Broncos success. The opportunity was there with Maurkice Pouncey last season to fix that problem for another 10 years, but the Broncos passed and have made the task of filling that void much harder.

3. Patience

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ST. LOUIS - SEPTEMBER 10: Jake Plummer #16 of the Denver Borncos looks to pass during the game with the St. Louis Rams on September 10, 2006 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. The St. Louis Rams won 18-10. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Broncos were on the verge of a playoff berth and had solid veteran presence in the huddle guiding the team to the precipice of the postseason. The fans were nervous and felt that the team was under performing and that the spark lay on the bench in the form of the rookie backup quarterback. Eventually, the coach agreed, and the veteran was pulled in favor of the rookie.

Sound familiar?

Jake Plummer had quietly accumulated the highest winning percentage of any Broncos quarterback ever with at least 50 starts, but the fans demanded Jay Cutler, and Plummer was just un-spectacular enough to convince the coaching staff to pull him. It didn’t end well then, and the same is close to happening again.

I’ll admit that this situation is not identical, but the key parts remain the same. Kyle Orton is capable of winning games with a decent team around him, much like Jake Plummer. Tim Tebow shows a tremendous upside, much like Jay Cutler did before him. The book has not been completely written on Cutler’s career, but one can’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had been forced to wait another year before taking the reigns.

Perhaps this time the Broncos should err on the side of patience?

4. Timing

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Denver Broncos safety John Lynch signals a touchdown during the NFL Pro Bowl game at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2007 (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Having the keys to a Lamborghini sounds good until you realize that the battery was dead before you even took it out for a spin. It’s at that point that you would be happy with a Lexus as long as it could still run.

Brian Dawkins was a Lamborghini in Philadelphia, but by the time he got to Denver we were fooled because the outside looked the same even though the inside was shot. This is something that the Broncos have never been particularly good at (Dale Carter, Jerry Rice), but there are instances where the Broncos got the goods at just the right time. John Lynch and Neil Smith are just a few examples of great players with just enough left in the tank to make an impact while in Denver.

When the Broncos finally get a chance to dive into free agency, they need to focus on checking under the hood a little bit more and not be blinded by the cars history and appearance.

5. Orange

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SAN FRANCISCO - AUGUST 3: Safeties Dennis Smith #49 and Steve Atwater #27 of the Denver Broncos team up for a tackle during pre season game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on August 3, 1992 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won

In a team that has been struggling to establish a new identity since the departure of No. 7, maybe it is time to look for something old to be new again?

Whoever the leader of this team ends up being, give them a chance to step out of the shadows of the past wearing a familiar color into battle: Orange.

Alright, so the Broncos couldn’t win a Super Bowl in orange and had to switch to the blue and white to be able to reach the top, so what? The Orange and Blue used to be synonymous with the city of Denver, and it should be again. If this team is really committed to bringing defense back to the Mile High City then we might as well call it the Orange Crush Version 2.0.

Let Tebow, Dumervil or whomever step into the spotlight wearing something that can be solely their own and maybe replace the ocean of blue Elway jerseys with the Sea of Orange that has been gone for so long.