Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway Speaks at the Combine
On Thursday, it was time to hear from the man in charge. Denver Broncos general manager John Elway stepped to the podium to speak to the media at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine, and he had a lot to say.
Of course, Elway did spend a lot of time talking about quarterback Peyton Manning. The Broncos are arguably still in a Super Bowl window if Manning returns for another season. Elway won two Super Bowl championships with the Broncos in the late '90s, and now as general manager, he wants Denver to be the kings of the mountain once again.
In addition to commenting on Manning’s situation, Elway also gave us his thoughts on players like C.J. Anderson, Montee Ball and Cody Latimer. The GM also talked about upgrading the offensive line and which free agents the Broncos would like to re-sign.
In this article, I’ll go through Elway’s quotes and decipher what it means for Broncos fans.
Peyton Manning's Status
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It was no surprise to anyone when Elway’s press conference opened with a barrage of questions about Peyton Manning. Elway was clear about Manning being the one who needs to make the decision about returning in 2015.
“We’re hopeful that Peyton comes back and we want him back. As I said after the season, we wanted him back—and we still want him back. He has not given me a definitive answer exactly what he wants to do, but we’re hopeful he is going to come back.”
It’s more than just deciding to play—Manning and the Broncos will have to come together on a plan for this season. The new Gary Kubiak offense is a bit of an odd fit for a player with Manning’s skill set. The team will find a way to make it work, but Manning has to be comfortable with that.
Elway could also be talking about a potential pay cut or restructured contract to give the Broncos more salary-cap room for free agency.
All this, and the Broncos will have a physical scheduled for Manning about a week before the start of the new league year.
Is Manning Better Physically?
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Manning’s play declined toward the end of the season, and a quad injury he suffered against the San Diego Chargers didn’t make things better.
Elway was asked at the combine if Manning told him that he’s feeling better physically.
“He did. Obviously anytime you finish a season, six weeks after the season you are going to feel well. He told me about the physical that he went through with the doctor down in New Orleans, and he felt good with the results that came out of that. Physically he was feeling much better after six weeks off from the season and was feeling much better when I had a chance to talk to him.”
Manning just needs some time away from the game to heal up and get ready to go for 2015. He’s been preparing for another season down in New Orleans even though he has not yet told the Broncos of his intentions.
Time heals all wounds, and the superstar quarterback just needed some time to start feeling like his old self. If he feels good physically, then we should see Manning back in Denver for one more year.
Manning Contract Discussions
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The Broncos could ask Manning to restructure his contract or take a pay cut before the 2015 season. Elway didn’t give a "yes" or "no" answer here.
“The bottom line is I don’t like to get into anybody’s contract or discuss anything about contracts, but just know that, as I said, I believe he will be back, and I believe that he will be our quarterback next year.”
Elway didn’t really answer this question. However, reading between the lines, it’s easy to decipher that a restructured contract (or a pay cut) may be in the future for Manning.
The Broncos need all the money they can get to build the best team possible. They are still in a Super Bowl window with Manning returning, but they are running out of time to win a championship. It’s definitely a make-or-break season for the Broncos in 2015.
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Manning's Fit in Gary Kubiak's Offense
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It took a little while, but arguably the most asked question was finally tossed to Elway. The former superstar quarterback has no doubts about Manning’s ability to fit in a Gary Kubiak offense.
“We weren’t allowed to talk about football because of the offseason rules, but I will say this: I do believe having been through that part of my career and having played for [former head coach] Mike Shanahan at the time and played with his offense, that I do believe it’s a very helpful offense.”
Elway concluded, “Peyton could fit in this offense very easily. It’s a lot more dependent on balance, so therefore Peyton is hopefully not going to have to throw the ball 50 or 55 times. I think for an older quarterback it’s a perfect system to be in. It’s really a great system for any quarterback, but I think it’s even more helpful the older you get.”
Manning could struggle to shoulder the entire burden in 2015. The Broncos are wise to move to a system that can help out the quarterback by running the ball effectively. They have the potential star running back to do that in C.J. Anderson, and Denver needs to make him the centerpiece of the offense while making Manning more of a game manager.
C.J. Anderson's Upside in the Kubiak Offense
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The new zone-blocking system could be a great fit for running back C.J. Anderson. For years with the Houston Texans, Gary Kubiak had a productive rushing attack where he made Arian Foster into a superstar. Last year with the Ravens, Kubiak’s offense turned Justin Forsett into a 1,000-yard rusher.
Elway loves the upside of Anderson in this system.
“I think it fits great. I think we saw what C.J. could do last year, especially halfway on through the end of the year. He came in and had a tremendous year for us. He’s a one-cut guy, and he’s a north and south runner. That’s what style of an offense this is. I think C.J. will be a perfect fit for it, so I’m thrilled we still have him.”
Anderson was a monster for the Broncos over the final six games of the season. He got his opportunity and ran with it in 2014. Now, the young back is going to get a chance to be “the man” for the Broncos in a system that could turn him into one of the best backs in the league.
Montee Ball's Future with the Team
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While the future looks bright for Anderson in the Kubiak offense, many fans are left to wonder about what the future holds for Montee Ball. Drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, Ball was considered the future feature back for the Broncos.
Ball flashed as a rookie, splitting time with Knowshon Moreno in the backfield. When Moreno moved on in free agency, Ball sat atop the depth chart. He entered training camp as the starter, but an appendectomy kept him out of action in August. When Ball returned, he didn’t look the same and ended up suffering a groin injury that would eventually end his second season.
Elway is not ready to give up on Ball.
“Montee just had a tough year with injuries last year. He had that groin injury that he could never really come back [from]. I still think that Montee is a very good running back. It’s just a matter of getting him in the right spot—the right position—and having him be healthy and having him get some confidence. In this offense we’re going to use more than one back, and I believe Montee can be very helpful to our football team and do good things for us.”
The new running scheme in Denver requires backs who are adept in zone blocking. A back in this system needs to be a one-cut runner who is always looking at multiple rushing lanes. Ball is more of a power back, but Elway says those concepts will be part of the offense as well.
“A lot of power but we still think Montee is a north and south runner. Really, any running offense that is successful has backs that are running north and south. That’s what Montee can do. He can stick his foot in the ground and get north and south. I don’t think he will have any problems adjusting to the new offense.”
At this time, Ball has to be considered the primary backup behind Anderson in 2015.
Is Upgrading the Offfensive Line a Priority?
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The Broncos could potentially be looking for three different starters up front along the offensive line. Priority No. 1 for the Broncos is better protection for Manning, and they need help up front in order to do that.
Elway wouldn’t get into specifics, but he did comment on the need up front.
“We are looking at our whole football team right now and setting our priorities as far as what we want to go into in free agency as well as the draft. Is the offensive line one of them? Yeah, we would like to get better. But we would like to get better in a lot of other places too. We’re going through all the options that we have, and we’re really looking at the best way to use the dollars that we have in our budget through free agency.”
The Broncos have some young linemen in place who could compete for more playing time in 2014. The team picked up both Michael Schofield (right tackle) and Matt Paradis (center) in the draft last year, but neither got to see the field. Schofield was a game-day inactive, and Paradis was released and then signed to the practice squad.
Elway believes there’s talent already in place on the roster that could fit the new zone-blocking system.
“I think that you never know until they get out there and do it. I think that it’s a combination that’s not strictly zone, but that’s part of it. We also have power and gap schemes within Gary’s system. We’re going to find out, but we also know that we’ve got the people that can do it, and we’ll also look on the market and see what’s available out there and try to create the best football team and create some competition.”
In my opinion, the Broncos are going to address the offensive line through free agency and the draft this offseason.
Cody Latimer
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We didn’t get to see a whole lot from wide receiver Cody Latimer during his rookie season. A second-round pick in 2014, he spent most of the season either inactive or on the bench for the Broncos.
With a season under his belt (and with the likely departure of free agent Wes Welker), it’s time to see more of Latimer. He’s a great blocker, and that skill alone should earn him more playing time in 2015.
Elway likes what he’s seen from the young receiver.
"We have high expectations for Cody, and he’s a big, fast, strong wide receiver who we really believe is going to be helpful to us and help us win because he’s got the ability now to catch the ball and get open, but also he does a great job on fourth down and has the ability to run after the catch. So we have high expectations for Cody.
"Obviously he didn’t have the production that I’m sure he would have liked to have, as well as us, but he took advantage of all the opportunities he got last year, and he’ll get a lot more opportunities this year."
The Broncos won’t use three-wide receiver sets that often under Gary Kubiak. However, Latimer is such a big target (and such a great blocker) that they could essentially use him like a tight end if need be. They could also use him as an outside receiver with Emmanuel Sanders occasionally moving to the slot.
Latimer is a weapon, and the Broncos need to use him more this season.
Broncos Free Agents
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The Broncos have to make a decision on 13 unrestricted free agents in less than a month. The team needs to decipher whether or not it's going to keep several key players at various positions around for 2015.
“I think for us, we’re setting what our process is going to be, and I hate to say that word. I know ‘process’ doesn’t go well around here (laughing), but we’re now going through that. We’re setting our priorities and trying to figure out what our budget is. We know pretty much what that is.”
Elway gave us more clarification when he said, “You really don’t know what those numbers are until you get to when the market opens and players get out there, and a lot of times players that have come this far want to go see what’s out there on the market, and so we’re going to do the best we can to plan and to fill in with the players that we want to fill, keep the players that we have, but also we have to do what’s best for the Broncos.”
Tough choices have to be made. At this time, it wouldn’t surprise me to see tight end Julius Thomas, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and free safety Rahim Moore all move on in free agency. The Broncos could then look to keep guys like center Will Montgomery and tight end Virgil Green.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.
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