ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway spoke to Denver's 104.3 The Fan and Denver Sports 760 on Wednesday about how impressed he is with the Broncos staff, and quarterback Brock Osweiler and Peyton Manning.
The Broncos face a decision regarding which quarterback will start in the Broncos' playoff run. Manning's health has been in question since rehabbing from a partially torn plantar fascia while Osweiler would see action in his first NFL playoff game after starting just six games in his career.
Denver secured the AFC's No. 1 seed in Week 17 with a win over the San Diego Chargers. It was the first game since Week 10 that Manning was active on gameday, serving as Osweiler's backup. But after five turnovers in three quarters and the division title on the line, Head Coach Gary Kubiak made the decision to bring Manning in to close the game out, giving the team a much-needed spark. That move had many questioning who will get the nod come the Broncos' divisional playoff game.
"That's Gary's decision," Elway said to 104.3 The Fan. "We chat a lot and talk a lot and he asks what I think at times, and so I give him my thoughts. Most of the time I sit there and listen and ask questions and allow him to come to the best decision that he believes is right for this football team.
"The great thing is it's been a great year. I've really enjoyed working with Gary this year, and I think he's done a tremendous job. He came in with a lot of expectations with the team that we've had the previous four years, and [he's been] able to come in and do what he's done with the transition and get this team back to where we want get and get ourselves in the best position we could possibly be in right now, and that's being the No. 1 seed before the playoffs start."
Elway has the utmost trust that Kubiak will make the right choice, but he'll also have a chance to voice his own thoughts.
"I will definitely give him my opinion, what I think and we'll go from there," Elway said to Denver Sports 760. "I think we're in really good shape. We're really fortunate in the fact that we have two quarterbacks that can play and by the time we get to next week, the team will be healthy. It's a good situation going into that first week no matter which way Gary decides to go."
Luckily, the Broncos' first-round bye will give them more time to review their options. But once the starter is announced, Elway and the Broncos will be all in, so the quarterback they pick won't have to think about losing his spot.
"I think as Gary said, he went with his gut last time and I think that he'll follow that gut and put all those different factors that he has," Elway said to Denver Sports 760. "But the last thing that you want to do is, whomever that guy is, you don't want him looking over his shoulder all the time. You want him to have the ability to go in there and play and compete without thinking If I make a mistake, we're going to make a change, and I think that that's the mentality I'm sure Gary will take going into it. We'll see who it is."
