a tour de force orchestrated by team legend turned general manager John Elway. Perhaps no sports figure has engendered as much goodwill with a city as Elway,Fewer than two years have passed since the Denver Broncos won their most recent championship, who has played a role in seven trips to the Super Bowl and three Lombardi Trophies.
But how far does goodwill go when the winning stops?
After Sunday's 51-23 loss to the Eagles,
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Manning's retirement left Elway with two options: pay through the nose to re-sign Brock Osweiler or scour the trade market,
Authentic Tashaun Gipson Jersey,But Manning's departure left the biggest hole in the Broncos' roster. While the decorated quarterback looked like a shell of himself during his final season, free agency and the draft for Manning's successor.
Elway made a three-year,
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In the end, with the Texans sending away a second-round pick just to unload his contract. Sanchez didn't even make it that far, receiving his release from the Broncos before the regular season. Lynch entered the league raw and hasn't shown much progress since, all the quarterbacks Elway pursued proved to be mistakes. Osweiler flamed out epically in Houston, starting only two games, both as an injury replacement.
as his competition largely imploded when called upon. Though he has played competently at times and has vastly outperformed expectations for a late draft selection,Instead, he remains a replacement-level passer unable to carry an offense. Siemian's play bottomed out last week against the Kansas City Chiefs,
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The team refused to commit to anyone as their starter for Week 10's matchup with the defending champion New England Patriots. However,
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Few teams can compete for a title without a franchise quarterback,
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Elway still has time to fix the Broncos. Next offseason could offer tantalizing signal-callers options in free agency -- Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins both have expiring deals -- with more possibly arriving through the draft. Perhaps the roster fills out organically as young players in whom Elway invested develop. The rest of the division could also decline in the coming seasons, opening another window for Denver to thrive.
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However, Elway needs to find an answer at quarterback. If he botches his second attempt to locate Manning's successor, he may not receive a third. In a bottom-line business like the NFL, for the Broncos to succeed in any scenario, not even the all-time greats survive forever, and the fans that once cheered Elway's name could soon blame him for the team's demise.
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