What would it be like to watch “The Drive” – that scratchy old NFL Films classic featuring a young John Elway in the 1986 AFC Championship Game – had the franchise quarterback been let go after his sixth season as a Denver Bronco?
Would that one video – the one that starts with Broncos guard Keith Bishop saying so famously, “We got ‘em right where we want ‘em” – have the same meaning if Elway had gone on to finish out his career somewhere else? Would it mean less? Would it be held in the same regard? Had Elway gone elsewhere to win a Super Bowl, or had he never won one at all, would “The Drive” be merely a footnote instead of the opening chapter to the story of a legend?
We’ll never know. Glorious history has already been written.
How will you recall “Tebow-to-Demaryius” if Demaryius Thomas is no longer a Denver Bronco after the 2015 season?
That scenario – that Thomas could be playing somewhere besides Denver – became a realistic possibility yesterday when the Broncos slapped a non-exclusive franchise tag on the best receiver to ever don the orange and blue. One can safely assume that Thomas isn’t happy – he’d rather have a long-term deal – but “how unhappy” he is will likely determine whether or not he’s a Bronco when 2016 rolls around.
At first blush, comparing “The Drive” and “Tebow-to-Demaryius” might seem silly.
Granted, they are different plays, in different eras, with different significance, but in many ways, “The Drive” and “Tebow-to-Demaryius” are similar.
Both moments marked a coming-out party for soon-to-be-great players. Both were improbable victories, coming from the play of a heroic effort. Both took place in the postseason, at a time when neither player had established a track record of performing in the clutch.
“The Drive” has great meaning in Denver, because it was the moment that Elway had truly arrived – at least in the eyes of the city. Even after going to five Super Bowls and winning two, that single moment in Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium is still undeniably special. With the benefit of crystal clear hindsight, January 11, 1987 was the day that Elway endeared himself to Broncos fans everywhere.
Without 16 years and two rings, however, it’s hard to define the importance of “Tebow-to-Demaryius” as it pertains to evaluating the wide receiver. The moment was arguably a top-five event in Broncos history – undeniably a top 10 – and it involved the franchise’s greatest wide receiver. Perhaps that’s unfair to Rod Smith (one of my personal favorites), the picture of professionalism and consistency. But Thomas’ numbers, albeit from a smaller sample size, suggest that he is, or at least could be, a superior player. Like Elway, Thomas followed up his grand entrance as a part of a humiliating Super Bowl experience. The rest of Thomas’ story, however, is untold.
It’s rare that a fan base gets to “meet” the greatest player in franchise history at a specific position at such an early state in his career. Fans knew it with Elway, and whether “Tebow-to-Demaryius” was the moment or not, fans know it now.
It’s even more rare those same fans realize that such a player could be on his way out, before his second contract.
The natural question: Why?
Why would the Broncos risk agitating the franchise’s greatest wide receiver by franchising him instead of allowing him to cash in on what will be – or would be – his big payday?
It’s not a simple answer. And maybe, just maybe, Elway is right in his decision to put this one ice for a moment. To be fair, the Broncos have a history of utilizing the franchise tag and then negotiating a long-term deal with that same player. The most recent applicable situation where this took place was with Ryan Clady, arguably the greatest left tackle in franchise history.
What makes the situation even stickier is the fact that life beyond the Peyton Manning era is a complete unknown at this point. As we’ve been told many times, there is no Plan B. Would it be unwise for Elway to paint himself into a corner by committing a large chunk of salary cap to a wide receiver who might not have anyone of note throwing to him beyond the upcoming season? That type of call would be akin to a racing team hiring a top-flight driver not knowing if they’d have a car for him to drive.
Or has the NFL realized that wide receivers, no matter how great, don’t win Super Bowls by themselves? There are countless examples. Calvin Johnson, the league’s highest-paid receiver, has yet to sniff the title game. Larry Fitzgerald was close, but that was long before he signed his most recent monster contract (eight years, $120 million). The duo of Roddy White and Julio Jones haven’t gotten it done in Atlanta.
Thomas was the best Bronco on the field in Super Bowl XLVIII, but it wasn’t enough. Dez Bryant was the best Cowboy in Dallas last season and he too has been franchised. The combination of results is starting to look like more than a trend.
On the flip side of all of this is the fact that Thomas is a player that Broncos fans simply love. He’s produced at an unprecedented pace and has been a class act in the process. During the past three seasons, he’s statistically the best receiver in the NFL, averaging 99 catches, 1,494 yards and 12 touchdowns per year. He’s humble, hard working and extremely competitive; fans applauded Thomas’ reaction on the sidelines when “substitute” kicker Brandon McManus missed what might have been a key field goal. There’s generally zero concern when it comes to making a commitment to Thomas, who could easily be viewed as a “sure thing.”
As bulletproof as John Elway is in Denver, this particular decision has not been met with unanimous applause. Many, many people are in favor of seeing Thomas play – and retire – as a Denver Bronco. That’s just what you do when such a young player is the best the franchise has ever seen, isn’t it? Thomas himself has publically stated he wants to be a Denver Bronco for the long-term. Is a player with best-in-the-league statistics, who’s also a solid citizen and teammate, and who wants to play for the franchise ever a bad investment?
As KCNC sports anchor Vic Lombardi tweeted last night, the Broncos appear to be in favor of “renting” rather than “buying.” That’s a stance that most everyone can relate to – and sometimes it’s the right thing to do. But that theory also suggests that the Broncos are looking primarily at the near future; everything after that can wait.
Someone who isn’t sure about the future rents. Someone who clearly envisions the future buys. It’s almost as if the Broncos are conceding that they’ve got one more realistic shot at the Super Bowl. After that? All bets are off.
The decision to franchise tag Demaryius Thomas is a gamble, no matter how you slice it. Here’s hoping that the in the short-term, Elway’s choice allows him to go “all-in” once more while The Sheriff is still around. At the same time, it would be nice to see best wide receiver in franchise history be a part of the long-term plan, and that “Tebow-to-Demaryius” is more than a footnote.
