Denver, you’re in good hands.
We, myself included, have spent the last few months asking ourselves, “What is John Elway doing?” Why didn’t he pay Brock Osweiler? Why did he trade for Mark Sanchez? Why won’t he pull the trigger on Colin Kaepernick?
We were inundated with report after report after report, each claiming that Elway was interested in a new quarterback than the day before. And you know what? I’m sure he was. I’m sure he called every single general manager inquiring about every single quarterback, available or not, and in the end, he did nothing.
He put his foot in the ground, waited and did the one thing so many general managers are incapable or unwilling to do: be patient.
And after months of speculation and doubt, he selected Paxton Lynch with the 26th pick in the NFL Draft.
John Elway, well, won.
But before I explain to you why this is John Elway’s world and we’re all just living in it, let me clarify something: There was never going to be a magical solution to the Denver Broncos’ quarterback problem.
No, Paxton Lynch is not a “win-now” prospect; he may not even play this year — he probably shouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t the best choice for the franchise.
Here’s the unfortunate fact that everyone seems to be glossing over: The Denver Broncos lost their Hall of Fame quarterback and his heir apparent in the span of a week; that’s not a winning formula. In fact, that’s a crippling problem. So what exactly was Broncos Country hoping Elway would pull out of his hat?
Kaepernick? Is that the quarterback our Super Bowl hopes depended on? Because from everything I’ve seen in the last two seasons, that’s one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.
Kaepernick’s Last Eight Starts: 2-6 record; 59% completion; 1,615 yards; 6 touchdowns; 5 interceptions; 78.5 QB Rating
Sanchez’s Last Eight Starts: 3-5 record; 66% completion; 1,998 yards; 12 touchdowns; 10 interceptions; 85.3 QB Rating
PLEASE, someone, anyone, tell me why Kaepernick is such a better option than Sanchez. Because he went to the Super Bowl and another NFC Championship? Nope. Last time I checked, Sanchez has been to two title games himself. And I don’t want to hear that Sanchez was carried by his defense and running game, either. So was Kaepernick!
One more time, since both players have played in six playoff games, let’s compare:
Kaepernick: 58% completion; 1,374 yards; 7 touchdowns; 5 interceptions; 87.3 QB Rating
Sanchez: 61% completion; 1,155 yards; 9 touchdowns; 3 interceptions; 94.3 QB Rating
Now, I’ll admit that Kaepernick’s rushing abilities bring an added element, but there is no way anyone can make the argument that Kaepernick is a superior quarterback than Sanchez — none — especially when you’re paying Sanchez half the price of Kaepernick.
The truth of the matter is that Kaepernick is just as big of a risk as Sanchez, Lynch or even Trevor Siemian. There’s no telling what kind of quarterback he’s going to be outside of San Francisco, but I can guarantee you that he’s not a safer option than Sanchez.
So let’s get back to why Elway is, simply put, the best.
The Broncos were thrown into the fire, and they didn’t panic. He could have done what the Rams or 49ers did and mortgage the future for a potential star. Or, more likely, he could have overpaid Osweiler, Kaepernick or Ryan Fitzpatrick to answer the question at quarterback. He could have traded for Sam Bradford or Josh McCown, too.
Instead, he kept his calm, didn’t succumb to outside pressures and dictated the quarterback market.
So #Broncos John Elway waits it out, gets a QB prob better than Osweiler and everybody else he looked at. And at 1/4th the price. Ridiculous
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) April 29, 2016
https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/725898848208490496
Osweiler: 4 yrs, $72m.
Lynch (projected): 4 yrs, $9.1m.
Kaepernick: $11.9m in 2016.— Peter King (@peter_king) April 29, 2016
Elway never closed the door on any option, and yet he never forced it open either; he played the long game, and he, again, won.
Paxton Lynch may not be the guy who’s going to carry Denver back to the Super Bowl — Sanchez may not be, either — but neither was anyone else on the available market. But instead of forcing assets and dollars into an option that didn’t deserve it, Elway waited and chose a guy who could lead this team for the next decade if everything goes right.
It may be unfair to say, “In John Elway we trust,” but until he stops winning division titles and going to Super Bowls every other year, it’s hard to deny that he hasn’t earned that respect.