Originally posted by Dshearn:
Originally posted by Pillbusta:
Originally posted by Furlow:
Physically a stud, yes. Production-wise, he was not. Yes the rules were different, but we're not comparing his stats to players today. In his freaking MVP SEASON he was barely in the top 10 in significant passing categories. His stats were never that great even relative to his peers.
But yes, he was a hyped prospect, strong arm, etc. Someone said he'd probably be the #1 pick of every draft. I could see that. It's the same people who picked Montana in round 3 and Brady in round 6. Physical attributes don't always translate to professional success.
Put Elway on SF then and I am willing to wager he would have been a LOT different. DEN would have been a perennial basement dweller without Elway. That organization was simply not elite during that time. And remember it was more of a defense and running game league back then as well. It had not fully transitioned to today's game. Elway was literally one of those guys that had to carry his team using both arm and legs to do so
The way I remember it...... Elway had handcuffs.....
1. Offensive Design
2. Era
Elway could have been in top 3-5 talks if he was a 49er.
I remember announcers talking about how often Revees ran the ball on first down, Elway probably faced more difficult 3rd downs against better teams more often then most QBs. Against worse teams, Elway probably faced more 3rd and shorts more often then most QBs.
It is likely that Elway is one the least "stat padded" QBs in the history of the league if we are talking about TDs and Yardage. If we are talking about come from behind victories...that is something else ......
In Dan Revees book, he talked about his desire to keep the game close and to beat teams up, then in the last 2 mins turn Elway loose....
I can't remember the name of that green bay DC, but in his book....he actually talked about that as wel( I think...could have been another author...trying to remember the 90s is hard) ..he said... Beating the Broncos meant surviving the last 2 mins. He attributed Elway huge amount of come from behind victories (at that time he was top 3 and looked like he would take the crown) to coaching style. Basically preparing for the broncos was preparing for 2 different offenses, the first 3 qtrs and the 4th qtr.
If I recall correctly, John Madden said something similar In his book as well....
So, if we are going to talk come from behind victories....apples might not be apples..... All QBs are boosted or limited by offensive design, but few coaches are likely to be as stubborn as Dan Reeves was.
Elway could have had better stats for sure, 100% believe that. I also think the "magic" or "come back kid" persona might be a bit overstated. Most good to great QBs probably would have had more come from behind victories on their resume under Reeves.
Elway's rankings by passing attempts per season (as full time starter):
1984 - 15th
1985 - 1st
1986 - 4th
1987 - 6th
1988 - 4th
1989 - 13th
1990 - 5th
1991 - 10th
1992 - 17th (missed 4 games, his att/game would have placed him 8th)
1993 - 1st
1994 - 7th
1995 - 8th
1996 - 9th
1997 - 8th
1998 - 14th (missed 4 games, his att/game would have placed him 8th)
Elway is 11th all-time in passing attempts (7,250). When he retired, he was #6 all time in passing attempts per game.
For reference, Joe Montana is 22nd in all-time passing attempts (5,391) and when he retired he was 18th in attempts per game. Montana was also 73rd in INT's thrown, despite his ranking in attempts. Elway on the other hand is 17th in INT's thrown. The more he threw the ball, the more he got picked.
To say that Elway would have had more yards and TD's while throwing less passes is a stretch, and a slap in the face to Montana who is one of the two best QB's to ever play the game.
