If it makes Mike Shanahan feel any better, John Elway never likes hearing it, either.
How many times, Broncos fans, has it been written or said in the past seven years? The Broncos haven’t won a playoff game since Elway. Coach Shanahan hasn’t won a playoff game since Elway.
This time, there is both anticipation and legitimate hope in Colorado that come Jan. 14, when the Broncos play their first-ever AFC playoff game at Invesco Field at Mile High, the Broncos without Elway will officially be stamped as Shanahan’s Broncos.
“I’m sure he’ll be happy to win a playoff game without Elway,” Elway said Thursday night. “It’ll be great if they can get that behind him so none of us have to hear about it anymore.”
Dressed nattily in a suit and tie, Elway was at the Colorado Mills Theatre on Thursday to help the Colorado Crush football team he owns celebrate its 2005 Arena Football League championship with a ring ceremony. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen helped with the presentation.
The Crush rings, Elway said, aren’t as ornate as the two Super Bowl rings he won after the ’97 and ’98 seasons, his last two years as the Broncos’ quarterback. But when it comes to winning championships, it’s not the symbol that counts. It’s the feeling.
And Elway says owning an Arena League championship team goes a long way toward quenching the competitiveness that clearly did not expire with his playing career.
“I can’t do it physically anymore, so it’s nice to be part of a team and compete for something,” Elway said. “You never get to the same level of playing and winning a championship playing, but this gets as close as I’m ever going to get.”
Although he’s busy with the Crush and marketing demands that have seemingly increased since his retirement, Elway keeps up with his old team.
This is the fourth time Shanahan has guided the Broncos to the playoffs since Elway moved on, but the first three postseason appearances opened on the road and closed quickly in defeat.
Rather than praise Shanahan for what he has accomplished without Elway, most of the attention has dwelled on what he hasn’t done. But with a first-round bye and second-round home playoff game against Cincinnati, New England or Jacksonville, Shanahan is in position to reach the AFC championship game without No. 7.
“It’s not uncomfortable between Mike and I, but it gets brought up so much that you kind of get tired of hearing about it,” Elway said. “He is a great coach. You look at his record and there’s always a lag time, but we won two in a row and then you have to turn the whole football team over. And that means you have to start over again. He’s done a great job of rebuilding, and he’s got himself in position to win a world championship.”
As for his latest successor, Elway endorsed the season Jake Plummer is having. With Shanahan and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak implementing an offense around the run, play action and throwing on the roll, Plummer has been the Broncos’ best quarterback since you-know-who.
“He’s comfortable with the offense,” Elway said of Plummer. “It takes a while to get used to this. I also think Gary and Mike have found out what Jake does best and are taking advantage of that. Jake’s done a great job of not turning the ball over and not making mistakes, and obviously the team’s taken to him. He’s playing as well as he’s ever played.”
Elway believes the Broncos have the kind of solid, well- rounded team that can reach Super Bowl XL, but warns against thoughts wandering off to anything but their game on Jan. 14. So intent was Elway on getting his point across, he didn’t even mention the Indianapolis Colts by name.
“If they keep playing great defense, they’ve really got a chance,” Elway said of his former team. “Now, you never know what’s going to happen. Now it’s the team that plays best in the playoffs. They’ve just got to take care of business and not think too far ahead.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
