John Elway on Pat Bowlen: "It Will Never Be the Same Here"
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Kiszla: Pat Bowlen's departure leaves a hole Broncos can't fill By Mark Kiszla The Denver Post July 24, 2014 Yes, there is crying in football. The love that makes the Broncos a family is the same love that made the first day without Pat Bowlen hurt so badly tears were worn like a badge of honor. Mr. B has left the building. The cruel reality of Alzheimer's disease ushered the 70-year-old Bowlen out the door before anybody at Dove Valley headquarters was ready to say goodbye. "There is finality to it," Broncos president Joe Ellis told me Wednesday. As Ellis talked, his eyes unabashedly filled with emotion and glistened with fondness for a man who did more than own the Broncos for three decades. Bowlen quietly demanded excellence all 365 days of every year. As the harsh realization of his words caught in his throat, Ellis struggled to add: "Mr. Bowlen won't be in the building today. And I don't think he will be walking in the door tomorrow. It's brutal." During his NFL career, John Elway was sacked more than 500 times. Three losses in the Super Bowl stung. But here is what caused the old quarterback to exhale slowly, wipe his nose and bite a tongue to hold back tears: "This place will never be the same," said Elway, paying respect to Mr. B on the summer afternoon when the office of the owner was empty and the franchise felt a hole in its heart. Before the Broncos could open training camp and get down to the task of building a Super Bowl dream, there was a much tougher chore. They buried the end of an era. "What's beautiful about the Broncos is they have a blueprint. It was created by Pat Bowlen long before I got here, and will be here long after I'm gone. Not every NFL team gets that lucky. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a philosophy thanks to the Rooney family. The New York Giants might not always win, but they have a vision for success created by the Mara family. And the Broncos are Pat Bowlen," said coach John Fox, hired in 2011 after Bowlen admitted his mistake of Josh McDaniels rather than allowing pride get in the way of doing what was best for the franchise. The curse of Alzheimer's disease is the body stays alive while the personality inside slowly fades away. Against any foe or odds, Bowlen won't give up without a tough fight. But he's a walking ghost of the man affectionately called Mr. B, and that's why the family business weeps. "Everybody who knows Pat Bowlen well, loves Pat Bowlen. And I love Pat Bowlen," Ellis said. "This closes down the chapter of what Pat Bowlen did so well. Life has been sucked out of him. It's unfair." The decision for Bowlen to step away from the family business in order to do right by the Broncos was as brave and selfless as it was difficult. There was no exit conversation, ripe with made-for-the-movies melodrama. Instead, what Ellis revealed with a peak behind the curtain at the toughest call of Bowlen's career was more true to the messy realities of growing old. It was a series of talks during the course of several months among Bowlen, his family and team executives that slowly pulled together the loose strings of what needed to be done. "There were some pretty emotional conversations about his frustrations with where his health was going," Ellis said. "Those conversations were gut-wrenching and sad. He had those same conversations with his children and his siblings and his wife. Those are memories a family never forgets. They're not the best memories. But they're part of what makes a family." Rampaging through the upcoming NFL regular season, returning to the Super Bowl and winning it one more time for Mr. B sounds like a plot perfect for a Hollywood script. But, truth be known, it would not do justice to the blueprint of the Bowlen family business. "We want to do it every season," Elway said. The boss has left the building, but you can bet the mantra of Mr. B will ring long and loud from in the locker room, on the practice field and throughout a stadium awash in orange on NFL Sundays. "If you ain't winning," Bowlen declared again and again during the course of three decades, "the people ain't coming." Losing is not an option. Broncos excited to put 2013 behind them and jump into new season By Troy E. Renck The Denver Post July 24, 2014 The first day without owner Pat Bowlen also marked the final day to remember last season. On a difficult day draped in sadness, the Broncos looked forward to competing for a championship, the prize that drove Bowlen for three decades. "We're excited about getting started," said general manager John Elway, whose emotions spilled over when talking about Bowlen's impact on the franchise. "Plus, we can put last year behind us. As tremendous as last year was, obviously there's always a bitter taste in your mouth when it ends the way it ended. When we get out on the field, that officially ends the 2013 season. We can now get going on the 2014 season." The Broncos reached the Super Bowl, and the Seahawks undressed them. The rout shaped Denver's offseason. Rather than remain static, Elway overhauled the defense. While the Broncos are Peyton Manning's team as long as he's under center, he needs help. Elway experienced this as a player, losing three Super Bowls before the Broncos broke through with a more balanced roster against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. "We can't rely on 18 (Manning) to win it, because he can't win it by himself. So I think what we've done, especially with (defensive end) DeMarcus Ware and the leadership ability there, and (cornerback)Aqib (Talib), as well as (safety) T.J. (Ward) and the leadership — they've brought their identity to the defense," Elway said. "And they do not want to have to rely on the offense to bail us out." The Broncos could have as many as seven new defensive starters from their Super Bowl collapse. Only cornerback Chris Harris will start on the physically unable to perform list after January knee surgery, with rusher Von Miller and defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson cleared to practice. Ward promised the Broncos will send a message defensively in the preseason. Coach John Fox said the process is already underway. "I think we can create an attitude starting (Thursday)," Fox said. Ware's addition looms large in the transformation. It seems he has been a Bronco for "10 years," Elway said. Ware pushes players and provides guidance. The former Dallas star, who is attempting to put the final touches on his Hall of Fame résumé, doesn't shy away from expectations. "We are trying to be (No.) 1 and (No.) 1. The best offense in the league and the best defense in the league," Ware said. "I think it's going to be night and day from last year." If the offense regresses slightly, no one will complain. The Broncos are seeking a little more balance as Montee Ball enters as the starting running back and Emmanuel Sanders joins a stacked receiving corps. "There is a singular focus," receiver Wes Welker said. "I couldn't be more excited. It's just a matter of us putting it all together to reach the ultimate goal. With the new veterans, that's what makes good teams great. It's not about talking about it, it's about being about it." Joe Ellis has background to take over Pat Bowlen's Broncos duties By Mike Klis The Denver Post July 24, 2014 Had Pat Bowlen not handpicked his successor and the Broncos instead used an independent search committee, Joe Ellis might well have landed the job on résumé alone. Ellis got his start in the NFL by selling ads in the Broncos' GameDay program. He later worked as an intern in the NFL office, working his way up until he became cohorts with a promising administrator named Roger Goodell. After returning to the Broncos, Ellis was put in charge of marketing, finance and, ultimately, the whole Broncos' organizational shebang. "Anymore, to operate all the stuff for an NFL organization, you've got to have a feel for all of it," Broncos coach John Fox said. "Old, hard-core football people, they can't do that. You've got to deal with the owners. That's a different breed of cat, having been around a few. Dealing with marketing people. Dealing with football people. Joe's got great overall, expansive knowledge and experience to do his role. I think people skills are really important, and he does a tremendous job with that." Leadership streams through Ellis' bloodlines. His mom is the sister of George H.W. Bush, who in the four years from 1989-93 was the leader of the free world. Bush's oldest son, and Ellis' cousin, George W. Bush, was president of the United States for eight years, from 2001-09. All Ellis has to do is lead an NFL team. And so far, he has shown promise. During the past three years in which he has had final-say authority of the club, the Broncos won three AFC West titles and three home playoff games, and averaged better than 12 victories, counting playoffs, per season.