Filed under: Broncos, AFC West
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.-- The 2010 Denver Broncos reconvened for a final time Monday, attending a farewell meeting and cleaning out their lockers before heading into an offseason dominated by the certainty of change that is coming."A lot of us probably will not be back here next year," said running back Correll Buckhalter the day after the Broncos capped a 4-12 season with a 33-28 loss to the San Diego Chargers. That is part of the game and the nature of this business."
The wheels are in motion already for changes at the top. Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who led the Broncos to back-to-back NFL championships in the late 1990s before retiring, is expected to be named vice president of football operations on Wednesday.
He'll be third in line in the Broncos' power structure, under owner Pat Bowlen and chief operating officer Joe Ellis with broad responsibility over all aspects of the team's football operations. Brian Xanders is expected to be retained as general manager, although he will report to Elway.
"I think it is a great fit. A guy like John Elway who had a lot of success in this league and who was around a lot of great players and knows how to win. I think he will bring a good positive energy to this organization," Buckhalter said. "He will help them hand-select guys who will help this organization win and get back to the tradition of winning Super Bowls."
Just by bringing back the beloved Elway, who endures as the face of the franchise a dozen years after his retirement, the organization has begun to undo the damage from the tumultuous reign of Josh McDaniels.
Bowlen fired McDaniels as coach on Dec. 6, amidst the worst stretch on the field in 40 years and a day after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention for a fifth consecutive season. McDaniels' fate also was influenced by a series of personnel blunders and a videotaping scandal that thoroughly embarrassed the organization and fueled a backlash by fans already unhappy with McDaniels' management of the team.
Ellis, meanwhile, emphatically shot down any notion that Elway's return was being orchestrated by the organization as a public relations move.
"This isn't about him," Ellis told the Denver Post. "This is about the Denver Broncos and this community and our fans and us getting better as quickly as we can. He'll roll up his sleeve and do his job. I've had enough meetings with him to know that."
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