Pat Bowlen was the soul of this organization he owned for 35 years. He not only was the owner, he also was a brilliant innovator for NFL growth and was a bedrock of our Colorado community. And his battle with Alzheimer’s and passing was a heart wrenching saga which still inspires us fans.
Looking at a team that is about to be 2-5, missed the playoffs for (soon to be) five straight seasons, losing its prestige, and showing little tangible promise of future turnaround, every Bronco fan must ask: what would Pat Bowlen do?
I didn’t know the man. I only know what we all saw publicly. He set a standard of greatness for this team, and the past five years, the Broncos have unequivocally not met that standard.
I can give one example that might enlighten us as to how he would approach the situation. In 2008, after two consecutive 8-8 seasons, Pat Bowlen fired a two-time Super Bowl winning head coach, who in 14 years, had only two losing seasons. Mike Shanahan, for all his Xs and Os excellence, had failed to meet the Bowlen standard.
Pat Bowlen had the courage to make the right decision for the organization, even though it came at the cost of a legendary Broncos coach.
Shanahan had two losing seasons in 14 years. Elway is on his way to four straight.
I believe Pat Bowlen would have had the courage to do the right thing for the organization and fire John Elway, either now or after this season. All elements of the team are struggling, and when that happens, the man who assembled the team and coaching staff must be held accountable.
For the legacy of Pat Bowlen and the best interest of the Denver Broncos, it is time to fire John Elway.
Looking at a team that is about to be 2-5, missed the playoffs for (soon to be) five straight seasons, losing its prestige, and showing little tangible promise of future turnaround, every Bronco fan must ask: what would Pat Bowlen do?
I didn’t know the man. I only know what we all saw publicly. He set a standard of greatness for this team, and the past five years, the Broncos have unequivocally not met that standard.
I can give one example that might enlighten us as to how he would approach the situation. In 2008, after two consecutive 8-8 seasons, Pat Bowlen fired a two-time Super Bowl winning head coach, who in 14 years, had only two losing seasons. Mike Shanahan, for all his Xs and Os excellence, had failed to meet the Bowlen standard.
Pat Bowlen had the courage to make the right decision for the organization, even though it came at the cost of a legendary Broncos coach.
Shanahan had two losing seasons in 14 years. Elway is on his way to four straight.
I believe Pat Bowlen would have had the courage to do the right thing for the organization and fire John Elway, either now or after this season. All elements of the team are struggling, and when that happens, the man who assembled the team and coaching staff must be held accountable.
For the legacy of Pat Bowlen and the best interest of the Denver Broncos, it is time to fire John Elway.
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