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Broncos' focus remains on NFL draft for off-season acquisitions
Posted: 01/20/2012 06:18:00 PM MST
Updated: 01/20/2012 11:17:22 PM MST By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
Their scouting staff spent this past week in St. Petersburg, Fla., at the East-West Shrine Game practices and will spend the coming week in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl workouts, where John Elway, general manager Brian Xanders, coach John Fox and assistant coaches will join the personnel staff.
And many have wondered what the Broncos' plan is for the offseason.
At least when Elway and Xanders speak of the offseason play, it is to maintain the discipline to build a franchise through the draft and to put one successful draft class on top of another and another and another as the years go by.
That is also easier to say than to actually do, which is why so many teams try it at times before diving into free agency, checkbook in hand, in an effort to buy their way out of trouble.
Free agency will continue to be a good thing for the most prominent free agents and a hard-earned victory for players in the history of collective bargaining negotiations. It is not, and the Washington Redskins are always the first examples offered by many in the league, a way to consistently put together a team that can compete for the playoffs.
The proof is consistently in the standings.
From his first day on the job, Elway has stressed the importance of the draft. He stressed it again Monday in an extended question-and-answer session to wrap up the season.
The test will come in the coming months. There will be the lure of the recent playoff spot, one that included the emotional, feel-good, upset win over the Steelers in the wild-card round.
Players and Elway said the win over the Steelers was the loudest — Elway said it was the "most excited" — the stadium had been in their time with the team.
But teams get in trouble over the long haul when they make marketing and emotional decisions instead of football decisions. Football decisions usually dictate how many victories a team accumulates.
And if the Broncos give in to at least a segment of public sentiment that they are close to being a consistent playoff team and dive into free agency at the expense of the draft and the development curve of younger players, that could be a trap.
Most personnel executives around the league believe the Broncos are closer to missing the playoffs than to being a consistent playoff team because of their depth issues across the roster, as well as their uncertainty over what the offensive playbook will look like moving forward and what personnel that plan will require.
For their part, the Broncos have made it clear they enjoyed the playoff run, but also have shown restraint in recent days.
Fox said the team had "a long way to go."
Elway called the playoff games a youthful team played in the last two weeks "a tremendous building block," but also added "we're not where we need to go."
And Xanders characterized the approach for free agency with, "we plan to be aggressive and smart at the same time." Xanders also referred to making "value signings."
That would seem to indicate the draft is on the front burner as is developing their players. And while that may not be the plan some want for the team, it's one Elway appears committed to.
Jeff Legwold: [email protected]
Posted: 01/20/2012 06:18:00 PM MST
Updated: 01/20/2012 11:17:22 PM MST By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
Their scouting staff spent this past week in St. Petersburg, Fla., at the East-West Shrine Game practices and will spend the coming week in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl workouts, where John Elway, general manager Brian Xanders, coach John Fox and assistant coaches will join the personnel staff.
And many have wondered what the Broncos' plan is for the offseason.
At least when Elway and Xanders speak of the offseason play, it is to maintain the discipline to build a franchise through the draft and to put one successful draft class on top of another and another and another as the years go by.
That is also easier to say than to actually do, which is why so many teams try it at times before diving into free agency, checkbook in hand, in an effort to buy their way out of trouble.
Free agency will continue to be a good thing for the most prominent free agents and a hard-earned victory for players in the history of collective bargaining negotiations. It is not, and the Washington Redskins are always the first examples offered by many in the league, a way to consistently put together a team that can compete for the playoffs.
The proof is consistently in the standings.
From his first day on the job, Elway has stressed the importance of the draft. He stressed it again Monday in an extended question-and-answer session to wrap up the season.
The test will come in the coming months. There will be the lure of the recent playoff spot, one that included the emotional, feel-good, upset win over the Steelers in the wild-card round.
Players and Elway said the win over the Steelers was the loudest — Elway said it was the "most excited" — the stadium had been in their time with the team.
But teams get in trouble over the long haul when they make marketing and emotional decisions instead of football decisions. Football decisions usually dictate how many victories a team accumulates.
And if the Broncos give in to at least a segment of public sentiment that they are close to being a consistent playoff team and dive into free agency at the expense of the draft and the development curve of younger players, that could be a trap.
Most personnel executives around the league believe the Broncos are closer to missing the playoffs than to being a consistent playoff team because of their depth issues across the roster, as well as their uncertainty over what the offensive playbook will look like moving forward and what personnel that plan will require.
For their part, the Broncos have made it clear they enjoyed the playoff run, but also have shown restraint in recent days.
Fox said the team had "a long way to go."
Elway called the playoff games a youthful team played in the last two weeks "a tremendous building block," but also added "we're not where we need to go."
And Xanders characterized the approach for free agency with, "we plan to be aggressive and smart at the same time." Xanders also referred to making "value signings."
That would seem to indicate the draft is on the front burner as is developing their players. And while that may not be the plan some want for the team, it's one Elway appears committed to.
Jeff Legwold: [email protected]
- Go Broncos 2017 and Beyond! - 
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