Elway Hopes to Blitz the Boos by Lifting : Off-Season Weight Workouts May Give Him an Edge Over Detractors

When the Denver Broncos acquired John Elway before the 1983 season, it was clear that the former Granada Hills star and Stanford All-American would step right in and lead the Broncos to Super Bowl glory with a few flicks of his wrist.

Elway was supposedly the best college quarterback since Joe Namath. The Broncos, who had sold out Mile High Stadium for 16 years despite mostly mediocre teams, thought they had their man. The Raiders, as well as the National Football League in general, were in trouble. The Rocky Mountains would have their revenge.

After Elway signed a $5-million contract, Denver’s media turned on the blast furnace with daily newspaper and television coverage. “Elway Mania” had hit Denver.

“It was a joke,” Elway says now. “It affected my play--mentally it took a lot out of me.

“They built an image of me that I couldn’t fulfill. They said I was supposed to be Superman. The expectations of the people were so high. I tried harder and harder and put more pressure on myself. It was miserable.”

Elway’s performance was miserable, too. After gaining the starting nod from Denver Coach Dan Reeves, Elway was subsequently benched. Later he replaced his replacement, Steve DeBerg, who was injured. He finished his rookie season ranked last in conference passing.

Said Reeves: “I was wrong. I thought John was ready to start, but he wasn’t. Mentally he wasn’t prepared. Learning our offense was like learning a foreign language to him.

“Everything was happening so fast for him. He didn’t know what defenses would do--if people were going to blitz or what. He was never comfortable.”

To make matters worse for Elway, he was booed by the Denver fans.

“It left me bitter,” Elway says. “The fans will never be happy. I just wanted to get through it.”

Elway improved in his second year. During 1984, he completed 214 of 384 passes for 2,598 yards with 18 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. The Broncos finished the season at 13-3. “I started to get my confidence back,” he says. “I think I played well enough that the guys know I can get the job done. Plus, I got another year of experience.”

He also suffered a number of injuries. He banged up an elbow, hurt both of his shoulders and hyper-extended his left knee.

After recovering from arthroscopic surgery on the knee, Elway lifted weights during the off-season to build up his durability. He says he is healthy and looking forward to the ’85 season.

Said Elway: “There’s no doubt, I feel 100% better about this next year. Football-wise, I’ve got a lot more to do. If I have can have a great year and we go to the Super Bowl, then I’ll show them that I am a good quarterback.

“But I’m happy right now. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Except, of course, for a Super Bowl ring.

Eventually, Reeves believes Elway will develop into the quarterback that many professional scouts predicted he would be. “You can only judge quarterbacks after they retire,” he said. “My mind has not changed since John came here. It’s still too early to judge.”