Path of excellence for Broncos runs through young QB, says Big Al
Dec 31, 2018, 7:50 PM
The Denver Broncos, as an organization, “has no soul,” Alfred “Big Al” Williams said on Monday, reflecting on the day’s events, including the firing of head coach Vance Joseph and general manager John Elway speaking on the future of the team.
For the co-host of “The Drive,” equating the Broncos organization with excellence means there needs to be growth, which “usually comes with a young signal-caller, the quarterback position.”
“For me, it’s heartbreaking because I know it’s the only way to establish a real cultural identity behind your team and your franchise,” Williams said of rebuilding with a young quarterback.
Of course, the Broncos could always go after a veteran quarterback, like Joe Flacco, but then they’d be in the same situation as they are now — without a coach and much of a prospect under center — a few years down the line, Williams said.
“It’s the very essence of the franchise quarterback that we’re after. We’re after the franchise quarterback,” Williams said. “And until we can get to that, it doesn’t matter who we bring in here as a head football coach.
“Until you can get that guy who’s going to be your signal-caller, that you believe, and that you will spend dearly to develop and develop the players around him, we’re not going to do it. We’re not going to do it, and we’re going to be in this position for a long time.”
Elway said during his season-ending press conference on Monday that using the label “rebuilding” sounds like an excuse to him, and the club is going to work this offseason to hopefully compete for a playoff berth next season.
“To me, a rebuild sounds like an excuse. I’m not going to make any excuses,” Elway said. “We’re going to bust our tails to try to get better and try to get back to where we’re competitive and do it next year.”
But Williams said he didn’t like the sentiment from Elway, that the Broncos are in a place where a “rebuild is necessary.”
“I know you don’t necessarily want to hear that we have to start with a young quarterback. But, really, this process should have been done three years ago and we should be on our way,” Williams said. “Instead, we had some idiots around here saying that we were in a Super Bowl window when we weren’t.
“We clearly weren’t in a Super Bowl window when Trevor Siemian took over the team after we won Super Bowl 50.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
