Mangini: Until QB issue solved, Broncos need to do everything right

Since the end of the Peyton Manning era in Denver, the Broncos have faced the same issue as many NFL teams continue to run into — “the quarterback problem,” as former Cleveland Browns and New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini said Tuesday.

“They’re facing the problem that a lot of teams in the NFL face — the quarterback problem — and it’s not easily solved,” Mangini told “Schlereth and Evans.”

“You look at a guy like John Elway who has as much background in quarterback play as anybody you could want making those decisions, and it’s hard for him too.”

It’s not exactly a secret that the Broncos have struggled to find the guy under center since Manning’s retirement, going through, as Mangini pointed out, “all the different avenues” to acquire a quarterback — trade, free agency, and the draft — and coming up short.

“It’s not easily solved, and until you get that solved you’ve got to do everything right in every other area just to stay competitive in games,” Mangini said. “And it makes it really hard.”

“Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mark Schlereth reinforced the point, saying that teams “don’t have a chance” if they don’t have a guy at quarterback.

However, Schlereth said it’s not necessary to find someone like a Manning, who can carry a team to a championship on his own, to be competitive.

“If that guy can win you games, and he’s proven he can get to the playoffs, then I would think that … at least I found a guy and I’ll build around him,” Schlereth said.

“… Maybe he’s not the guy that elevates us directly to the Super Bowl. But if we build enough team around him, can we get there with him? Absolutely,” Schlereth added.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.