John Elway
John Elway was the top overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, and by the time he retired he had set records with 5 Super Bowl starts and 148 regular season wins, both of which have been surpassed in recent years.
He went through the usual struggles as a rookie, throwing twice as many touchdowns as interceptions and being benched for a while as a result, but he began improving quickly, and by 1986 he was one of the top passers in the game. He was in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdowns and led Denver to an 11-5 record. One of his most famous moments came in the AFC Championship Game against Cleveland, when he led a 98-yard drive in the closing minutes to score the tying touchdown, the only TD pass he threw in the game. In his first Super Bowl appearance, he threw for 304 yards but was outplayed by Phil Simms on the way to a 39-20 loss.
In 1987 his numbers and Denver's record both dipped slightly, but he still ended up winning the MVP, which he did deserve as the best quarterback in the league that season. He was very good in the playoffs again, breaking Cleveland's hearts in the AFC title game with another great game, but threw 3 interceptions in the Super Bowl, which ended in a 42-10 loss.
The Broncos missed the playoffs in 1988, but led them back to the playoffs with another average season of 3051 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. He played well in the early playoff rounds again, knocking off Cleveland again to reach his third Super Bowl in 4 years, but fell apart in the Super Bowl again, with only 108 yards and 2 interceptions without a touchdown pass.
Both Elway and the Broncos struggled through the next few years, putting up average passing numbers with too many interceptions while usually making the playoffs but failing to advance very far. The doldrums disappeared very suddenly in 1993 for Elway, as he had his best statistical season, setting career bests with 4030 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, but the season ended in the wild card round.
He stayed statistically good for the next few years, but could not do anything in the playoffs. When he finally had a solid team around him in 1997, he threw for a career high of 27 touchdowns and the Broncos earned a 12-4 record. While leading them through the first 3 rounds of the playoffs, he threw for only 603 yards and 3 touchdowns while Terrell Davis led the way. In the Super Bowl he had only 123 yards and one interception and no touchdowns once again, but Terrell Davis' 3 touchdowns earned them a Super Bowl victory.
In his final season, he led Denver to a 14-2 record, best in his career, and took the Broncos back to the Super Bowl after throwing only 255 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first two playoff games. He finally had a decent Super Bowl in his fifth try, reaching 336 yards and tossing one touchdown on his way to earning his first Super Bowl MVP award.
John Elway was one of the top quarterbacks in the league for a long, long time, playing a total of 16 seasons, although he was usually not the best, reaching 3500 yards 5 times and 20 touchdowns only 6 times, making him statistically above average for most of his career. What makes him one of the all-time greats was what he did in the playoffs, leading the Broncos to 5 Super Bowls, which was a record for a starter until last season. What held him back from being among the top 5 was his horrible performance nearly every time he reached the Super Bowl, which seems odd for a player knows for his clutch play throughout his career.
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