Elway Says Broncos Not on the Ball This Season

John Elway, the quarterback with the great arm and the bum foot, stood by his dressing chamber with his head down.

Silence.

Soon he would have to talk about yet another Bronco loss to the man with the microphone standing in front of the television camera.

Elway has guided the Broncos to three Super Bowls. He has lost all three. This season, further evidenced by the Broncos’ 19-7 loss to the Chargers Sunday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, he won’t likely get a chance to win his first or lose his fourth.

What’s the problem? “We’re stopping ourselves too much,” Elway said. “We just made too many mistakes.”

Two of which were his. He was intercepted twice by cornerback Gill Byrd.

“I didn’t throw the ball well on the move today,” Elway said.

Elway finished 17 of 30 for 171 yards and a touchdown. On the Broncos’ final offensive play, his pass intended for Vance Johnson fell incomplete. Then the Chargers took over and ran out the clock.

There was much ado about his toe and foot injury. It slowed him somewhat, but, as Byrd pointed out: “John being a little nicked up is still more mobile than most quarterbacks.”

Asked if the Broncos are flat coming off last year’s Super Bowl loss to the 49ers, Elway said: “No, I don’t think we have a Super Bowl hangover this year. But in ’88 we did. We need to make some plays, and get some confidence. We’re going to take it one game at a time until they say we’re mathematically out of it. We still have a chance.”