Can Elway engineer another comeback?

Editor’s note: With gaming and sports so closely aligned, we decided it only makes sense to include a sport-related column on a regular basis in The Deal and on ColoradoGamingNews.com. So, look for Sporting Chance – offering previews, recaps, predictions and general sports “takes” – in future issues and online.

Back in the saddle. The Duke of Denver is back, and just in the nick of time. The Broncos organization is flagging badly, reaching depths not seen since the yellow-and-brown daze of the 1960s. Can the naming of John Elway as head of football operations return the team to the glory it so regularly basked in during No. 7’s 16-year playing career?

Much like the hires of former Buffs Jon Embree and Eric Bienemy at CU, bringing in Elway infuses Broncos Nation with a comforting sense of familiarity, plus enthusiasm born from memories of past success. Close your eyes and you can almost hear the approving statements from fans and media: “He’s a Bronco.” “He bleeds orange and blue. “He understands the culture.” “He’s a proven winner.” All true. But will it matter?

There’s no doubting Elway’s level of enthusiasm and commitment. I admire a guy with absolutely nothing to prove taking a chance like this. If he fails, he risks tarnishing his impeccable winning credentials. But Elway has no player-evaluation experience at this level. Professional sports are littered with former greats who couldn’t cut it in the film room or the draft room.

I can’t help but look longingly at division rival Kansas City, who did its due diligence, hired a proven personnel whiz, who then hired a hungry young coach. Guess what? In two years, GM Scott Pioli and coach Todd Haley have the Chiefs in the playoffs. As Denver Post sports columnist Dave Krieger pointed out, Lenny Dawson probably wasn’t on their short list.

It’s obvious what the thinking was. Pat Bowlen was burned by outsider Josh McDaniels. The Broncos’ front office was not going to let that happen again, preferring to cast their lot with a Hall of Fame player – our Hall of Fame player – with no personnel experience.

If it works, fantastic. And I hope it does. If not, it’ll hurt in more ways than one. But at least we’ll know the organization went down fighting, with No. 7 leading the charge.

Fox the fix. All that being said about Elway, he and the rest of the Broncos management team got it right with the hire of John Fox. It may sound counterintuitive, what with Fox just getting axed by Carolina following a 2-14 season, but he’s a proven NFL veteran with experience rebuilding struggling teams. At 56 but with a youthful exuberance and known as a player’s coach, Fox is the very antithesis of the too-cool, too-inexperienced Josh McDaniels. ‘Nuff said.

SEC still on top. We’re not afraid to admit when we’re wrong, and we were big-time off in our take for the Auburn-Oregon BCS title game. We had predicted the game would be a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair with the Ducks pulling out a narrow win. Wrong on all counts. The game was relatively low scoring, with Auburn in charge much of the way and hanging on for a 22-19 win. The difference in the game was the Tigers’ defense, which bottled up the Ducks’ vaunted rushing attack and gave up just a few big pass plays.

Meanwhile, Auburn QB Cam Newton played as advertised, eventually wearing down Oregon and driving his team for the winning score. The SEC took home its fifth BCS title in a row – with Alabama, Florida (twice) and LSU winning the past four – and proved it remains the best conference in the country.

E-mail us your thoughts at twalmer@denverpost.com, and we may include them in a future column.