John Elway: ‘Slowly but surely we’re going to see our game go to more of what the college game is doing’

John Elway sees no point in resisting the trend.

Quarterbacks emerging from college football mostly work from spread-type offenses with ample run-pass option (RPO) plays.

‘I don’t fight it, because that’s the way it’s going’

That’s what’s available to the NFL. And as far as Elway is concerned, that’s what the NFL should be welcoming.

“I don’t fight it, because that’s the way it’s going,” the general manager and executive vice president of the Denver Broncos told Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Movin’ The Chains from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “I think we’re seeing more of it in the NFL. If you watch what Philly did last year offensively and the RPOs that they were very successful, and executed them very, very well.

‘With our offseason rules, we don’t have the time to train them any other way’

“I think slowly but surely we’re going to continue to see our game transform or go to more of what the college game is doing because that’s what they’re getting trained to do in college. Plus, with our offseason rules, we don’t have the time to train them any other way.”

Meanwhile, Elway doesn’t think the Broncos did a good enough job of helping to make Paxton Lynch a successful quarterback last season. That’s part of why the team replaced offensive coordinator Mike McCoy will Bill Musgrave.

‘We really weren’t fair to Paxton (Lynch) and then, when he did get the opportunity to play, he got hurt’

“I take part responsibility along with (coach Vance Joseph), we’ve talked about this,” Elway said. “I’m not sure we gave them the best opportunity to be successful. And it’s nothing against Mike McCoy, but I just don’t know that that system was a fit for Paxton. Therefore, it was hard on everybody. Billy, what he does and kind of his philosophy, has tried really kind of molding the offense to what the talent of the quarterback is. So we really weren’t fair to Paxton and then, when he did get an opportunity to play, he got hurt, so it was kind of one of those years where everything seemed to go wrong.”

Although the Broncos are in the market for a new quarterback, Elway insists they haven’t closed the door on Lynch.

‘It’s time for (Lynch) to take a big step this year’

“I still have high expectations for Paxton that he can come back this year,” Elway said. “He’s still growing, obviously. He’s going into his third year. He’s going to have grown up a lot, so it’s time for him to take a big step this year.”