Sunday, April 25, 1999
Only Elway knows when to say goodbye
BY TIM SULLIVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Athletes do not exist for our enjoyment. They have their own agendas and their own aches and an acute sense for when enough is enough.
John Elway does not owe us another season, no more than Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan did. Much as we might want to see him seek a third straight Super Bowl title — an achievement unprecedented in pro football — the call is entirely his.
If the brilliant quarterback of the Denver Broncos has decided to retire rather than risk any more concussions or endure any more grass drills, who are we to stand in his way? Professional athletes owe us only their best effort. They have no obligation to give chase to arbitrary milestones if the game no longer engages their emotions or if it becomes too hard on their health.
If fate affords an opportunity to go out on top, why not take it? Why pass another autumn Saturday afternoon in an airport? Why conform to another Saturday night curfew? Why continue to spend Sunday afternoons as a target for young linebackers with mayhem on their minds? Why continue to press your luck when you can show both a huge profit and (soon enough) a bronze bust in Canton?
Of all the people who have played the quarterback position, none has brought more talent to the table than did John Elway. He had more on the ball, throwing off-balance or on the move, than most guys could manage from a textbook three-step drop. He was armed to his incisors, with the legs to improvise when his receivers were indisposed.
His career was a battle
Yes, he was human. Elway spent much of his NFL career living down the day when he lined up for the snap behind the guard. He was sometimes seem as stubborn and selfish; his feud with Dan Reeves probably precipitated Reeves' firing. He lost three Super Bowls before he won one.
But had he been blessed with better teammates during his peak seasons, John Elway might have matched or even exceeded the marvels achieved by Joe Montana. His record of 47 game-saving drives reflects a career spent playing catch-up, and a gift for imposing his will on events worthy of Jordan or Indiana Jones.
Had Elway signed with Baltimore instead of forcing the Colts to deal him to Denver, the Colts still might be based at Memorial Stadium. Had Elway not led that dramatic drive through the mud in 1986, Art Modell might have had a Super Bowl springboard to sell a new stadium in Cleveland. Had the Broncos failed to win a championship with Elway, it would have been a waste of resources tantamount to strip-mining Yosemite.
Super Bowl XXXII brought Elway the validation he had lacked and his defining film clip: that desperate head-first dive into two Green Bay defenders for a critical first down. Super Bowl XXXIII served to place his career in proper perspective.
So now the time has come
Elway was no longer at the top of his game January in Miami, but he was still the key figure on the field. Like Jordan, Elway could not have scripted a more satisfying finish. Like Jordan, he has decided against trying to top himself.
The announcement was planned for last week, but Elway evidently elected to postpone his news conference in deference to the victims of the massacre at Columbine High School in suburban Denver. Elway has been leaning toward retirement for a long time, but he wanted to give the game the chance to lure him back. He wondered last week if Gretzky's decision was too hasty.
“When you're doing something as long as (we) have,” Elway said, “(retirement) is a real big change of lifestyle.”
The change has come. Elway will be 39 years old in June, with enough lumps for a lifetime. He was sacked 559 times in 16 professional seasons, and the accumulated wear has been wearing him down. Last year he missed all or part of six games because of hamstring, back and rib injuries.
He was still a special player on Sundays, but the rest of the week felt increasingly like work. He thinks he's had enough of it, and he's the only one who would know.
Enquirer columnist Tim Sullivan welcomes your E-mail at tsullivan@enquirer.com.
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