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Elway: Peyton Manning was only player who could replace Tim Tebow

By Austin Cassidy

Feb 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations and general manager John Elway speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations and general manager John Elway speaks to the media during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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John Elway discusses life as a Hall of Fame quarterback turned Denver Broncos GM — hiring Manning, firing Tebow and more.

The Denver Post published the first part of an extensive interview with Broncos GM John Elway on Sunday — the only man to ever win a Super Bowl as a quarterback and an executive on the same team.

In the piece, he opens up about his first five years running the franchise, hiring Peyton Manning to replace Tim Tebow, and bringing on Gary Kubiak.

Tebow was, of course, the controversial and popular quarterback inherited by Elway when he joined the team. He made it clear at the time he would be seeking alternatives.

“Because Tebow had such a fan base behind him — there was probably only one guy that we could have replaced him with that people would understand,” Elway told the Denver Post. “And that was Peyton Manning.”

The decision turned out to be a good one, as Manning would lead the Broncos to two Super Bowls, while Tebow essentially washed out of the league after short stops with the Jets, Patriots and Eagles.

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When it came time to find a new coach for the Broncos, Elway immediately thought of his former backup QB, Gary Kubiak.

“There’s no question when we decided to part ways with John (Fox) that Gary was the first guy I thought of,” said Elway. “My dad always said it’s 80 percent players and 20 percent coaching. I have a tendency to believe it’s a little bit more than that, because you can’t do one without the other. I don’t think you can win a championship without great players and I don’t think you can win a championship without great coaching too.”

It’s a great read and well worth checking out.

Part 2 of the interview will run in Monday’s Denver Post and is said to focus on Elway’s expectations for the 2016 team.

must read: What Team is the Favorite to Win Super Bowl 51?

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