The evolution of the NFL has been pretty one-track-minded: make the game easier for offenses and quarterbacks so fans can enjoy more big, exciting plays and high-scoring games. And it’s worked: the league is on pace to reach its $25 billion revenue goal by 2027. But that evolution, along with all the rule changes that have come with it, has made it difficult to compare today’s stars to legends from previous eras, like John Elway.
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Elway was drafted by the Denver Broncos (kinda) in 1983, and he spent a decade and a half with the franchise. Throughout the 1980s, he was the ultimate “can’t win the big one” guy. But then, in his final two seasons in 1997 and 1998, he cemented himself as an all-time great by winning back-to-back Super Bowl titles and earning Super Bowl MVP honors in his final NFL game in Super Bowl 33.
Mark Schlereth, now an outspoken NFL commentator and analyst, protected Elway as part of the Broncos’ offensive line from 1995-1998. On a recent edition of House of Highlights‘ “Fan vs. Hater” YouTube series—essentially a sports version of those tiring Jubilee debates—Schlereth sat down with 10 Gen Z fans to debate some topics. One of them was his belief that Elway is better than any current QB, including Patrick Mahomes.
That didn’t sit well with some of these younger fans. But Schlereth calmly broke down the ins and outs of his argument. He talked about the aforementioned rule changes, as well as how offenses have evolved in terms of scheme, structure, and strategy.
“There is so much quick game, out on the edges, three-step drops. There are very few, if any, seven-step drops, deep throws, in today’s game,” the former guard argued.
“It’s not about throwing the ball deep, it’s about you throwing the ball deep off of a five-step drop. A five-step drop without a hitch is where you throw a go ball. I’m talking about the deep digs, the intermediate routes. The things that don’t get thrown in today’s game as they did,” he added.
No doubt, the overly confident Broncos fan making a case for a Chiefs player over the greatest Bronco to ever live needs to read some history. But Schlereth’s discussion about route concepts and schemes clearly went over this uppity fan’s head as well.
The kid was so nervous that he came off like he was jacked up on something that gave him a hilariously outsized confidence in his knowledge of the subject. He was listening to Schlereth not to understand his perspective but to pick out any small word or phrase to challenge … clearly someone who came to debate in bad faith.
Some of the others were calmer and reasonable, however. And to them, Schlereth continued to make his argument. And while we don’t necessarily agree that Elway was better than someone like Mahomes—even with all of the era caveats—it’s hard not to root for Schlereth during the debate.
“He had an unbelievable skill set when it came to his movement skills, and his ability just to rip it. And so those are the things that I think made Elway so great,” Schlereth concluded.
Elway was a master of the two-minute drill, a commander on the field, a guy with a rocket arm, a fearless runner (he’s actually still fourth all-time in QB rushing attempts, believe it or not), and a determined leader. But on top of all those intangibles, Elway had the numbers working for him too.
He’s got those two Super Bowl wins and that Super Bowl MVP. But he also had nine Pro Bowls and the 1987 NFL MVP. Not to mention that his 148 wins were an NFL record when he retired, and he was second only to Dan Marino in passing yards and passing attempts when he called it quits as well.
It is always hard to compare eras, especially in a game that has changed as drastically as the NFL. And while Mark Schlereth argued well for himself in this video, it’s all too clear that these Jubilee-style debates do not change anyone’s minds or even result in very much healthy discourse. It’s just a bunch of stubborn, one-track-minded people screaming at a smarter, more experienced stubborn person.
