John Elway proves once again he'll do whatever it takes to win

Around 2 p.m., it looked as if John Elway had done it again.

Reports started to circulate that the Denver Broncos were in the final agreements to acquire offensive tackle Joe Thomas from the Cleveland Browns. Since it was so close to the NFL trade deadline, it wasn’t certain if the two sides could reach agreement.

Broncos racing to rework contracts to create cap room at last minute…oh boy….

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2015

Broncos Country and the rest of the NFL waited with baited breath. As did Thomas. Going from the hapless Browns to a legitimate Super Bowl contender? The best offensive lineman in the NFL had to be through the roof. Only to have it come crashing down in a moment’s notice. It wasn’t quite the Elvis Dumervil fax fiasco of a few years ago, but it had the same kind of feel.

The best way to describe the emotion: You just won a BMW. You’re ecstatic. You can’t believe you’re going to get a brand new luxury car. Only when you show up, it’s a 1992 BMW that has both bumpers falling off and it’s covered in rust. Who would have contemplated that scenario? Talk about a letdown.

It was close…so close…but told deal could not get finalized. #broncos #browns — Dianna Marie Russini (@diannaESPN) November 3, 2015

Regardless, the fact Elway was, by all reports, this close to a deal for Thomas says it all. Most teams say they’re all in to win a championship. Few actually back it up with the action to do it. Elway has proved over and over and over and over that nothing is off the board when it comes to making his team better. The executive vice president and general manager of the Broncos proved it again on Monday when he made a deal for Vernon Davis with the San Francisco 49ers.

That alone should fire up Broncos Country; especially when a certain franchise at 20th and Blake is turning into a used cars salesman to convince fans to buy their shoddy product. “We’re right on the path, trust us.”

Elway and the Broncos let their actions do all of the talking. As he has said for the last few years, it’s about winning from now on. Whatever gives his team the best chance to compete for and win world championships, Elway will do it. That’s all any fan base can ask for.

It would have been nice for Denver to land the best offensive linemen in the NFL, and have him on the blindside for whoever is the quarterback for the next five-eight seasons depending on injuries. But in any negotiation, one has to know when to walk away if you don’t feel it. Elway didn’t feel it after he offered a first- and fifth-round draft pick. The Browns reportedly wanted a first and third. The first-round pick was in 2017, the other pick in 2016. Elway and the Broncos felt that was too high, even for a player the caliber of Thomas. Plus, they ran out of time.

I’m told Denver was offering a 5th rounder but Cleveland wanted a 3rd rounder…they ran out of time. #Browns #Broncos

— Dianna Marie Russini (@diannaESPN) November 3, 2015

For now, the Broncos go with who they got. And who they got right now is pretty darn good. They are 7-0 and they just whopped a team some were already saying would play in the Super Bowl. A team that was favored.

As for the offensive line, it would appear that unit is getting it figured out. After allowing seven sacks in the first two games of the season, over the last five games they’ve allowed five, tied for the fewest in the NFL. Not to mention it helped the offense put up over 500 yards.

In regards to Thomas, it’s not over yet. As Vic Lombardi said, don’t be surprised to see this revisited in the offseason.

Money never the issue. Draft picks were the issue. Unfortunate they couldn’t make it work. Won’t be surprised if they revisit in offseason. — Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) November 3, 2015

With Elway, you can’t expect anything less.