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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Elway wants Steve Young in Denver
MSNBC (AP) 26Apr00 S2
By Associated Press
DENVER, COLORADO -- Retired Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway
surprised reporters by saying that he would love to see LDS Church
member Steve Young, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, join the
Broncos next season. Elway led the Bronco's to Super Bowl victories
in 1998 and 1999, and thinks the team could do it again this coming
year.
Young, who just returned last week from a round-the-world honeymoon
trip, seems to be holding all the cards in the decision. After
missing 13 games last season because of a concussion, he reportedly
wants to play again, according to his agent, Leigh Steinberg. Young
could be released by the 49ers after June 1st, should he not pass a
physical exam.
Why would the 49ers want to release their star quarterback? The team
has been under pressure from the NFL for violating the league's
salary cap rules, and releasing Young would relieve them of some of
the restrictions. For his part, Young is said to want another Super
Bowl ring, and that is unlikely to happen in San Francisco, which
will probably spend the year trying to rebuild. The Broncos, on the
other hand, have money to spare under the cap because of the drug
suspension of Dale Carter.
In addition, should he join the Broncos, Young would be playing again
for Coach Mike Shanahan, who was offensive coordinator for San
Francisco when they won the Super Bowl in 1995, and Gary Kubiak, now
Denver's offensive coordinator, who was an assistant coach for San
Francisco in 1995.
"I think he can still play," Elway told reporters at a celebrity golf
tournament he was playing in. "It's a matter if he can still take the
hits. From everything I've seen, it's going to really be up to
whether Steve wants to play or not. Obviously, he can still play and
he's got a lot of experience and knows this system," Elway said. "I
think he could come in here and hit the ground running because he's
been with Mike and Gary."
The possibility then presented an opportunity for Coach Mike Shanahan
to poke fun at reporters yesterday. Shanahan was asked by reporters
to review the quarterback's status, and responded, "Well, Brian
[Griese] obviously is No. 1. And Gus [Frerotte] is No. 2. And Steve
is No. 3 . . ." The reporters were caught off guard to think that
Young would be the third-string quarterback, until they realized that
Shanahan meant former Weber State University quarterback Steve Buck.
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