Broncos Won't Have Direction Until Ownership Issue is Resolved
It's no secret that the Denver Broncos are a bad team. For the past few seasons, the Broncos have had to weather bad coaching decisions, subpar free agent signings, a couple of drafts that haven't resulted in enough long-term starters and, most of all, since Peyton Manning retired, the failure to find a quarterback that the Broncos can build the team around.
It's true that accountability starts at the top, but while GM John Elway has had final say on personnel decisions, he's not exactly the person at the top of the organization. If you look at the teams who have been bad for most of the recent past, it wasn't just about who was the general manager, but who the owner is.
And that brings me to Joe Ellis, the current President and CEO of the Denver Broncos.
Ellis is the public face of an ownership trust in place to oversee the team. He, along with Mary Kelly — the personal attorney for the late Pat Bowlen — and Rich Slivka, the team's general counsel, was put into place to take over in case Bowlen was unable to oversee the team. The intent is for the ownership trust to remain in place until one of Bowlen's children is ready to take over as the new team owner.
Ellis represents the Broncos during NFL ownership meetings to discuss policies. He also bears responsibility for hiring individuals who report directly to the owner, of which Elway, the general manager, is the most notable.
But Ellis only holds those duties until one of Bowlen's children takes over. And until that happens, it's going to be difficult for the Broncos to get back on track.
The Pat Bowlen Model
Let's go back to examine Pat Bowlen's time as the owner to understand why.
When I was in college, and Bowlen made the decision to fire head coach Dan Reeves, and then was unable to immediately bring in Mike Shanahan as the next head coach, I wondered if this meant Bowlen was trying to get greater input into the team's direction.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Bowlen was never interested in running the team himself, nor did he want to micromanage. What he really wanted was to have the best people with the organization to have a vision for the team and make good football decisions to carry out that vision.
For Bowlen, it was more than just winning games, which is something that every owner wants. It was about establishing a strong culture throughout the organization, in which he built trust with every single individual who played for the team or worked in the front office.
It's a major reason why so many former players, regardless of whether they played their entire career with the Broncos or not, or whether they finished their career as a Bronco or not, are willing to stay involved with the team and come back for special occasions.
Most of all, Bowlen displayed an aura of confidence in interviews and was willing to admit if a decision he made didn't work out, even if it wasn't easy to come to that conclusion. It was displayed when he let Wade Phillps go as head coach, then became more aggressive in getting Shanahan to coach the Broncos.
Ellis, however, doesn't really display that aura. I still remember how he acted during the press conference when former head coach Josh McDaniels was fired. He stumbled a bit with his words, as if he was embarrassed to admit a decision didn't work out.
Team owners may not be the most liked people in the NFL, but the ones who display confidence that they will find a solution that works are the ones that will command respect. If an owner, through his actions, his words or both, acts like he or she is fumbling around to find answers, it doesn't reflect well on the team and makes it harder for players to buy into the organizational culture.
Had there been a smooth transition from Pat Bowlen to one of his children taking over, the Broncos might have been all right. But the ownership situation has dragged out longer than it should, and it all goes back to disagreement over who should take over for Pat.
Competing Interests
From left: Beth Bowlen Wallace, Brittany Bowlen and Annabel Bowlen.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Beth Bowlen Wallace has publicly expressed her interest in taking over as the majority owner of the Broncos. The ownership trust, however, seems intent on Brittany Bowlen taking that role. The trust has publicly said that Beth hasn't met the qualifications, though Beth believes that the Broncos haven't really given her that chance.
Beth worked in the Broncos front office for three years, from 2012 to 2015, before she was jettisoned, though it's never been clear why. A couple of years later, Beth, with the backing of Pat's brother Bill Bowlen, filed a lawsuit against the trust. While that suit has been dismissed, a petition filed in court by Beth and her sister, Amie Klemmer, seeks to invalidate the ownership trust.
Meanwhile, Brittany Bowlen has pursued her master's degree and is expected to join the Broncos front office in November. The ownership trust plan appears to be for her to work with the team for the next few years and eventually take the ownership reigns, though it remains to be seen how long that transition will take.
I have no idea whether Brittany Bowlen will make a good owner. I have no idea whether Beth Bowlen Wallace will make a good owner. I have no doubt that both want to carry on the legacy of their father and do him proud. And I've heard nothing to suggest there's ill will between the two women.
However, I have read more than enough to believe that Beth Bowlen Wallace and Joe Ellis do not get along.
And that begs this question: Is that the main reason why Ellis and the trust won't support Beth's bid? I don't have sound evidence that is the case, but the question does pop into my head.
Having to even ask such a question doesn't reflect well on the Broncos. How can one have respect for the person serving as the de-facto owner at this time when one may wonder whether he isn't willing to give a Bowlen family member a fair shot at ownership, and instead appears to be fixated on one particular member?
That's nothing against Brittany Bowlen or even Beth Bowlen Wallace. That lies at Ellis' feet. And because it does, it may be hard for some people to have respect for him and the position he holds.
The Elway Factor
Let's go back to John Elway for a minute. It's true that Elway has made more than his fair share of personnel mistakes. He's managed to get a few corrected (namely his drafting philosophy) but others remain, with the quarterback question being the obvious one. This is where having a permanent owner in place would help.
If you think Elway deserves more time, you need to have an owner who can sit down with Elway and ask him about what his vision is for the team in the short- and long-term, and how Elway believes the organization culture needs to take shape. That same owner can regularly meet with Elway to evaluate his performance, decide what does and doesn't make sense, and for what the owner thinks will work, give Elway the resources to make it happen.
But without that owner in place, a void of accountability is left. Ellis really doesn't appear to be the person who can sit down with Elway to discuss that vision and culture. It may not be the main reason Elway has struggled with some personnel decisions, but the lack of accountability can't be helping matters.
If you believe that Elway needs to be fired, then ask yourself this: Who is going to want to take the job with no owner yet in place?
That's not a defense of Elway; it's a reminder that a new GM is going to want know who he (or she, as the case may be) is going to report to and discuss ideas for a long-term plan and an organizational culture.
It's easy to think that someone like Peyton Manning will just show up and take the job because he knows the Bowlen family, but it wouldn't surprise if Peyton will first want to know which Bowlen family member he will be working for, then have the chance to visit with that person. The same with anyone else — a potential replacement for Elway will want to visit with that owner-to-be to ensure he is on the same page with her.
If Ellis won't let such a meeting happen, then I don't see anyone willing to take the job, not knowing whether the job will still be theirs when the new owner does take over.
Thus, the Broncos are between a rock and a hard place. Whether one believes Elway should be replaced or not, the lack of a true owner means nobody is there for a general manager to know if they share a vision and have a good working relationship.
And the longer the ownership situation drags out, the longer it could be before the Broncos get back on track.
It Starts at the Top
While there are plenty of things that need to happen to get the Broncos back into playoff contention, it has to start at the top. And that means the ownership situation needs to be settled.
Joe Ellis cannot be fired unless one of two things happen; A.) a new owner is in place and removes Ellis from his position or B.) the court invalidates the ownership trust.
Until then, Ellis and the trust legally control the Broncos and he will remain.
My personal belief is that it would be for the best for both Brittany Bowlen and Beth Bowlen Wallace to have an ownership stake in the Broncos. One could be the majority owner, but the other could still be part of the organization, even if she doesn't have top authority. I truly believe both want to do their father proud and ensure things are done the way their father did them.
But regardless of how the Broncos ownership situation shakes out, I don't see any future for Joe Ellis, at least not in such a high-ranking position of power. When the ownership situation is settled, Ellis needs to resign his position.
That's because I simply don't believe the Broncos will get back on track so long as Ellis is in such a position of power. I don't believe it's because Ellis doesn't care — I'm sure he wants the Broncos to be a winning franchise. I believe it's because Ellis isn't the right person to establish the direction and culture for the franchise going forward.
There's plenty of blame to go around as to why the Broncos are struggling, but the best way to start will be to get that new Bowlen family member into the ownership role. After that, it's time for Ellis to do the right thing and step aside.
Follow Bob on Twitter @BobMorrisSports and @MileHighHuddle.
