It takes sacrifice to win a Lombardi Trophy, as Denver Broncos legend John Elway learned before winning his first Super Bowl with the team.
A new Netflix documentary titled Elway chronicles his struggle to get to the top. The trailer begins with praise being thrown Elway's way, with someone calling him “the most gifted quarterback to ever play in the National Football League.” Mike Shanahan, one of his coaches on the Broncos, thought, “Man, this guy's a freak,” upon first seeing him.
Despite being praised, Elway felt a weight on his shoulders to bring Denver a Super Bowl victory. He lost three of them before finally getting over the hump.
“I can still remember feeling that responsibility and the expectation — I had to sacrifice everything to be the best,” Elway explains in the documentary.
He was the first-overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft, adding to the pressure. In hindsight, Elway acknowledges that he was overwhelmed by the new system he had to run. “My head was spinning,” he concedes in the trailer.
Above all else, Elway wanted to win. This would impact his personal life, and he even says that it had an impact on his family. His kids emotionally recall their parents' marriage “crumbling.”
Did John Elway lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl win?
Luckily, despite his early career woes, Elway would win two Super Bowls back-to-back with the Broncos. He was named Super Bowl MVP in the latter win. He also led the Broncos to a Super Bowl win as their general manager and executive vice president of football operations in 2015, Peyton Manning's final season.
Additionally, he was a nine-time Pro Bowler and a one-time NFL MVP in his storied career. Elway's other accomplishments include being named NFL Man of the Year in 1992, and he was a three-time Second-team All-Pro player.
Elway will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 22. It s a collaboration between Netflix and Skydance Sports. Ken Rodgers directed the documentary.
Elway will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 22.
