[RaidersOftheCellar]

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

Reeves and Shanahan were great coaches. Both had flaws, but both knew how to win.

Yes, Elway's team missed the playoffs six times... one of those times was an 11 win season in 1985. Solid wins, but they missed.

I do think they could have accomplished more in Elway's era for sure, and yes - Reeve's did hold him back. That's why he became so infamous for the comebacks. You can watch interviews from guys on the team at the time and they validate it.

Reeves did things in the draft that were head scratchers too... Tommy Maddox anyone when Carl Pickens was right there?

All you have to do is see what happened when Reeves was fired and Phillips took over. Elway throws for the most TDs and fewest INTs in that 1993 season. And, as they continued to upgrade the team and eventually hire Shanahan... now he has actual weapons and a good gameplan.

Don't get me wrong. The 3 Amigos and those guys were fun, but Ed, Rod, Sharpe and Davis.... they were not.

So, yeah ... totally agree that Elway could have achieved more had Reeves not been the HC.

Denver still had the 5th most wins in the Reeves' era (behind 49ers, WAS, Bears and Dolphins), but they could have been built better to win in the playoffs.

I agree with most of what you're saying, although I'm not sure why you'd consider Reeves a great coach if he didn't gameplan well and didn't properly utilize his star QB.